SANTA CLARA, Calif.--As predicted earlier this year, Intel Corp. today announced it has completed first production of microprocessors on 300-mm diameter wafers using a 0.13-micron process technology.
Intel claimed it is the first chip maker to produce and ship "production level processors" on 0.13-micron technology using 300-mm (12-inch) silicon substrates. Last month, Intel's chief financial officer told financial analysts that the company expected to begin shipping its first products made on 300-mm wafers in the first quarter of 2002 (see Jan. 16 story).
Intel said the first 300-mm production wafers were fabricated at its Fab D1C facility in Hillsboro, Ore. That facility is also Intel's fifth wafer fab to begin processing ICs with 0.13-micron technology--the other four are using 200-mm (8-inch) wafers.
Less than a handful of chip companies have been in early production with 300-mm wafers, but those applications have been in memories or logic-based ICs made with 0.18- or 0.15-micron design rules. Several other chip makers have been planning 300-mm production but cutbacks in investments during the current downturn have postponed new fabs.
"Intel is the first manufacturer to ramp up production of 0.13-micron technology on 300 mm wafers," stated Sunlin Chou, senior vice president and general manager of Intel's Technology and Manufacturing Group. "Microprocessors produced on 300-mm wafers cost 30% less than those made using the smaller 200-mm wafers, and by combining the larger wafers with our advanced 0.13-micron process, we are able to quadruple the output per wafer compared to that of the prior process generation," he said.
In addition to packing more chips on a larger diameter wafer, 300-mm manufacturing will use 40% less energy and water per IC than a 200-mm wafer factory, according to Intel.
Intel did not release information on the performance of the first central processors produced on 300-mm.
RSS
Digital
10 emerging technologies to watch:
EE Times has compiled a list of emerging technologies that we think will be worth watching out for in 2010. Biofeedback or thought-control of electronics are among the contenders.
Hot applications in 2010:
We've compiled a list of 10 technology applications you should watch for in 2010, ranging from e-book readers to 3-D TVs. We examine the features that make these apps so compelling as well unresolved issues.
Top 25 predictions for semis in 2010:
2010 is just beginning to unfold in the electronics industry. Looking into our crystal ball, we have released our own chip forecasts--and other predictions--for 2010.
Seven things to fix in 2010:
The editors of EE Times came up with their own informal list of things we hope engineers fix in 2010, spanning everything from nano-lithography to space travel. What do you want to see get done this year?
'09 moves that are shaping the future:
This was a brutal year, but the industry gets a nod for showing grace under fire. Here's our Top 10 guide to the coming year, illustrating what to expect in 2010.
10 CEOs out in 2009:
It's been a tough year for the global electronics industry and CEOs. We survey the dismissal of 10 industry CEOs during the first three quarters of 2009 and what's ahead for the rest of the year.
Notable women in microelectronics:
There is no better time than a global economic recession to examine the keys to successful corporate governance. So, EE Times has compiled an international list that celebrates women who are business and technology leaders in semis.
EE Times updates Silicon 60:
Seventeen companies have been added to the lastest version of our Silicon 60 list of emerging startups. Forty-three companies survived as emerging companies that are still worth watching.
RSS| 
Digital| 
Mobile
