Plan Optik AG has Opened Wafer Fab in Germany

The actual expansion of Plan Optik's capacity includes investments in latest grinding, CMP and anodic bonding equipment and not least automation of existing processes.

Plan Optik offers cap wafer solutions from glass and glass silicon compounds. This includes cap wafers for the packaging of optical MEMS such as CMOS image sensors, projection technology (DLP) and high power LED packaging.

Core processes used by Plan Optik are fully automatic grinding, polishing (CMP), (ultra sonic) drilling, sand blasting, wet etching and bonding glass and glass-silicon compound substrates. Materials used are borosilicate and alkaline free glass as well as silicon and silica (quartz).

Combining the big variety of processing techniques, Plan Optik offers cap wafers with optical (transparent) cavities, through holes for conductive connection as well as high accuracy blank glass substrates for best available performance. These wafers are cleanroom suitable and are already implemented in many high end sensor applications.

All wafers produced by Plan Optik are characterized by low ttv, thickness tolerance, low roughness and high surface quality. Plan Optik set the benchmark in respect to virtually perfect glass wafer surfaces by introducing it's proprietary development MDF polishing to the market. MDF (Micro Damaging Free) polished wafers are suitable for wet etching processes and avoid the well known issue sub surface damaging which can lead to defects. Sub surface damaging leads to small cavities and interconnections between the etched structures weakens the bonding interface and results in a low yield. The use of MDF polished wafers leads to reliable wet etching results and provides a high wafer processing yield.

Plan Optik, a public company located in Germany produces polished wafers for MEMS applications such as tire pressure monitoring systems and drug dispensing solutions since almost 20 years.

Plan Optik's ISO TS 16949, ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 certifications ensure the high quality all substrates are produced to.

TI to Open Wafer Bumping Facility in Chengdu, China

Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) announced it will expand its manufacturing capacity in Chengdu, China, with a 300mm wafer bumping facility. The addition of this manufacturing process in Chengdu further increases TI’s 300mm analog capacity and its ability to support customer demand.

TI announced the new operation in concert with an event celebrating the grand opening of its seventh assembly/test (A/T) facility. The 358,000 square-foot A/T facility was purchased from UTAC Chengdu Ltd. in December 2013 and is now qualified and in production using advanced quad-flat no-leads (QFN) packaging technology.

TI’s manufacturing investment in China began in 2010 with the opening of the company’s first wafer fabrication plant in Chengdu. TI extended its investment with the adjacent A/T facility, opening today. TI will now further extend its operations in Chengdu with a 300mm wafer bumping facility on its Chengdu High-tech Zone (CDHT) campus.

“The CDHT has been a dynamic area of economic development in West China, offering a strong environment for investment and government service,” said Kevin Ritchie, senior vice president of TI’s Technology & Manufacturing Group. “We’re pleased to extend our 300mm manufacturing capabilities at our world-class Chengdu facility to further ensure continuity of supply to our customers and support their growth.”

Wafer bumping is a manufacturing process for advanced packaging technologies, which is completed prior to assembly. The process replaces wire bonding as the interconnection by applying solder, in the form of bumps, or balls, to a device at the wafer level. Nearly 40 percent of TI’s wafer production is manufactured using bump techniques.

This investment plan does not change TI’s capital spending forecast. The company continues to expect its capital spending levels to remain about 4 percent of revenue.

TI has served a broad array of customers in China for more than 27 years. In addition to its manufacturing footprint in Chengdu, TI has established 18 offices providing sales and applications support, four R&D centers and a product distribution center in Shanghai.

TI has manufacturing operations throughout the world, including the United States, Mexico, Germany, Scotland, China, Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines. Its 300mm operations include the industry’s first 300mm Analog wafer fab in Richardson, Texas as well as its DMOS6 wafer fab in Dallas and bump operations in the Philippines and Dallas.

Samsung Invests Big to Maintain Leadership, Support New Markets

Samsung recently announced plans to build a new, cutting-edge wafer fab—a $14.7 billion investment for the company that will be located in Pyeongtaek, a city south of Seoul. The new fab, slated to begin production in 2H17, will add to Samsung’s current impressive compilation of wafer fabs as it seeks to maintain its leading position in memory IC sales and expand its system leadership beyond smartphones, Smart TVs, and tablets. Investing large is not new to Samsung—it has allocated at least $10 billion per year on semiconductor capital expenditures since 2010, and has accounted for 17-21% of total industry capital expenditures each year since then.

McIlvaine Company

Northfield, IL 60093-2743

Tel: 847-784-0012; Fax: 847-784-0061

E-mail: editor@mcilvainecompany.com

Web site: www.mcilvainecompany.com