Siemens British Fab opens

01/01/1998

Siemens` British fab opens

Siemens Microelectronics has opened its 16-Mbit DRAM facility in N.E. England, going from ground-breaking to production-ready in 17 months, and to full qualification in 21 months - four months ahead of schedule. A major factor in the rapid ramp-up was the use of minienvironment-based automation, the first use of this technology in any Siemens fab. Jenoptic Infab was the automation integrator for the facility, which was designed and built by Meissner + Wurst.

The fab`s SMIF-based technology, which includes advanced lot-tracking capability, moves wafers from one processing step to another in vacuum-sealed pods, so that they never come into contact with the cleanroom environment. The configuration moves SMIF pods on tracks high above the floor, greatly increasing the productivity of the 4000-m2 cleanroom. The protection afforded by SMIF automation made possible the processing of wafers even while work on the facility was continuing around the process tools. Siemens has already achieved "best wafer" yields of 96% and "best lot" yields of 91%, and expects to reach 99% yields over time.

Built on a 102-acre site, the fab has a capacity of 1700 wafer starts per week, processed to 0.35-micron design rules. While current output is 16-Mbit DRAMs, the company plans to begin process transfer from 64-Mbit production by the end of 1997. The fab represents an investment to date of US$1.3 billion for Siemens.