MILPITAS, Calif., Dec. 1, 2006 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing (Nasdaq:CHRT) (SGX-ST:Chartered), one of the world's top dedicated foundries, today announced that Semiconductor International magazine has honored its Fab 7 as one of the two facilities selected as "Top Fab" for 2006. It is the third time Chartered has earned the distinction from Semiconductor International, and the second time in three years, following its 2004 award for Fab 6. Chartered's Fab 2 won a similar award in 1997.
Each year, Semiconductor International, the leading technical publication covering the global semiconductor industry, recognizes an outstanding fab or fabs based on a number of criteria, including: highly sophisticated manufacturing capabilities; ability to implement new manufacturing technologies; ability to quickly ramp up a new process or product to full-flow production; high environmental, health and safety standards; ability to handle a wide variety of product types; and ability to handle demanding customer schedules and needs.
Chartered's Fab 7, which is the company's first 300mm wafer facility, won high marks in all categories, and the judges specifically cited the fast ramp-up times with which Chartered is able to bring up new leading-edge processes in the fab. Chartered has been able to reduce ramp-up times for new processes from 10 quarters to two quarters thanks to its investment in leading-edge equipment and processes.
"It is a truly state-of-the-art facility and an extremely well-run one as well. Everyone at Chartered should be proud of their accomplishment in making Fab 7 one of the most advanced semiconductor manufacturing facilities in the world," said Peter Singer, editor-in-chief of Semiconductor International.
"Our Fab 7 is the centerpiece of a revitalized and highly competitive Chartered foundry offering. It leverages the most sophisticated advances in semiconductor manufacturing, enabling us to bring great value and benefits to our customers," said Kay Chai "KC" Ang, senior vice president of fab operations at Chartered. "We are proud of this recognition from Semiconductor International, which is a testament to the innovation and collaboration that has enabled us to realize success so quickly with this fab."
The 775,000 square-foot facility will be capable of producing up to 30,000 wafers per month when it is fully facilitized. It currently manufactures 65-nanometer (nm), 90nm, 0.11-micron and 0.13-micron technologies, and is designed to scale to 45nm and beyond. Fab 7 benefits from comprehensive and leading-edge yield management and defect detections systems, allowing it to produce wafers efficiently and predictably. Investments in advancements such as 193nm photolithography tools for resolution enhancement, and optical proximity correction (OPC) and phase-shifting masks (PSM) for annular illumination won favor with Semiconductor International's judging staff. They were also impressed with the intelligent computer-integrated manufacturing systems, advanced process control (APC), fault detection and classification, and recipe management systems in place at Fab 7. Finally, Fab 7 was cited for its clean environmental practices as well, with the judges noting advances in water recovery, energy efficiency and overall clean room practices.
Chartered's Fab 7 is a key element in the company's Common Platform initiative with IBM and Samsung. Building on a joint-development agreement, which also includes Infineon Technologies, the three companies are aligned on bringing leading-edge process technology to market and offering the industry's first cross-foundry compatibility across their respective fabs. This customer-centric model allows the production of a single GDSII-compatible design at any of the three alliance fabs with no re-design required, utilizing a common set of design enablement support from EDA and IP suppliers who support the Common Platform processes. Through this collaboration, Chartered has been able to improve its rate of technology evolution and moderate its development costs while delivering an unprecedented degree of flexibility for customers' sourcing needs.
About Chartered
Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing (Nasdaq:CHRT) (SGX-ST:Chartered), one of the world's top dedicated semiconductor foundries, offers leading-edge technologies down to 65 nanometer (nm), enabling today's system-on-chip designs. The company further serves the needs of customers through its collaborative, joint development approach on a technology roadmap that extends to 45nm. Chartered's strategy is based on open and comprehensive design enablement solutions, manufacturing enhancement methodologies, and a commitment to flexible sourcing. In Singapore, the company operates a 300mm fabrication facility and four 200mm facilities. Information about Chartered can be found at http://www.charteredsemi.com.