Who will win the 90-nm foundry market?
siliconstrategies.com
Which silicon foundry provider will prevail in the 90-nm process technology market? The 90-nm foundry race is expected to boil down to two competitors--IBM Corp. and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC), believes analyst Michael McConnell, who watches the industry for Pacific Crest Securities Inc. in Portland, Ore.
And the first foundry company that successfully deploys low-k dielectric materials could eventually become “the winner” in the 90-nm market, McConnell observes.
It could also boil down to fierce competition between several low-k equipment and material providers, such as Applied Materials Inc., Dow Chemical Co. and Novellus Systems Inc.
At present, TSMC is using Applied's Black Diamond CVD-based low-k film at the 130-nm node and is expected to deploy the technology at 90-nm.
IBM has tried to deploy Dow's SiLK spin-on glass materials at 130-nm. At 90-nm, IBM is looking at SiLK and Novellus' Coral line of CVD materials, according to the analyst.
Both IBM and TSMC have struggled with their respective low-k technologies at 0.13-micron. “There is a lot of work to do with low-k,” McConnell said. “The yields for low-k [at the foundries] is low and running somewhere between 20-to-30 percent.”
So, the foundries are scrambling to iron out their low-k bugs and get the technology deployed at 90-nm. Time-to-market is key in the foundry business, but from the looks of it, providers have a ways to go.
“TSMC is making strides, but their yields are suspect,” according to the analyst. “IBM has vacillated between Coral and SiLK and put a hammer to Dow to get their act together.”
Don your tables are invaluable. Without them I would have a much harder time defending my thoughts.
Lets keep in mind that if we do get a business led economic recovery that rapidly unfolds that we will both have missed out on some truly great buys last October and March. If not and I hope I am right then we still have ample opportunity in the not too distant future.
I've got cash ready but it sure is not burning a hole in my pocket.
RtS |
