Jul 25 2005
Toshiba Corporation and Iwate Toshiba Electronics Co., Ltd (Iwate Toshiba) have announced that they would construct a new semiconductor production line based on 200mm wafers at Iwate Toshiba, a consolidated subsidiary of Toshiba based in Iwate prefecture, northern Japan. The new line will produce driver ICs for liquid crystal displays and power metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFET).
Iwate Toshiba constructed a building in 1997 as the first step to boosting production capacity with a new production line. In the face of deteriorating market demand, the company shelved the plan, mid-way through installation of the clean room.
With demand growing for LCD driver ICs for LCD panels in mobile equipment such as mobile phones, and for Power MOSFET to control current in power supply in PCs and home appliances, Toshiba and Iwate Toshiba decided to construct a new mass production line for those devices.
Overall investment in the new line is expected to be in the order of 10 billion yen. Mass production will start in the latter half of fiscal year 2005 for Power MOSFET and in the first half of fiscal year 2006 for LCD driver ICs. Monthly capacity will reach 3,750 wafers for LCD drivers and 5,000 wafers for Power MOSFET in the first half of fiscal year 2006.
Iwate Toshiba, a production site for CMOS image sensors (DynastronTM), microcontrollers and LCD driver ICs, is a key manufacturing facility in Toshiba Group’s System LSI business.
Toshiba's strategy for responding to growing demand for Power MOSFET also includes installation of a new 200mm wafer production line at Toshiba Himeji Operations-Semiconductor, in Hyogo Prefecture. Himeji Operations-Semiconductor and Iwate Toshiba will cooperate in mass production of Power MOSFET.
By utilizing the building at Iwate Toshiba, and transferring equipment from other Toshiba facilities, Toshiba will optimize Group-wide investment efficiency and also achieve an earlier date for volume production.
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