Thomas J. Sonderman, Advanced Micro Devices, Austin, TX, USA

ABSTRACT

The demands on semiconductor manufacturers have never been greater than they are today. Companies are challenged to meet market demand by delivering increasingly sophisticated products in high volume, on time and more cost-effectively than ever before. The economy of scale makes a conversion to 300-mm wafers ultimately beneficial, but there is an inherent risk associated with the transition. With the value of each 300-mm wafer more than double that of 200-mm wafers, 300-mm manufacturing demands a level of process improvement that effectively keeps costs low while maximizing the value of each wafer.

23rd Edition: Easing the transition to 300-mm wafer fabrication through automation