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ATDF, the R&D lab spun-off from Sematech will process  approximately five thousand 300mm wafers for AMD to support the initial qualification and ramp the chip-maker's new, $2.4 billion Fab 36 in Dresden, Germany.

Under an agreement highlighting ATDF's recent emergence as a for-profit service company for the semiconductor industry, ATDF will run AMD wafers through a series of primarily interconnect process steps, using chemical vapor deposition, barrier/seed and copper plating tools. This qualification work will be used by AMD to help bring its newly installed Fab 36 tools to production readiness.

"Typically, semiconductor companies ask their equipment suppliers to conduct this sort of qualification processing, but in this case AMD found our services to be competitive," said Juergen Woehl, ATDF General Manager. "ATDF is delighted to be playing a key role in the development of this important new facility."

Fab 36 began equipment installation in November 2004, toproduce chips on 300mm wafers with initial capacity planned at 13,000 wafer outs per month.

"AMD has decided to rely on ATDF to meet the aggressive test wafer delivery schedule required for bring-up of our first and flagship 300mm factory," said David Bennett, Director of Strategic Equipment Technology and Alliances at AMD. "This is of mutual benefit for both of us. AMD receives simplified logistics and cost savings, and the ATDF gets the strategic benefit of supporting AMD, a founding SEMATECH member."