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Soitec plans global expansion and new research |
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Jul 07, 2006 at 11:48 AM |
 Soitec reported a new expansion development strategy aimed based on a
growing worldwide demand for silicon-on-insulator (SOI) and other
engineered substrates. The company plans to expand existing production
capacity in France, while also adding a new production plant based in
Singapore.
In France, two additional 300mm lines will be installed at the
company's Bernin II facility during the first half of the current
financial year. The company has also recently purchased, for
approximately €13 million, 1300 square meters of equipped cleanroom
space from MEMSCAP, located adjacent to Soitec's Bernin facility. This
space will be used to increase production capacity and R&D even
further and support recently acquired Grenoble-based TraciT
Technologies.
Potential maximum production capacity in France will increased to an
estimated (mid-term range) of one million 300mm wafers annually,
compared to the current 720,000 wafers per year. As of March 2006,
total investments in Soitec's Bernin plants exceeded €350 million. The
company's investments are expected to top €500 million when fully
equipped, with a total workforce in Bernin of approximately 1000
personnel.
Complementing the company's concurrent expansion efforts in Bernin,
Soitec has selected Singapore as the site for its new 300mm SOI fab,
referred to as Fab 3. Slated to break ground in late August, the fab
will be built on 2.7 hectares and features more than 4000 square meters
of cleanroom space, with additional land for future expansion, if
needed. The total investment is expected to reach €350 million once the
fab is running at full capacity. With production starting mid-2008,
final capacity is expected to be one million wafers per year - which
will ramp over a two-year period in sync with growing market demand. By
2009, the facility is expected to employ approximately 500 people.
Andre-Jacques Auberton-Herve, president and CEO of Soitec, noted: "The
establishment of our new state-of-the-art facility in Singapore's Pasir
Ris Wafer Fab Park represents a key milestone for Soitec - one that we
believe will bolster our competitiveness on a global scale with the
opportunity to have a dollar-based zone plant. Singapore offers a
privileged environment, which will contribute to the rapid and complete
success of our development strategy and will allow us to create strong
relations with our main customers and partners in the region."
On the research side, the NanoSmart project is a new partnership
between Soitec and CEA Leti dedicated to the discovery of new
applications for Soitec's proprietary Smart Cut technology. The effort
calls for hiring, over a five-year period, at least an additional 100
researchers. The total budget for the joint project is €170 million
over a five-year period, for which Soitec itself should receive
government grants and financing approximating €60 million and CEA Leti,
€20 million, after the project is agreed by the European Commission.
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