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Article: The Big Debate: 450 mm or Not?
- Article from:
- Semiconductor International
- Article date:
- October 1, 2007
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Reed Business Information, Inc. (US). This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Peter Singer, Editor-in-Chief
It's fairly rare in the semiconductor industry to have such a sharply defined and hotly debated topic as the need to transition from 300 to 450 mm wafers.
It's exactly the same argument from the proponents of change as with every other wafer size change: They would like to produce more die per wafer while keeping equipment cost about the same. Industry economics dictate that such a transition could be required by 2012, according to the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS). This view, mostly driven by the largest semiconductor companies - Intel, Samsung, TSMC and Toshiba - is also fueled by the thirst ...