欧洲欲建3座试产晶圆厂，维持芯片生产领导地位

一个由欧洲官方与私人携手成立、旨在进行纳米电子技术研发的联盟机构(joint undertaking) ENIAC ，打算在欧洲建立3座试产晶圆厂，其中包括1座 18寸(450mm)晶圆厂。ENIAC执行总监Andreas Wild表示，该联盟估计 2012年投资金额超过8亿欧元(约10亿美元)。 ENIAC 的全名是“欧洲纳米电子计划顾问委员会(European Nanoelectronics Initiative Advisory Council)”，成立于2008年，幕后推手包括欧盟委员会(European Commission)以及数家欧洲研发领导厂商；该联盟机构的成立目的是支持并维持欧洲的芯片生产领导地位，而建立试产晶圆厂的提案也是达成以上目标的步骤之一。 根据Wild在日前于德国慕尼黑举行的欧洲纳米电子论坛(European Nanoelectronics Forum)上发表之提案，ENIAC将兴建的3座试产晶圆厂包括一座专门提供微机电系统(MEMS)传感器与功率组件生产的8寸(200mm)晶圆厂，一座支持尖端内存与处理器制程的12寸(300mm)晶圆厂，以及一座支持先进半导体设备与材料研发的 18寸晶圆厂。

ENIAC将建立3座试产晶圆厂
Source:ENIACw3Tesmc

Wild在接受 EETimes美国版编辑访问时表示，ENIAC的计划还在协商阶段，预计在11月底完成，因此试产晶圆厂的建立地点、时程，以及未来将生产的组件、可带来的利益等都尚未确定。他表示，待协商结束，ENIAC将可公布更多相关细节。 而其实欧洲新建试产晶圆厂似乎并非必要之举，目前当地有数个研究机构都已经具备所需设施，也会希望获选为欧洲半导体研发技术的试产据点，以藉此获得资金援助。例如位于比利时的 IMEC 就拥有一座8寸试产晶圆厂，曾进行研发/商业等目的之 MEMS组件生产；该机构也有一座12寸试产晶圆厂，正准备安装 18寸晶圆生产设备。 不过对 ENIAC 来说，试产晶圆厂提案的重点在于欧洲各界的广泛参与，以及相关额外设施的着手建立。该联盟机构在11月14日向各界发出了意向书邀约，但规定有兴趣参与试产晶圆厂计划的对象，需以成员包含来自欧盟3个不同国家代表的产业联盟形式；另一项规定是参与意向书的内容，需包含完整的欧洲在地制造据点发展计划。 本文授权编译自EE Times，版权所有，谢绝转载 编译：Judith Cheng 参考英文原文：Europe plots three pilot wafer fabs，by Peter Clarke

相关阅读：
• “轻晶圆厂”风行，IDM加快IC制造外包
• 对话ARM：IC世界的竞争是场拉力赛
• Digitimes：台湾地区四大晶圆代工厂产能概况w3Tesmc

{pagination} Europe plots three pilot wafer fabs Peter Clarke LONDON – A European public-private partnership formed to coordinate research in nanoelectronics has proposed projects for the creation of three pilot fabs, including one for 450-mm diameter wafers. The ENIAC joint undertaking is seeking more than 800 million euro (about $1 billion) towards projects for 2012, the majority of which would be for the pilot line project proposals, according to ENIAC executive director Andreas Wild. The ENIAC joint undertaking is a major organization set up in 2008, which brings together national funding bodies, the European Commission, and the leading companies that conduct R&D in Europe. ENIAC stands for European Nanoelectronics Initiative Advisory Council. The pilot line proposals are part of a political agenda that wants to support and maintain leading-edge chip manufacturing in Europe as a key enabling technology for systems manufacturing, service provision and wealth creation. The proposals include a 200-mm pilot line aimed supporting industry in MEMS sensors and power applications; a 300-mm pilot line to support leading-edge manufacturing of memories and processors; and a 450-mm pilot line intended to support the development of advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment and materials. Wild presented some details of the proposals to the two-day European Nanoelectronics Forum which opened in Munich, Germany on Tuesday Nov. 20. Click on image to enlarge. Europe wants to keep making chips on wafer sizes from 200-mm to 450-mm in diameter. Source: ENIAC Wild told EE Times that the projects are subject to negotiations that are due to close by the end of November. It is not yet clear where the pilot lines would be located or when they would be created or exactly what would be produced there and for whose benefit. Wild said more details should become available after negotitations have concluded. It may not be necessary to create such pilot lines from the ground up as existing research institutes across Europe may seek to have existing facilities adopted as the nominated European pilot line and to receive financial support. Research institute IMEC (Leuven, Belgium) already has a 200-mm pilot line that is being used to produce MEMS components on a mixed R&D and commercial basis and a 300-mm pilot line that is being prepared to receive 450-mm wafer processing equipment when it becomes available. However, it is important to ENIAC that broad involvement is included in the pilot lines and it wants to initiate the creation of additional facilities. On Nov. 14 the body issued a call for expressions of interest from parties to coordinate such pilot lines with the condition that they should be executed by an industrial consortium with at least three members from different countries in the European Union. A second stipulation was that the expression of interest should include a deployment plan for a full-scale European manufacturing site. Malcolm Penn, CEO of technology and market analysis company Future Horizons Ltd. and an advocate of manufacturing for maintaining wealth generation proposed the creation of joint-venture owned commercial 450-mm wafer fab in Europe in a report prepared for the European Commission in 2011. Neelie Kroes, vice president of the European Commission, who has asked whether it is time to create an "Airbus of chips" conglomerate is due to speak to the European Nanoelectronics Forum late on Wednesday (Nov. 21).