TOKYO -- Hitachi Ltd. and United Microelectronics Corp. today announced plans to discontinue their joint-venture 300-mm fab company in Hitachinaka City, Japan, just two years after forming Trecenti Technologies Inc. to jump-start production on larger diameter wafers. The move comes after reports that UMC and Hitachi were negotiating a restructuring of the joint-venture 300-mm fab.
Hitachi said it will acquire UMC's 40% share in Trecenti and turn the 300-mm (12-inch) fab into a wholly-owned subsidiary. The transaction is scheduled to be completed by the end of April.
The two companies blamed the severe semiconductor downturn for their change in strategy to share 300-mm wafer production at Trecenti, which according to Hitachi and Taiwan-based UMC was the first 12-inch fab to start mass production using single-wafer processing tools. The joint-venture fab has process technologies down to the 0.13-micron node.
Earlier this month, UMC officials said they were seeking to gain management control of Trecenti (see Feb. 8 story), but those efforts apparently failed.
Hitachi and silicon foundry supplier UMC said they have decided to focus their resources on separate 300-mm efforts. UMC, the world's second largest pure-play chip foundry, said it will concentrate 300-mm production efforts at its wholly-owned Fab 12A facility in Hsinchu, Taiwan, and in its Singapore subsidiary, which houses the UMCi joint venture with Infineon Technologies AG of Germany and a planned joint-venture 300-mm production company--called AU Pte Ltd.--with Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (see Jan. 31 story).
In March 2000, Trecenti was set up at a production site originally owned by Hitachi, and the 300-mm joint-venture fab produced its first devices--SRAMs--two months ahead of schedule later that year (see Dec. 4, 2000, story).
"Hitachi will use Trecenti, which will be our most advanced fab, along with Hitachi Nippon Steel Semiconductor Singapore Pte. Ltd. and the N2 line in Naka, in order to manufacture System LSIs, flash memories and SRAMs," said Satoru Ito, president and chief executive officer of Hitachi's semiconductor and integrated circuits group. "Although UMC and Hitachi will terminate the joint venture agreement regarding Trecenti, we will keep our good relationship," he added.
Also saying that the breakup was amicable, UMC board member and general manager H.J. Wu said the joint venture enabled the Taiwan foundry to accelerate its learning curve in 300-mm processing. "However, the current industry slowdown makes it necessary for us to concentrate our resources on our Fab 12A 300-mm manufacturing facility in Taiwan, our 300-mm subsidiary company in Singapore, UMCi, and our joint venture company with AMD, AU Pte Ltd.," he added.
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
