SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Intel Corp. here has apparently rejected Fort Worth, Tex., in favor of Chandler, Ariz., as the location of its first 300-mm wafer production fab.
An Intel spokesman today confirmed that "the pre-qualification study has been completed for building a new 300-mm fab in Chandler." No final decision has been made yet, he added.
At the same time, the Fort Worth site has been bypassed for the time being and "will remain on hold," the spokesman said. In the past two years, Intel has put the brakes on the Fort Worth chip plant (see March 27, 1998, story).
Intel already has a large wafer-processing complex in Chandler, and last year the company elected to put its major chip-packaging R&D center at the site. With a sizable infrastructure already in place, Intel now believes 300-mm production could be ramped up quickly in Chandler, according to sources. Intel is beginning to accelerate its move to larger wafer diameters, they added.
The Intel spokesman said questions on tax incentives in Texas continue to be a problem in Fort Worth. After selecting the city as a fab location, Intel discovered that under Texas law, Fort Worth's school district would lose state funding equivalent to any tax incentives provided to Intel. The chip company said it is still negotiating with various governmental officials in Texas to work out the tax issue.
In the meantime, Intel has all but decided on Chandler for the 300-mm fab.Intel last year launched its 300-mm program by starting a pilot line at its Hillsboro, Ore., development fab complex. That will soon be joined by a companion 300-mm development fab, which will be ramp to low-volume production. The full-scale production would most likely begin in Chandler during 2002, according to sources.
Intel will launch 300-mm production with 0.13-micron processing, after the next-generation design rules have been initially tested in 200-mm wafer production. Intel has placed a $100 million order for 193-nanometer wavelength scanners with Silicon Valley Group Inc.'s lithography division in Wilton, Conn., for the 0.13-micron production lines.
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