Could 450-mm wafers play away from the leading edge?

Peter Clarke, EETimes
1/20/2012 1:23 PM EST

LONDON – Many people have assumed that when the processing of integrated circuits on 450-mm diameter wafers comes, it will do so first for the most advanced digital manufacturing processes. The conventional wisdom runs that it will be Intel, or perhaps Samsung and TSMC, that will put down billions of dollars to gain the economies of scale that come with larger wafers. And they will do it to run their newest digital processes and most valuable chip designs.

That is the way it was for the initial transition to 300-mm wafers, and other transitions before it, with older fabs running smaller wafers naturally becoming the home for older legacy production.

But does it have to be that way?

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