April 13, 2006 – ChipMOS Technologies Inc., Oracle Corp., and the Taiwanese government are partnering to develop an information system for semiconductor supply chains based on radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology. The end result of the project will be a system that provides real-time wafer-lot identification and chip probing information during the wafer sorting process, in order to enhance productivity and shorten total processing time.

The two ultimate goals, according to a ChipMOS official, are to decrease machine idle time while changing production lots in order, and provide real time process/progress infos during wafer sort manufacturing for customers.

About 30%-40% of the RFID project’s total budgeted R&D will be subsidized by Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), according to the official, who noted that the government has sponsored about NT$160 million (US ~$5.0 million) in seven previous ChipMOS projects, including its chip-on-film advanced packaging technology for LCD driver ICs.

The MOEA’s Institution of Engineering of Institute Information Industry (III) will work on the system’s hardware and environment structure constructions, with Oracle providing the software and database. Cypress Semiconductor was invited to join the project to provide test vehicles and feedback, the ChipMOS source noted.

“The information system to be developed by this R&D alliance will potentially enable our customers to have real time information to monitor the production status and reduce operating costs,” stated S.J. Cheng, chairman and CEO of ChipMOS, in a statement.