July 16, 2007 — Austin, TX-based ATDF, a global R&D foundry for nanoelectronics, and the Taiwanese global semiconductor foundry and system-on-chip (SoC) solution provider UMC, have agreed to extend their existing collaboration to evaluate emerging technology products and bring to market those that are most promising.
Under the agreement, ATDF and UMC will focus on specialty technologies, including nanotech and memory designs, that originate with small companies, university labs, and other organizations. ATDF will evaluate the technologies that match UMC’s “manufacturability” criteria, while UMC will work with select innovators to evaluate the manufacturability and commercialization of their technologies.
ATDF will assess feasibility and perform qualification testing for any innovator willing to engage in the program. UMC then will review ATDF’s test results to select the potential manufacturing partners.