Intel-Micron JV orders litho for Singapore fab
Mark LaPedus
EE Times
(02/01/2010 6:36 PM EST)
eetimes.com
LEHI, Utah -- Intel Corp. and Micron Technology Inc. are mum about the production schedule of its joint NAND fab in Singapore--despite the fact the venture has begun ordering lithography tools and other gear for that plant.
IM Flash Technologies LLC (IMFT)--the joint NAND flash venture between Intel and Micron--is moving ahead with its delayed fab in Singapore, with a projected ramp in 2011, according to an analyst.
Officials from Intel and Micron declined to comment about Singapore. ''I can tell you IMFT just ordered three NXT tools from ASML in 4Q '09 for delivery to Singapore in 2Q/3Q (2010) timeframe,'' according to one analyst.
ASML's TwinScan NXT:1950i system is a dual-stage, 193-nm immersion lithography tool designed for volume production 300-mm wafers at the 32-nm node and beyond. Building on the in-line catadioptric lens design concept of the XT:1950Hi, the NXT:1950i has a numerical aperture (NA) of 1.35.
This week, Intel and Micron have regained the process technology lead in NAND flash, by rolling out the first in a family of 25-nm devices.
The 25-nm device is made at IM Flash's fab in Lehi, Utah. Intel and Micron will initially ramp the 25-nm NAND device in Utah, followed by production within Micron's fab in Manassas, Va. In Lehi, IM Flash uses scanners from ASML. |
