SEMICONDUCTOR INDUSTRY
UPDATE
March 2021
McIlvaine Company
SK Hynix's New M16
Plant Stands Ready
TSMC to Spend
Big on 3nm Development
SUSS MicroTec
Opens New Production Facility in Taiwan
ITRI and DuPont
Inaugurate Semiconductor Materials Lab
DISCO's
Completion of New Building at Nagano Works Chino Plant
SK Hynix's New
M16 Plant Stands Ready
SK Hynix has held a completion ceremony for
its new fabrication plant M16 at headquarter located in Icheon, Gyeonggi-do,
South Korea.
During the ceremony, SK Group Chairman Chey
Tae-won said that it was a worrisome time when the company decided to build the
M16 facility two years ago, as the overall semiconductor memory market was amid
downturn back then. However, as the industry anticipates upcoming positive
market conditions, it seems as if the company's decision was the right move. He
concluded saying that M16 shall remain as a symbol, not only for the completion
the company's broad plan, but also as the beginning of the Yongin Semiconductor
Cluster, a press release reads.
Since the initiation of the M16 construction
in November 2018, SK Hynix has invested a total of KRW 3.5 trillion (EUR 25.85
million). The construction project was completed in 25 months. M16, which will
be a manufacturing site mainly for DRAM products, boasts a building area of
57'000 square meters, equivalent to the size of eight soccer fields. The plant
is 336 meters long, 163 meters wide, and 105 meters high, which makes it the
largest among the domestic and overseas production sites of the company.
Another special thing about the M16 site is
the introduction of the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment, which
is a first for SK Hynix. The company plans to produce 1a nm DRAM products from
the second half of this year by utilizing the EUV equipment. Also, the company
plans to increase the utilization of this equipment in the future.
“M16 is a complex manufacturing plant where
cutting-edge infrastructures such as dedicated space for EUV equipment and
advanced pollution reduction facilities are concentrated. It will become a
production plant of a higher level that contributes to the ESG management as
well as creating economic value,” says Seok-hee Lee, CEO at SK Hynix in the
press release.
SK Hynix expects M16 to play a key role in
carrying out the company’s “Financial Story”. In October 2020, SK Hynix
announced its Financial Story representing its vision to enhance the company’s
overall competitiveness in the semiconductor memory industry through DRAM and
NAND Flash business segments.
TSMC to Spend
Big On 3nm Development
TSMC has plans to allocated US$25-28 billion
in capex for 2021, with over US$15 billion of the foundry house's record budget
to be spent on advancing its 3nm process node. The foundry has disclosed that it
is on track to move its 3nm process to risk production later this year, and
start volume in second-half 2022. Meanwhile, Taiwan's PCB sector also registered
record output in 2020 at over US$23.8 billion.
The output of Taiwan's PCB industry grew 5.6% on year to a record high of
NT$667.2 billion (US$23.83 billion) in 2020, bolstered by pandemic-induced
stay-at-home economy in most of the year as well as robust shipments for new
iPhones and automotive...
SUSS MicroTec
Opens New Production Facility in Taiwan
SUSS MicroTec, a provider of systems and
process solutions for the semiconductor industry and related markets, is opening
the doors of its new production facility in HsinChu, Taiwan. The company is
responding to increased industry demand due to booming applications and
megatrends such as 5G, IoT, AI and mobility.
With the new production site, the company
will achieve even greater flexibility to be able to specifically meet the wishes
of customers, such as accelerated lead, delivery and response times. The Asian
customer base in particular will benefit from this added flexibility. In
addition, even closer collaboration on current and future product generations
can result from the proximity of application support and production to strategic
key customers.
The premises are located in Hsinchu Science
Park, one of the world's most important centers for semiconductor manufacturing
as well as industrial and computer technology development. The facility covers
an area of 4,800 square meters, of which 2,900 square meters consist of a
cleanroom area, including storage. The primary activity will be production and
delivery of the majority of SUSS ACS200 coaters/developers by a workforce of
around 50.
The company has implemented a comprehensive
recruitment and training program to staff the facility. This includes intensive
training of the production team directly at the main production site in Germany.
In addition, highly qualified specialists will be sent from the parent company
to Taiwan to use their expertise to support the colleagues on site.
“The rapidly increasing expansion of
broadband data networks, further reinforced by the intensive use of digital
communications due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, is currently leading to
strong growth in the semiconductor industry's demand for production equipment.
We expect this trend to continue in the coming years. With this in mind,
expansion of our production capacity with the new Taiwanese location is
crucial,” says Franz Richter, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Management of
SUSS MicroTec. “We will be able to give our Asian customers in particular better
insight into completion of their products during regular production. This
increased transparency is already finding wide acceptance and is being very well
received by our customers.”
The new location has begun operation, and the
first machines will be delivered to customers this year.
