Micron fabs will convert to 8-inch wafers by year end
By Jennifer L. Baljko
Electronic Buyers' News
(02/24/99, 10:32:45 AM EDT)
SAN FRANCISCO — Micron Technology Inc.'s conversion of newly acquired fabs is proceeding on schedule, according to Steve Appleton, president, chief executive officer and chairman of Micron (Boise, Idaho).
The DRAM maker has been shifting from 6-inch wafer fab production to 8-inch production at several fabrication facilities in Japan and Italy. The fabs were acquired when Micron purchased the DRAM operations of Texas Instruments Inc. last year.
Micron expects to complete the transition to 8-inch wafers before year's end, Appleton told analysts at the BancBoston Robertson Stephens' technology conference in San Francisco on Tuesday (Feb. 23).
Aside from its conversion to larger wafers, Micron is aggressively investing in R&D for next-generation line geometries. Appleton said Micron is in volume production with 0.21-micron process technology, which puts it six to 12 months ahead of other major suppliers, he said. Micron will start to ramp 0.18-micron lines later this year, he said. "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."
Micron's capital spending will reach about $1.3 billion in 1999, up from about $900 million last year.
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