UMC to see surging 12-inch wafer output at 0.13-micron node during 4Q
Samson Yu, Taipei; Jack Lu, DigiTimes.com [Monday 29 September 2003]
United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) projects strong 12-inch wafer output using 0.13-micron processing in the fourth quarter, thanks to a major client’s aggressive migration to the advanced process, said sources.
UMC projects monthly output for 12-inch wafers at the 0.13-micron node will exceed 10,000 wafers by year-end, up from about 4,000 currently. UMC’s major clients have accounted for 50% of that figure, sources said.
Texas Instruments (TI) and ATI Technologies recently completed verifying UMC’s 0.13-micron process and may each input 2,000-4,000 12-inch wafers per month using the process during the fourth quarter, sources said. Xilinx is expected to significantly boost 12-inch wafer input at UMC during the second half of this year.
Compared to 8-inch wafers, using 0.13-micron processing on 12-inch wafers can produce more than twice the number of chips. Therefore, foundry customers have been aggressively migrating to 12-inch wafers despite 12-inch wafer prices remaining high, at over US$4,000, sources commented.
In the fourth quarter, UMC projects that 0.13-micron copper processing and 0.15-micron aluminum processing will respectively account for 70% and 30% of 12-inch wafer output at its Fab 12A, compared to an even mix during the second quarter, sources said.
By the fourth quarter, UMC could catch up to TSMC on 12-inch wafer output at the 0.13-micron node. But whether this happens will depend on whom ATI favors, sources commented.
For the 0.13-micron node, TSMC’s Fab12A currently outputs 5,000-7,000 wafers per month. TSMC’s major customers on the process include Nvidia and ATI. VIA Technologies and Altera are currently verifying the process, according to sources.