ITRI And
DuPont Inaugurate Semiconductor Materials Lab
Taiwanese lab will combine ITRI’s
semiconductor-related technical strength and DuPont’s expertise in materials.
Industrial Technology Research Institute
(ITRI) and DuPont Electronics & Imaging have celebrated the opening of a new
semiconductor materials laboratory in Hsinchu, Taiwan.
DuPont established the laboratory to stay
close to the semiconductor industry in Taiwan. DuPont will conduct, in
collaboration with ITRI, semiconductor material research, development and
enhancement, and accelerate pilot testing and commercial viability to support
DuPont's customers as they pursue the next generation of semiconductors in
Taiwan.
The evolution of 5G and Artificial
Intelligence (AI) has spurred development of key technologies for the next
generation of semiconductors, including materials to support heterogeneous
integration, advanced manufacturing processes, and high-end packaging. Taiwan
plays a leading role in the semiconductor industry and has an integrated
semiconductor supply chain.
Chih-I Wu, VP and general director of ITRI's
Electronic and Optoelectronic System Research Laboratories, stressed that ITRI
has long invested in semiconductor research and development and has a solid
foundation in the fields of electronics and optoelectronics, advanced packaging
processes, chemistry and materials. With the support from AI on Chip Program of
Department of Industrial Technology (DoIT), Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA),
ITRI will expand investment in advanced equipment and technology, heterogeneous
integrated packaging experiment platforms and diversified design, manufacturing
processes and prototype production services.
“Bringing together ITRI's
semiconductor-related technical strength and DuPont's expertise in materials,
this laboratory in ITRI's vicinity will enable closer exchanges between the two
organizations to bring more innovative solutions and meet the immediate needs of
Taiwan's semiconductor and IC substrate industries,” he said.
“DuPont has been conducting business in
Taiwan for more than 50 years and has grown alongside Taiwan's industrial
development, especially in the electronics industry. Our investment in
semiconductor technology and manufacturing centers in Taiwan serves as our hub
in Asia Pacific to promote advanced semiconductor technologies globally,” said
Dennis Chen, DuPont Taiwan president. “Over the years, we have made efforts in
strengthening technological breakthroughs, terminal applications and supporting
the strategic technology roadmap in Taiwan. The inauguration of this laboratory
marks another important milestone as we continue to enhance innovation and R&D
capabilities in Taiwan.”
Added Rob Kavanagh, global business director,
DuPont Advanced Packaging Technologies: "DuPont is committed to the development
of advanced materials in support of the increasingly complex packaging
technologies. We have seen positive outcomes from our past collaboration with
ITRI and look forward to further leveraging each other's competencies and
experience for our customers and Taiwan's semiconductor industry.”
DISCO's
Completion Of New Building At Nagano Works Chino Plant
DISCO Corporation, a semiconductor
manufacturing equipment manufacturer has completed construction of a new
seismically isolated building (Building B) at Nagano Works Chino Plant (Chino
City, Nagano). With completion, the total floor area of the Nagano Works Chino
Plant, including the existing building, is approximately 7.5 times greater. This
expansion enables further enhancement of the product supply system for future
demand in semiconductors and electronic components.
Due to widespread use of high-performance
smartphones and increase in base stations and data centers accompanying the
start of 5G service, demand for semiconductors and electronic components,
including memory, sensors, and condensers, is increasing worldwide. As a result,
need is also rising for DISCO's precision processing equipment* and precision
processing tools** (blades/wheels) among device manufacturers, semiconductor
manufacturing subcontractors, and electronic component manufacturers. Demand is
expected to expand mid-to-long term as well, with future technologies such as
IoT, AI, self-driving technology, and telemedicine as drivers of growth.
Therefore, DISCO needed to further enhance its product supply system.
Production floors in the existing building
(Building A) are operating at almost full capacity. With the construction of
Building B, the total floor area of the entire Nagano Works Chino Plant is 7.5
times greater than before. This expansion enables flexibility in adapting to
further increase in demand. In addition, construction of another new building
(total floor area: approximately 67,800 m˛) is in progress at Hiroshima Works
Kuwabata Plant (Kure City, Hiroshima) and will be completed in August 2021.
Currently, production of major products is
conducted mainly at Hiroshima Works Kure Plant and Kuwabata Plant. However, the
distance between the factories is approx. 10 km, which is a concern should
disaster affect a wide area. Therefore, diversification of risk is a major
topic. After operation starts in Building B at Nagano Works Chino Plant, the
variety of items that Nagano Works can produce will increase, and DISCO will
work toward establishing a system that can achieve production and shipment of
the same products from both Hiroshima and Nagano Works. This production system
will then enable the achievement of a stable production supply in the event of
an emergency.
McIlvaine Company
Northfield, IL 60093-2743
Tel: 847-784-0012; Fax:
847-784-0061
E-mail:
editor@mcilvainecompany.com
Web site:
www.mcilvainecompany.com