A look at 300 mm wafer posts
Sunday, May 21, 2000 6:30 PM ET
Reply # of 35381
Chips Ahoy! Strong global winds blow AMAT's full sails to the center of the Internet and telecommunications revolution. "Chips Everywhere." See, Wired Magazine, June, p.235 for a summary of how Morgan has moved AMAT into the center of the technological revolution.
The three points the magazine makes are the three points I mentioned in my post to you.
1. smaller linewidths reduced to .18 microns.
2. the new materials: copper
3. bigger wafers, 200 mm to 300 mm.
Message 13747781
``This innovative product strengthens SVG's position as a leading worldwide supplier of STI processes,'' noted Don Tran, SVG Thermal Systems vice president of marketing. ``APNext offers our customers a cost-effective single-wafer solution for shallow trench isolation applications, and its production proven linear injector design offers unsurpassed gap-fill and film uniformity for pre-metal dielectric and STI at 130 nm and below.''
The APNext is a single wafer processing tool for 200 mm or 300 mm wafer fabrication. The system utilizes SVG's patented Multiblok(TM) linear injector technology to deposit high quality doped and undoped silicon dioxide films with superior gapfill capability. The APNext system is comprised of four process chambers with an automated front end to load and unload each chamber. The four chambers are arrayed in a unique vertical cluster configuration for high throughput and efficient utilization of fab floor space.
Message 13717723
As we have noted on this page before (in fact, earlier this week), Applied Materials' CEO, James Morgan, doesn't
believe that upturn has peaked just yet either as he expects two more big waves of capital spending on the part of chip makers in 2001 and 2002 as they position themselves to produce chips with copper circuits and chips out of 300 millimeter silicon wafers. You can bet Applied Materials will benefit from that technology transition which is why analysts continue to raise earnings estimates and why we don't believe the best of times are behind this stock just yet either.
Message 13685257
My problem with the 300 mm timing is that the wafer makers do not have the money to buy the capital equipment to make these wafers."
IF that is the case, how will efforts to buy the equipment be affected by a high interest rate environment?
What I am trying to get a handle on is how severely fed policy will affect this semi cycle.
Message 13683682
Ian, I read some summaries and watched Morgan's interview. His view is very sanguine and he sated that some 24 new fabs are planned for 2000 and 2001 combined. He did not say how many of these are 300 mm. My problem with the 300 mm timing is that the wafer makers do not have the money to buy the capital equipment to make these wafers. Fundamentally, without having a ready supply of these wafers, the market will have difficulties launching. The wafer makers got burnt two years ago "tooling up" with the 300 mm and seeing very little of their experimental wafers finding buyers.
Message 13681347
Applied expects 13 new "greenfield" wafer fabs to be started in 2000, and 16 will be announced in 2001, Bronson said. Seven of the new fabs in the next couple of years will be 300-mm wafer processing facilities, he said.
And Applied believes strong growth conditions will continue into 2001. "Incremental wafer-start capacity in 8-inch equivalents will increase an additional 40% in 2001 over 2000," Bronson said.
Message 13671608
Novellus will also benefit from demand for
new technologies, including equipment that can process 300-millimeter
silicon wafers. Demand for 300-mm wafer equipment should increase
"aggressively" by the end of the year, he said.
Message 13655528
"If undetected during the photolithography process, a damaged reticle can greatly impact device yield," Riccio noted. "This impact will be even greater when the industry transitions to 300-mm wafers, which contain twice as many chips as 200-mm wafers." Asyst, the industry's leading supplier of SMIF technology, believes greater use of minienvironment pods in reticle storage and handling will reduce the chances of damage to photomasks and mishandling.
Message 13655496
Lam Receives Two 300 mm Supplier Awards From Semiconductor300
Achieving the Top Tier Supplier and Etch Tool Readiness Awards Demonstrates Lam's Excellent Positioning for the 300 mm Generation.
FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 4, 2000-- Lam Research Corporation (Nasdaq:LRCX - news) today announced winning two SEMICONDUCTOR300 Supplier Awards.
Message 13574399
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Sorry a long post, but AMAT, ASYT, SVGI, and LRCX seem to be the best chance of benefitting from INTC's fab commitment.
Jack
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