Intel's newest high-volume wafer fabrication facility
has commenced production. Fab 24 features 300mm wafer manufacturing
based on Intel's 90 nanometer process technology.
It is the company's fourth 300mm manufacturing facility, enabling
it to produce about two-and-a-half times more chips per wafer and
its third site to manufacture semiconductors with circuitry of 90
nanometer (90 billionths of a meter) across.
"This new facility is the embodiment of Intel's commitment to
high-volume, leading-edge manufacturing capacity," said Intel chief
executive Craig Barrett. "The combination of the capital
efficiencies gained from 300mm technology and the outstanding track
record of our workforce makes this facility one of the best of its
kind in the world."
The larger 300mm wafers aim to enable lower production costs, by
reducing the costs per individual component by about 30%. The
technology will use 40% less energy and water to produce each chip
than previous generations.
The 90 nanometer process is designed to enable a doubling of
transistor density on a given integrated chip of the same size. It
is also said to be the first in the industry to use a process
technology called "strained silicon" to speed up the
transistors.
The strained silicon can be used to enhance performance or to
lower power if additional performance is not required, according to
Intel.
Written by
Computing SA staff