Taiwan fabs up and running after quake

April 1, 2002 — HSINCHU, Taiwan — An earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale rocked Taiwan over the weekend. However, the quake registered 4 where many of the foundries are located in Hsinchu.

Both United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC) and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) reported that they lost a half to a full day of wafer production, according to AFX News Limited.

"A very minimal amount of equipment was slightly affected but UMC’s engineering team is working hard to speed the full recovery," noted a company spokesperson.

After a thorough check of all equipment, TSMC has resumed its normal production schedule.

Many foundries report that they are better equipped to handle earthquakes since the Island was hit with an earthquake measuring 7.6 on September 21, 1999. During that time, foundries were unable to produced chips for approximately two to four weeks.

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