300-mm meeting: NEC slows adoption, SEH says wafers in 99

12/01/1996

300-mm meeting:NEC slows adoption,SEH says wafers in `99

Officials of several leading Japanese chip companies said at a recent meeting in Tokyo that they expect to begin volume production on 300-mm wafers in 2000 or later, and a representative of wafer vendor Shin-Etsu Handotai (SEH) said volume quantities of bare wafers would not be available until that time frame.

The comments came at the SEMI-sponsored Global 300mm Initiative Forum in October. The SEMICON/Japan show this month is also featuring a number of 300-mm-related events.

Speaking during a panel discussion at the recent Forum, NEC`s Mr. Tamura said his company`s plans are "at present, not so aggressive as before," noting that volume production might start in late 1999 or early 2000. Pilot production, he added, is expected to begin by the end of 1998. Late last year, NEC said it would drive toward volume production by 1998.

Mr. Koike of Hitachi said his company would go to 300-mm substrates for 256-Mbit DRAM production in 2000 or thereabouts, and Mr. Iiri of Toshiba said his firm`s plans were similar. Mitsubishi`s Mr. Hirayama specified "2000 or later," while Robert Doering of Texas Instruments said TI will make its move "in a few years, say 1999-2000." - P.N.D.