TSMC Prepares Fab 15 for 20nm Chip Production

TSMC has just announced that it has broken ground for the third phase of its Fab 15 facility located in the Central Taiwan Science Park in Taichung, Taiwan that will manufacture chips using the advanced 20nm process technology.

When completed, the facility is expected to reach a capacity of 40,000 wafers per month and the products to be made there include, application processors, graphics processors, main processors and FPGAs, according to EETimes.

TSMC began construction on Fab 15 in July of 2010 and completed equipment move-in in mid-2011, while volume production is scheduled for the start of 2012.

Phase 2 started construction in mid-2011 and TSMC believes that the facility will be ready to start production sometime next year, but no specific date was provided.

“With a strong foundation in Taiwan, TSMC continues to fortify its trinity of strengths: technology leadership, manufacturing excellence, and customer trust,” Chairman Chang said.

“We aim to be the most trusted partner for our customers around the world and to form a powerful competitive force in the semiconductor industry with them.

“What’s more, we hope that our leadership will make Taiwan a pivotal player in global semiconductor industry, and that TSMC continues to be a world-class company that everyone in Taiwan can take pride in Fab 15.

“Phase 3 plays an important role in our plans for advanced technology development and capacity expansion, and once again demonstrates TSMC’s ability to satisfy customer demands.”

While TSMC has said that the Phase 3 facility will be 20nm capable, the foundry hasn’t disclosed the exact scale its 20nm process technology is at, but given how it struggles with its 28nm node, we don’t expect the new facility to be quipped for more advanced technologies.