Private Partnership to drive $200M Semiconductor R&D Labs
Four joint laboratories, representing a commitment of S$200m between private and public sectors, were launched today between A*STAR's Institute of Microelectronics (IME), and its 10 industry partners. The Advanced Semiconductor Joint Labs will develop and advance semiconductor technologies for future electronics markets. The industry partners involved in this international collaboration are: Applied Materials, Dai Nippon Printing, DISCO, KLA-Tencor, Mentor Graphics, Nikon, Panasonic Factory Solutions Asia Pacific, PINK, Tokyo Electron Ltd. and Tokyo Ohka Kogyo.
While expectations are for smart devices to sustain a compact form factor, consumers also expect powerful performance and low power consumption. The challenge for the semiconductor industry is to meet these needs by addressing system and integration scaling in the electronics market[1]. The four joint labs in lithography, wafer level packaging (WLP), metrology and assembly, will provide an integrated platform for semiconductor R&D, starting with patterning[2], further development of 3D Integrated Circuits (IC)[3], quality control, and finally, the assembly and high-volume manufacturing of chips. Full details of the labs' capabilities are available in Annex A.
The joint labs build upon the successful model of the IME-Applied Materials Centre of Excellence[4]. Together, the four labs will enable the development of innovative semiconductor technologies and allow partners to undertake solutions-oriented semiconductor R&D and facilitate commercialisation that is earlier, faster and cheaper. This international partnership also bears testament to the industry relevance of IME's deep research capabilities, and will encourage further development of solutions for global implementation.
Mr Lim Chuan Poh, Chairman of A*STAR, said, "The launch of IME's Advanced Semiconductor Joint Labs today is an excellent example of public-private partnership under an open innovation framework. I am pleased that A*STAR IME has entered into this strategic partnership with many leading global industry players to capture new growth opportunities for Singapore and the region. The launch of the Advanced Semiconductor Joint Labs reaffirms A*STAR's deep capabilities and strong infrastructure in the R&D ecosystem to serve the growing needs of the semiconductor industry."
Professor Dim-Lee Kwong, Executive Director of IME said, "These joint labs further demonstrate our ability to build a global network of partnerships that stretch across the supply chain. These collaborations will encourage semiconductor R&D that is relevant for industry, and provide solutions for a rapidly evolving global electronics market. Through this integrated platform, our partners can leverage A*STAR IME's technologies and expertise to develop innovative technologies and products to address challenges in the semiconductor industry."
Quotes from Industry Partners:
Gary Dickerson, CEO, Applied Materials:
"At Applied, we believe that broad collaboration generates creative solutions that enable major technology inflections, and our partnership with A*STAR IME is an outstanding example," said Gary Dickerson, president and CEO of Applied Materials. "By combining great ideas and capabilities from industry and research institutes, we are accelerating innovation needed to bring next-generation technology to market, faster and more cost-effectively."
Rick Wallace, President and Chief Executive Officer, KLA-Tencor:
"Our collaboration with A*STAR IME will strengthen our knowledge of future process control trends, driving technology development for our next-generation tools. We look forward to working with IME on advanced semiconductor research and to developing yield management strategies that can be shared with semiconductor manufacturers."
Kazuo Ushida, President and Representative Director, Nikon Corporation:
"Through this collaboration with A*STAR IME, Nikon will gain knowledge of future process technology and total solutions, which will be important for our lithography system development. We are very excited to partner with one of the most advanced and established institutes in the Asia region."
Katsuhiko Omoto, President, Panasonic Factory Solutions Co., Ltd.:
"Panasonic Factory Solutions Co., Ltd. is continually conducting extensive research to develop and create technologies that can help its customers to achieve competitive edge in productivity and create value added solutions to their customers. We are confident that the strategic alliance with A*STAR and Joint-Lab members will result in the development of advanced flip chip bonding technologies that will support next generation's semiconductor packaging."
Dr. Gishi Chung, Senior Vice President and General Manager of SPE Marketing & Process Development Division of Tokyo Electron Ltd.:
"It is increasingly important to make the innovation by collaborating with consortia, academia and industry. Cost-effective technology, past and future industry demand, is always created by the innovation. This collaborative platform with A*STAR IME will play a key role to make both the innovation and the global ecosystem."
