bobs,
In the pictures I've seen of SP1, JV3 abuts SP1. I'm not sure whether upgrading JV3 would be a preferred method, to add capacity, or not.
JV3 is 200mm, and is less advanced than Fab 25. The progression of migration is:
JV1/JV2 -> JV3 -> Fab25 -> SP1.
upgrading JV3 (short of mothballing a lot of equipment only gets to to where Fab25 already is.
From what I recall, SP1 has number of potential stages (3?) with 2000 wafer increments. So that's a plenty of capacity. And if even that is not enough, Spansion breaks the wall into JV3 and adds there.
If it was the other way around, and JV3 was more advanced than Fab 25, closing or selling Fab 25 would have been a non-brainer. But the problem is that Fab 25 is really still the bread and butter of Spansion, where most production takes place, so the options are not clear.
If Spansion got enough money for Fab25 to build another increment of SP1, that may be the way to go, but I don't think Spansion is anywhere near ready with customer migration to 65nm for SP1 to take over. Maybe in a year or two.
Joe |
