
Soitec launches FDSOI pilot line in Singapore
Soitec plans to invest $40 million in Singapore over a 24-month period. This is a preparatory step to beginning FDSOI production in Singapore and opening up multi-site FDSOI wafer production.
“Our decision to launch this FDSOI line in Singapore as well as the decision we already made to ramp up our FDSOI production in France are based on direct customer demand,” said Paul Boudre, CEO of Soitec, in a statement. “In Singapore, we plan to get full qualification at the customer level in the first half of 2019 and then increase capacity in line with market commitment.”
FDSOI is an IC manufacturing method that at the leading-edge is an alternative to the FinFET but it does rely on engineered wafers such as those produced by Soitec. It has been in the market place for a number of years but struggled to find traction as Intel, TSMC and others both opted adopt the FinFET style of production.
Soitec said that FDSOI is well-suited to low-power applications in market segments such as mobile processing, IoT, automotive and industrial. The company added that FDSOI technology is progressing and that multiple foundries, IDMs and fabless customers are now engaged with FDSOI tape-outs and wafer starts.
Related links and articles:
News articles:
Rising SOI tide lifts Soitec into profit
Globalfoundries, VeriSilicon to make IoT modem in FDSOI
Globalfoundries to build FDSOI fab in China
Globalfoundries preps 12nm FDSOI process
