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Hynix and STMicroelectronics open largest semiconductor complex in China |
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Oct 10, 2006 at 12:02 PM |
 Hynix and STMicroelectronics have officially opened their $2 billion Joint Venture 200mm and 300mm fab complex in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, China.
With the total complex the size of 22 American football fields and over
700,000 square feet of built and planned manufacturing facilities,
according to construction project manager, CH2M Hill, the complex is
believed to be the largest in China and the first front-end facilities
in China for both companies.
"A joint venture of this magnitude is likely to be the largest of its kind between a Korean and European company," said Carlo Bozotti, President and CEO of STMicroelectronics. "It will bring both partners significant benefits of scale and complementarity. Guaranteed access to cost-competitive DRAM and jointly developed NAND products and technologies reinforces ST's leading position in package-level integration (PLI). By stacking multiple memory chips in a single package, this important technology of PLI allows our customers in China and worldwide to increase memory density and device reliability, while saving space in mobile handsets and other consumer and industrial applications."
Currently, two fabs have been built, each with approximately 160,000 square feet of cleanroom space. The 300mm facility is estimated to have a monthly capacity of approximately 55,000 wafer starts per month (wspm). The 200mm facility is estimated to have a capacity of 80,000wspm when fully ramped.
According to the JV partners, the 200mm fab is currently ramped to 50,000wspm after starting volume production in July 2006 and is being used for DRAM production on 90nm and 110nm process technologies. The 300mm facility has started ramping in October 2006 and will be used for both NAND Flash and DRAM production. Initial production is being allocated to NAND Flash for STMicroelectronics and uses 60nm SLC (Single-Level Cell) and MLC (Multi-Level Cell) NAND process technology. However, production will quickly move to the 55nm node, according to STMicroelectronics. Hynix will also use the 300mm facility for both DRAM and NAND production, though the timeframe has not been disclosed.
"In 2005, the NAND Flash market grew faster than any segment in the history of the semiconductor market, driven by a spiraling demand for storage space in mobile phones, digital cameras, and portable audio players," said Mario Licciardello, STMicroelectronics' Corporate Vice President and General Manager of the Memory Product Group. "The ramp up of the 300mm production with 60nm SLC (Single-Level Cell) and MLC (Multi-Level Cell) NAND technology, rapidly moving to 55nm and below, will help ST match this growth and meet our customers' demand for high-performance and cost-competitive memory solutions in the mobile and digital consumer markets."
The $2 billion joint-venture fabs, which broke ground in April 2005, are financed with equity from STMicroelectronics and Hynix on a 1/3 - 2/3 basis respectively, with plans for several more fabs and support buildings at the Wuxi site, though no timescales have yet been announced. The 300mm JV fab is the first in China to be built by overseas companies.
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