Global Foundries "transforms" into GlobalFoundries, and 12-inch wafer factory settles in Chengdu

Leifeng.com IoT Technology Review latest news: This morning, the world's second largest wafer foundry, Global Foundries, officially announced in Chengdu Hi-tech Zone that it will join hands with Chengdu City to establish a joint venture company - GlobalFoundries (Chengdu) Integrated Circuit Manufacturing Co., Ltd., and establish a new joint venture wafer foundry in Chengdu.

According to IoT Technology Review , GlobalFoundries Chengdu is China's largest 12-inch wafer factory, with a cumulative investment of more than 10 billion US dollars and an estimated annual output of 1 million wafers. According to its official plan, the first phase of the construction of CMOS process production lines, mainly 180nm and 130nm, is introduced from Singapore technology, with a monthly production capacity of 20,000 wafers, and is expected to be put into production at the end of 2018; the second phase, 22FDX, is introduced from German technology, with a monthly production capacity of 65,000 wafers, and is expected to be put into production in the second half of 2019. In this way, after the completion of the first and second phases, GlobalFoundries Chengdu's total production capacity will reach 85,000 wafers/month.

As we all know, the larger the wafer size, the more IC chips can be produced on a single wafer, but the requirements for material technology and production technology are higher. The current wafer sizes are 4 inches, 5 inches, 6 inches, 8 inches, 12 inches and even larger, and 12 inches can be said to be the most mainstream size at present. According to the latest report from market research firm IC Insights, the proportion of 12-inch wafers will reach 68% by 2020.

It is worth mentioning that Global Foundries also announced that it will use a new name - GlobalFoundries in the Chinese market in the future, and abandon the previously known GlobalFoundries.

“We will continue to invest in capacity and technology to meet the needs of our global customer base,” said Sanjay Jha, CEO of GF. “From the world’s top RF-SOI platform for wireless connected devices to our cutting-edge FD-SOI and FinFET process roadmaps, we see strong demand for our mainstream and advanced process technologies. The new investment will help GF expand its existing wafer fabrication plants. Through this partnership in Chengdu, we will solidify and further accelerate our development in the Chinese market.”

According to a set of data previously released by GlobalFoundries: the power consumption of 22nm FD-SOI process is 70% lower than that of 28nm HKMG, the chip area is 20% smaller than that of 28nm Bulk, the number of photolithography layers is reduced by nearly 50% compared with FinFET process, and the chip cost is 20% lower than that of 16/14nm FinFET. If the data is true, the performance of 22nm FD-SOI can even be on par with that of 14/16nm FinFET, while the chip cost is comparable to that of 28nm.

Semiconductor veteran Mo Dakang also said that compared with FinFET, FD-SOI has advantages in power consumption and comprehensive cost, and its products are widely used in mobile terminals, Internet of Things, smart devices, automotive electronics and other fields. The development of FD-SOI process technology is an opportunity for China's integrated circuits to catch up with the international advanced level.

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