AsianScientist (May 23, 2013) – United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) announced Wednesday that the company has established the Fab 12i Center of Excellence in Singapore to spearhead the company’s advanced R&D and manufacturing technologies.
The Center of Excellence, which was set up with an initial investment of US$110 million, will undertake R&D collaborations with local research institutes such as A*STAR Institute of Microelectronics.
UMC’s total cumulative investment for Fab 12i is nearly US$3.6 billion to date. The center currently employs nearly 1,600 people and it plans to increase the center’s headcount by over 80 engineers this year.
UMC’s Fab 12i is UMC’s only 300mm fab outside of Taiwan. The current capacity of the center is nearly 45,000 wafers per month, accounting for 45 percent of UMC’s total 12″ output.
Technologies being developed include CMOS image sensor backside illumination, embedded memory, high voltage applications, and TSV (through silicon via) connections. Recent achievements of the center include the successful development of backside illuminated CMOS image sensors and 55nm high performance eFlash cells for different UMC customers.
“We are excited to extend our manufacturing and R&D commitments in Singapore. Having a dedicated 300mm base for advanced specialty R&D and manufacturing will help ensure the timely delivery of these technologies, and enable UMC to tap into new market opportunities. Singapore was UMC’s location of choice due to its strong close support, robust engineering talent base, and established semiconductor infrastructure. In addition, the strong semiconductor ecosystem in Singapore will introduce opportunities for local joint venture partnerships in the future,” said W.Y. Chen, COO at UMC.
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Source: UMC.
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