TSMC Confirms 3D Intent / Singapore Launches 3D IC Consortium

We all know that for 3D IC to truly become a industry changing technology (  the term paradigm shift is way to overused) we will have to see the support infrastructure going into place in the foundries and assembly houses of Taiwan and Singapore.

TSMC

At a recent TSMC public board meeting their Chairman, Morris Chang,  reinforced their intentions to offer via middle foundry services in 2011 withthe following roadmap [global Chip Market May fully recover in 2012 says TSMC Chairman].

IME

A few blogs ago I updated you on the activities at IME which included 3D IC [ PFTLE “3D IC Activity at IME“, 08/26/2009 ]. Well,  just this week IME officials announced a 3D focus group which I will discuss further below. An update from ITRI in Taiwan is also overdue and will be posted, at PFTLE next week.

IME (the Institute of Microelectronics), a research institute of A*STAR, the Singapore Agency for Science, Technology and Research, has announced the launch of a 3D IC consortium to boost next generation 300mm wafer manufacturing capability for the Singapore semiconductor industry.

IME will team up with A*STAR’s Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in the consortium which consists of two eighteen months phases. IME will leading Phase 1 with participating companies that include Chartered Semiconductor, STATS ChipPAC Ltd. and United Test and Assembly Center Ltd (UTAC). The consortium will also leverage materials and equipment suppliers.

The two phases of the program and the topics they will cover are listed below. The goal of Phase 1 is to establish TSV design and processes capability for 200mm and 300mm TSV wafers 3D IC assembly, and train a pool of skilled personnel in the semiconductor supply chain companies to support manufacturing of new products with 3D IC technology. Phase 2 will demonstrate the integration of fully functional mobile devices with TSV on a 300mm wafer process line.

For all the latest on 3D IC Integration and advanced packaging stay linked to PFTLE…………………………