HILLSBORO, Ore.--Intel Corp. today (April 2) announced it has produced its first 0.13-micron ICs on 300-mm wafers in a development fab here.
The company said the development milestone keeps it on track to bring 0.13-micron technology into production on 300-mm (12-inch) diameter wafers at the beginning of 2002.
"Intel is the first in the industry to complete silicon development using advanced 0.13-micron technology on 300 mm-wafers," said Sunlin Chou, senior vice president and general manager of Intel's Technology and Manufacturing Group. "For Intel, this accomplishment represents the beginning of a new era in cost-effective, high-volume manufacturing. "
The Santa Clara, Calif.-based chip giant said the 300-mm wafers are expected to lower costs by 30% compared to 200-mm substrates. "By shrinking the circuit lines to 0.13-microns and increasing the wafer size to 300-mm, we are able to quadruple the output of a standard factory operating today," said Tom Garrett, 300-mm program manager at Intel.
Intel said it expects to use 40% less energy and water fabricating devices on 300-mm wafers compared to today's 200-mm substrates.
