Japan-based semiconductor equipment vendor Tokyo Electron is reportedly eyeing the acquisition of a 6-inch wafer fab in Taiwan that has been put up on sale, while fellow companies including ASML and KLA are looking to beef up their local operations in Taiwan, according to industry sources.

Silicon wafers and other chipmaking materials providers, such as Shin-Etsu Chemical and Entegris, are also poised to scale up their local units in Taiwan, the sources indicated.

Tokyo Electron is reportedly eyeing Macronix International's 6-inch wafer fab in Hsinchu, northern Taiwan for acquisition. Macronix disclosed previously plans to close its 6-inch fabrication lines by June 2021.

Taiwan is where major chipmakers, such as the world's largest pure-play foundry TSMC and top OSAT provider ASE Technology, are headquartered with major production bases. TSMC continues to make progress in the development of its sub-5nm process technologies, keeping its manufacturing and R&D resources mainly in Taiwan.

Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing (PSMC), another Taiwan-based foundry specializing in 12- and 8-inch wafer fabrication, broke ground recently for a new 12-inch plant in northern Taiwan. PSMC's new plant is designed for an installed capacity of 100,000 12-inch wafers monthly, which will be put into production in phases starting 2023.

By: DocMemory
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