Tessera's CSP Technology Enables Meicer to Meet Growing Demand for Next Generation Memory Devices; Agreement Further Expands Growing Taiwanese CSP Assembly Infrastructure
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Story Filed: Tuesday, May 16, 2000 2:33 PM EST
SAN JOSE, Calif., May 16, 2000 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Tessera(R) Inc., the semiconductor industry's leading provider and licensor of chip-scale packaging (CSP) technology, and Meicer Semiconductor Industries Ltd., a Taiwanese semiconductor test and assembly company, today announced they have signed a technology agreement enabling Meicer to assemble integrated circuits (ICs) using Tessera's MicroBGA(R) CSP technology. The agreement further expands the existing Taiwanese infrastructure for Tessera's widely-adopted MicroBGA CSP, which has shipped over 250 million units to date.
Under the terms of their agreement, Tessera will transfer its patented Zinger 4.0 process to Meicer's manufacturing facilities in Taiwan, and its Licensing Services Group will assist in the definition and installation of Meicer's MicroBGA assembly line. In order to better meet the needs of its licensees, Tessera's Licensing Services Group recently started offering this new "turnkey" service, which includes equipment and material selection, facility and floorplan definition, staffing plan creation, equipment installation, process start-up and more. The service enables IC assemblers to leverage the expertise of Tessera's experienced engineers, who provide hands-on support throughout the entire installation of the line, guaranteeing specific levels of yield and reliability. Meicer expects the service to enable its line to be set-up and ready for volume production later in the second quarter of 2000 -- which would make Meicer the first Taiwanese assembler capable of offering volume MicroBGA production.
"Taiwan is experiencing a steady increase in demand for CSP technology as the Internet drives development of smaller and higher performance communications and Internet access devices," said Dr. William Yueh, president of Meicer Semiconductor. "Tessera's MicroBGA technology is ideal for these types of applications, and its licensing services will enable Meicer to quickly take advantage of this emerging market opportunity. Tessera is also helping Meicer build a dedicated Zinger 4.0 line for Rambus DRAM -- the first one of its kind in Taiwan."
Meicer is ramping up its MicroBGA production capabilities to meet growing industry demand for MicroBGA package technology in next-generation memory devices, including Flash, SRAM, Rambus DRAM and DDR SDRAM, as well as other high-performance ICs. Tessera's CSP technology enables the semiconductor industry to meet the demand for ICs optimized for size, performance and reliability.
Tessera's MicroBGA solution is the only CSP available with a broad, stable infrastructure of equipment and material providers, subcontract assemblers and semiconductor manufacturers. Most of Taiwan's leading contract assemblers, including ASE, Siliconware, ChipMOS and now Meicer, have recognized the growing demand for CSP and licensed Tessera's MicroBGA technology. As manufacturers seek to improve the on-board signal performance of their ICs, the market for CSP is moving beyond the memory sector and expanding into high performance, higher pin-count applications such as ASICs, DSPs, microcontrollers and microprocessors.
"Over the last 10 years, Tessera has built and sustained a growing infrastructure for its technology, which includes over 30 licensees to date," said Bruce McWilliams, president and CEO of Tessera. "By broadening its offerings beyond technology licensing to include complete licensee support services, such as turnkey line development, Tessera is enabling Meicer and other licensees to drastically reduce their time-to-market by quickly installing their production lines and guaranteeing high yields and reliability."
About Meicer Semiconductor Industries Ltd.
Meicer Semiconductor Industries Ltd. was established in August of 1997 to meet the growing global demand for semiconductor test and assembly services. Specializing in packaging and assembly of power and RF integrated circuits, Meicer offers its customers the latest manufacturing processes to enable low-cost, high volume IC packaging. Meicer is committed to forming long-term manufacturing partnerships that enable the company to support its customers' future product designs and shorten their time-to-market. Meicer recently opened the second phase of its Taiwan test and assembly facility, and expects the new site to significantly contribute to the company's profitability.
About Tessera Inc.
Tessera is the leading provider and licensor of chip-scale packaging technology to the semiconductor industry. The IP company's technology sets new standards in performance, reliability, size and cost, and is ideal for high performance and space-constrained applications such as wireless handsets, PCs, 3D game consoles and other devices used to communicate and access the Internet.
Tessera currently licenses its advanced packaging technology to over 30 assembly and semiconductor companies, including Amkor, AMD, ASE, ChipMOS, ChipPAC, EEMS, Hitachi, Hyundai, Infineon, Intel, IPAC, LG, Meicer, Mitsui High-tec, Samsung, Shinko, Sony, SPIL, ST Microelectronics and Toshiba. Tessera is based in San Jose, Calif. Additional information is available at www.tessera.com.
Note to Editors: Tessera, MicroBGA and the Tessera logo are registered trademarks of Tessera, Inc. All other brand and product names may be trademarks of their respective companies.
CONTACT: for Tessera:
The Hoffman Agency
Paul Barbieri, 408/286-2611
pbarbieri@hoffman.com
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