Soitec Increases Production of SOI wafers

Soitec, the French silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers manufacturer, has just announced that the company intends to expand its production because of a "growing worldwide demand for SOI and other engineered substrates" in order to strengthen the manufacturer's position on the market and, of course, to increase its revenues, informs Electronics Weekly.

Accordingly, the company will boost its manufacturing capacity within the boarders of France and build another facility in Singapore. The Singapore-based plant will be created especially for the mass production of 300mm SOI, and the activity will start, as Soitec's representatives said, in August.

The officials added that the full production will start in 2008, and they expect a capacity of no less than one million wafers per year, as the company will invest a total of �350m (until the plant based in Bernin will run at a full capacity). In addition, the two 300mm lines will be implemented in the Bernin facility starting next year.

However, the manufacturer total investment is expected to go beyond the current estimated sum, reaching �500m when the plant will benefit of more than 1,000 employees and the entire equipment needed for mass production.

In order to highlight the importance of this investment and that of the new facility, Soitec's representatives said that the future estimated mass production capacity (mid-term range) will feature one million 300mm wafers annually, compared to the current estimated manufacturing capacity of 720,000 wafers for the same period of time.

"Our ongoing investments allow us to address volume markets. To meet anticipated rising demand from chipmakers worldwide, including Asian foundries, we are further bolstering our global production capacity with a new production plant in Singapore," said Andre-Jacques Auberton-Herve, president and CEO of Soitec.

It is said that Soitec has also acquired 1,300 square meters of equipped clean-room space, which is located nearby Soitec's Bernin plant.