News and New Products

ISMI Updates on 300P

Staff Reporter -- Electronic News, 5/23/2006

Members of the International Sematech Manufacturing Initiative (ISMI) have approved key concepts of plan to move the industry toward 450mm wafers from the 300mm wafers that are currently the leading edge.

ISMI provided the update Monday to its efforts to create a transition plan, first announced in January.

"The guiding principles will be used as a foundation for gathering specifics on productivity designs, attributes and metrics to be pursued in today's 300 mm fabs, which will help pave the way to 450 mm implementations," said Scott Kramer, ISMI director, in a statement.

The 300 Prime strategy is designed to improving 300 mm productivity while bridging the move to eventual 450 mm manufacturing, according to Joe Draina, ISMI associate director. “This strategy draws on lessons learned from our industry's last conversion from 200 mm and recognizes the importance of collaboration, consensus-building, and compromise among chip-makers and equipment suppliers,” he said, in a statement.

ISMI’s “guiding principles” for  300mm Prime, calls for 300mm architecture to be forward-compatible with the 450mm factory. For example, 300P productivity enhancements must be scaleable to 450 mm with minimal changes in design and architecture, and be tested and proven with a 300mm setting and demonstrate an acceptable return on investment.

ISMI also said that scenarios for both 300P and 450mm must be subjected to business modeling that addresses multiple use manufacturing models, including high- and low-volume product mixes.

The organization also said that 300P developments will be an evolutionary process. In addition, some current 300mm productivity improvements will be coordinated and deployed in 300P or 450mm fabs.

Kramer noted that 300P has attracted wide attention since ISMI introduced the concept in January

"The introduction of 300P is designed to be an iterative and self-testing process that will generate immediate, mid-term and long-term benefits for the industry," Kramer said. "We see it as a gradual and affordable transition that is responsive to its participants and adaptable to their needs. As I've said before, this process is a marathon, not a sprint."

ISMI is a global alliance of the world's major semiconductor manufacturers, dedicated to reducing cost per wafer, and ultimately cost per die, through cooperative programs focused on manufacturing effectiveness.