TSMC preps Apple’s next finger-print sensor, says report
The sensor will be made using 65nm manufacturing process technology at a 300mm wafer fab with production starting in 2Q14, the report said.
Touch ID was designed and release by Apple on the seventh generation of iPhone, the iPhone 5s. It is thought to be a capacitive touch sensor developed by AuthenTec Inc. (Melbourne, Florida), which was acquired by Apple in July 2012 for $356 million. AuthenTec worked with companies such as NXP Semiconductor prior to its acquisition by Apple.
TSMC has been making the Touch ID sensor for the iPhone 5S on 200mm wafer fabs at outsourcing packaging to Xintec, China Wafer Level CSP and Advance Semiconductor Engineering Group, the Digitimes report said.
However, packaging is an important part of the ensuring the fingerprint sensors manufacturing yield and in-service reliability and so for 300-mm production TSMC is expected to handle wafer-level chip-scale packaging in-house, rather than passing it on to back-end service firms, the Digitimes report quoted sources as saying.
Meanwhile TSMC is expected to begin producing application processors for Apple on its leading-edge 20nm process with ramp-up starting in the third quarter, the report said.
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