Monday, January 20, 2003
Looking to drive down the costs of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology, Shanghai Simgui Technology Co. Ltd. has suddenly emerged and opened the first commercial SOI wafer plant in China.
Shanghai Simgui has begun shipping SOI wafers to local and foreign customers within its new plant in Shanghai. The company's wafers are based on the SIMOX (Separation-by-Implantation-of-Oxygen) technology from SOI pioneer Ibis Technology Corp. of the United States.
Late last year, the Shanghai-based startup ordered $5 million worth of SIMOX-enabled ion implanters and spare parts from Ibis. The Chinese company installed the equipment within its new factory, which is capable of making 30,000 SOI wafers a year, said Lewis Li, assistant general manager for Shanghai Simgui.
In an interview with SBN, Li said the Chinese company does not compete against Ibis even though the U.S. company sells both SIMOX-based wafers and production equipment.
Ibis focuses on selling leading-edge SOI wafers and equipment, while Shanghai Simgui sells older-generation wafers, Li said. “We only produce 4- and 6-inch wafers right now,” he said.
Still, the company claims it can solve a major issue with SOI: cost. SOI is a major enabler for chip makers, but the technology is still relatively expensive, according to analysts. “Cost is a big issue in SOI,” Li said. “Cost is a major advantage for us.”
SOI itself refers to the placement of a thin layer of silicon over an insulator such as silicon oxide or glass. Transistors built on a thin layer of SOI operate faster and require less power than transistors built on a simple block of silicon. Applications include microprocessors and other devices.
Meanwhile, the Chinese SOI startup has come a long way in a short time. Formed in 2001, the company is a commercial spin-off of two state-run entities--Shanghai Institute of Micro-System and Information Technology and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
At present, it has 40 employees. The company's customers are mainly abroad, although demand is picking up in China. “There is demand in the U.S. and Europe,” he said. “Demand is just starting from Japan and Taiwan.”
In China, the company mainly sells to universities and research groups, he said.
By: DocMemory
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