Taipei, Oct.2, 2008 (CENS)--Formosa Sumco Technology Corp. recently unveiled a 500-kilogram 300mm silicon-wafer ingot, the heaviest wafer ingot a Taiwanese semiconductor-materials manufacturer has ever produced.

The jumbo ingot is substantially 42.8% heavier than the normal 350-KG ingot and allows chipmakers to make 60% more chips with one single ingot. The ingots are sliced into pieces of silicon wafers, on which integrated-circuit chips are built.

Industry watchers pointed out the big ingot will help boost competitiveness of Taiwan`s semiconductor industry as much more chips can be built with one single ingot.

Formosa Sumco is running production lines for putting out 200mm silicon wafers and 300mm wafers, with output of 200mm wafers numbered at 320,000 units, making it the largest supplier of 200mm wafers in Taiwan. It plans to boost 300mm wafer output to 160,000 units sometime this quarter from 130,000 units a month last quarter.

The company`s executives said the company would increase the number of its 300mm wafer-making machines to 39 over indefinite period of time from current 30 depending on economic upturn rate, allowing it to put out 300,000 wafers a month in the end.

They pointed out that although 300mm wafer market had remained prosperous and the company`s 300mm wafer lines had run at full capacity, but the company`s 200mm wafer lines was running at below 80% as a result of closures of on Nanya Technology factory and outmigration of ProMOS Technologies factories to mainland China.

Formosa Sumco is a joint venture of Formosa Plastics Group., Taiwan`s largest petrochemical manufacturer, and Sumco Group of Japan, with the former holding a 46.1% stake while the latter taking 48.8%. This joint venture is supported by FPG in management and by the Japanese conglomerate in technology.

The venture`s general manager, Tadashi Watabe, gave a high compliment to the jumbo ingot, saying the ingot is even much better than that Sumco itself makes in terms of quality.

(by Ken Liu)