A-STAR, Singapore, announces that four joint laboratories, representing a commitment of $160 million between private and public sectors, were launched this summer between the Agency for Science, Technology and Research’s (A*STAR’s) Institute of Microelectronics, and its ten 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, 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.
The four joint labs in lithography, wafer level packaging (WLP), metrology, and assembly, will provide an integrated platform for semiconductor research and development (R&D), starting with patterning, further development of 3D Integrated Circuits (IC), quality control, and finally, the assembly and high-volume manufacturing of chips.
The joint labs build upon the successful model of the IME-Applied Materials Centre of Excellence. Together, the four labs will enable the development of innovative semiconductor technologies and allow partners to undertake solutions-oriented semiconductor R&D and facilitate commercialization 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.
