The Sandbox

Following up on its first survey last year that found 40% of respondents did not believe 450-mm wafers would ever happen, productivity management software and consulting services company Wright Williams & Kelly Inc (WWK) said this week it is starting its 2008 survey on equipment and process timing in the semiconductor industry, which can be found here.

WWK reminded that last year’s survey showed that 50% or more of respondents expect to see adaptive test, high K gate dielectrics, metal gates and equipment with energy saving "sleep" states, in production between 2008 and 2010. And, between 2010 and 2012, 50% or more of respondents expect to see 193 high index immersion lithography, wafer-level reliability testing and damascene gate formation in production use. At the same time, respondents did not expect to see EUV lithography, imprint lithography or 450-mm wafers in production until 2013 or beyond.

“We were not surprised that the most frequent response to the question about 450-mm wafer timing was 2013 or beyond but we were surprised that nearly 40% of respondents indicated that 450-mm wafers would never happen in production manufacturing. This year's survey will look to see if those opinions, and others, have changed,” said Daren Dance, WWK’s VP of technology, in a statement.

Also, based on the 2007 survey results, WWK said it initiated a detailed cost study of projected 450-mm wafer costs compared to an equivalent 300-mm process, details of which can be found here. 

--Ann Steffora Mutschler, Senior Editor