Micron's conversion to eight-inch wafers on schedule
By Jennifer Baljko
Electronic Buyers' News
(02/23/99, 08:29:15 PM EDT)
Micron Technology Inc.'s conversion of newly acquired fabs is proceeding on schedule, president, chief executive and chairman Steve Appleton told a group of investors Tuesday.
The Boise, Idaho-based DRAM maker has been shifting from six-inch wafer fab production to eight-inch production at several fabs in Japan and Italy. The facilities were part of a major deal with Texas Instruments Inc. last year.
The transition is expected to be completed before year's end, Appleton said at the BancBoston Robertson Stephens' technology conference in San Francisco.
Besides the wafer size conversions, the company is aggressively investing in R&D for next generation line geometries. Appleton said Micron is in volume production with 0.21 micron process technology, six to 12 months ahead other major suppliers, and will start to ramp 0.18 micron lines later this year.
“One thing we did not do in a difficult time and something that others did...was cut R&D,” Appleton said. “We cut a lot of things, but we did not cut R&D. We have been able to keep up with the acceleration of next generation products.”
For 1999, capital spending will reach about $1.3 billion, up from about $900 million last year.
Micron's stock closed day at $70.31, up $2.19.
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