Fab Joint Venture Seen for 200 mm

U.S. pitched for making analog, power, discrete products

By Rick Merritt, EETimes
May 31, 2019

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The next big fab may be a joint venture for making analog and discrete products on 200-mm wafers, far from the bleeding edge in semiconductors. That’s the view of Stephen Rothrock, who spent 20 years putting together fab deals and is bullish that the U.S. could get the next one.

Overall, 200-mm fabs and tools are in demand, while newer 300-mm facilities and tools are in oversupply, said Rothrock, chief executive of ATREG. He thinks that upper New York State is well-positioned to expand its emerging semiconductor sector.

“We haven’t seen a new 200-mm fab in the U.S. yet, but I think it’s a good possibility in the next 18 to 24 months — it could be for analog, discrete, and power products, and my guess is it will go into New York,” he said, citing investments already made there by GlobalFoundries and a Danish assembly and test company.

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