LFoundry Acquires Micron Wafer Manufacturing Plant

LFoundry will acquire Micron Technology Italia Srl. and all of its semiconductor fabrication facility assets in Avezzano, Italy. Terms have not been disclosed.

Under the agreements, Micron will assign to LFoundry its four-year supply agreement with Aptina to manufacture image sensors at the 200 millimeter Avezzano facility. Micron will also grant LFoundry a restricted technology license. The transaction is expected to close later this spring.

"The manufacturing capabilities of Micron's fab in Avezzano, Italy, together with our own existing fab and technologies, make this a winning combination and an important part of our strategic goal in building LFoundry's business into a premier analog mixed signal and specialty foundry partner for our customers," says LFoundry CEO Günther Ernst.

LFoundry is a semiconductor specialty foundry based in Germany and France. Micron Technology manufactures and markets DRAM, NAND, and NOR flash memory, packaging solutions, and semiconductor systems.

Infineon Gets OK for Power Chips on Large Wafers

Infineon Technologies AG has received the first customer go-aheads for products of the CoolMOS family produced by the 300 mm line at its site in Villach, Austria. Infineon is the first and only company worldwide to produce power semiconductors on 300 mm thin wafers.

Thanks to their larger diameter compared to standard 200 mm wafers, two-and-a-half times as many chips can be made from each one. Although not much thicker than a sheet of paper; the chips have electrically active structures on the front and back.

"The qualification of our entire 300 mm line represents a veritable leap ahead of the competition," says Dr. Reinhard Ploss, CEO of Infineon Technologies AG. "300 mm thin-wafer manufacturing for power semiconductors will enable us, with the corresponding demand, to seize the opportunities that the market offers."

Infineon Technologies is based in Neubiberg, Germany. The company offers semiconductor and system solutions addressing energy efficiency, mobility, and security.

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