14 DAY TRIAL // Initially expected to start production sometime in 2015 or 2016, 450mm wafer fabrications facilities have been delayed at least to 2017 or 2018 say analysts, as the recent recession appears to have affected the transition schedule of all the major semiconductor foundries.
Before the start of the recession, Intel, Samsung and TSMC, expected to have the first prototype facilities up and running by 2012.
However, of the three, only Intel has now plans to open such a foundry in the next few years, the Santa Clara-based company getting ready to start 450mm research and development at the Oregon D1X fab sometime in 2013.
The main obstacle in the path of 450mm production is the equipment supplier reluctance to develop the tools needed for the transition to the larger wafers as they still haven't managed to get the profit they anticipated from the switch to 300mm, as one analyst explains.
'”While 450mm would significantly lower the cost per unit and increase the output of a fab, the equipment suppliers are not making the investments needed to move to larger diameter wafers.
“The equipment suppliers did not realize an acceptable ROI on their R&D investment in 300mm tools and they are hesitant to fund development of 450mm wafer capable tools.
“While we believe that 450mm will eventually move to production, this is unlikely to occur in the next five years,” said Gus Richard, an analyst with Piper Jaffray, reports EETimes.
A wafer is a thin slice of silicon that is used for the fabrication of integrated circuits, microprocessors being just one of the many devices that start their life as a wafer.
The move to 450mm is very important for manufacturers, since larger wafers allow for less marginal space to be wasted increasing the chip yield and decreasing production costs.