Frequently Asked Questions about Intel Manufacturing and Production-Related Services
Questions
How many factories do you have worldwide, where are they located and what percentage of your workforce do they employ?
Intel has 15 wafer fabs in production worldwide at nine locations. Fab production sites within the United States are located in Chandler, Ariz.; Santa Clara, Calif.; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Hudson, Mass.; Rio Rancho, N.M.; and Hillsboro, Ore.; and outside the United States in Leixlip, Ireland; Jerusalem, Israel; and Kiryal Gat, Israel. Two new fabs are under construction at existing sites in Arizona and Israel.
The company has six assembly and test sites worldwide and is building a seventh, all of them outside the U.S. Assembly and test sites outside the United States are located in Shanghai, China; Chengdu, China; San Jose, Costa Rica; Kulim, Malaysia; Penang, Malaysia; and Cavite, Philippines. An assembly and testing site in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, is under construction. There is one testing facility and one assembly development facility inside the U.S.
About half of Intel’s total workforce is involved in production or production services.
What is the difference between a fabrication facility (fab) and an assembly and test facility?
Intel produces the silicon for its high-performance microprocessors, chipsets and flash memory components in fabs. After the silicon-based products are created, they are sent to Intel's assembly and test facilities where each wafer is cut into individual silicon dies, placed within external packages, and tested for functionality.
How many 65-nanometer factories are in full production currently?
Intel currently has three 65-nanometer fabs in full production. A fourth 65nm fab is expected to begin production in late 2006.
How many 300 mm fabs are in production?
Intel has five 300 mm fabs in production, including the three 65 nanometer facilities. Two more 300mm fabs are under construction with production expected in 2007 and 2008 using Intel’s 45 nanometer process.
How much money will Intel spend on building new fabs or improving current fabs this year, and why?
In 2006, Intel plans to spend about $6.2 billion on capital spending and $6 billion on research and development. Intel’s business requires constant reinvestment as technology advances.
I've heard that microprocessor factories can cost $3 billion or more. Why are they so expensive compared to other types of factories?
Semiconductor fabs perform the most complex tasks of any factory in the world, and, thus, only specialized construction crews, building materials and equipment can be used. Additionally, Intel's fabs are approximately twice as large as the industry's average-sized factory.
What factors are considered when Intel determines where to build future factories?
As standard procedure, Intel strategically evaluates locations around the world for potential future expansion. The due diligence required to effectively evaluate a location can require a team of experts to meet with a variety of people throughout the community. Intel uses this information to determine which locations might best meet our needs, but it should not be construed as confirmation that a particular location might be selected.
Intel's site selection process is very comprehensive and involves detailed assessments of several criteria, which include the land's physical characteristics or constructability, local utility infrastructure, transportation capability, technical workforce, construction and supplier capabilities, permitting and investment conditions.
What is Moore's Law and what is its importance?
Moore's Law states that the number of transistors on a given area of silicon will double about every 24 months, cutting in half the production cost per transistor. Smaller chips are cheaper to make, record faster clock speeds and operate with lower electrical power consumption. Maintaining Moore's Law fuels Intel's continued progress and investment in fabrication facilities and process technology.
What is lithography? What is Extreme Ultra Violet lithography?
Lithography is the process in which circuits—the pathways through which electrical current flows—are printed on silicon wafers. The current production light source wave length is 193 nanometers, which is used to “print” feature sizes of about 65 nanometers on silicon wafers. Extreme Ultra Violet (EUV) lithography is a future generation lithography technology and is expected to allow semiconductor manufacturers to print ever-smaller features on a wafer. EUV refers to a light source with a wave length below 19.3 nanometers. Intel engineers, in collaboration with others are working towards a complete EUV process, including equipment, process technology and materials, for possible use in making semiconductor devices with feature sizes of 22 nanometers and below.
What is 90-nanometer process technology?
90 nanometer process technology remains important to Intel’s overall production of logic products. This process was the first to combine the smallest, highest-performing transistors utilizing strained silicon, a one-square-micron SRAM cell, and high-speed interconnects that integrate copper with a new, low-k dielectric material. These attributes deliver very high performance processors at lower power consumption and prices. Ninety-nanometers represents the average feature size on a chip built on this process. In late 2005, Intel also introduced a 90-nanometer process for flash memory.
What is 65-nanometer process technology?
At the time it was demonstrated in November, 2003, Intel's 65-nanometer process technology was the world's most advanced chip-manufacturing technology, enabling microprocessors with increased capabilities and performance. In the second half of 2005, Intel began volume production on the 65nm process at least a year ahead of the rest of the industry. Intel's 65nm technology roughly doubles transistor density compared to the previous generation, and delivers industry-leading performance and power-reduction features. The additional transistors provide the foundation to deliver advanced capabilities—from dual- and multi-cores and improved cache, to innovative technologies such as virtualization and security that will enable feature- and performance-rich and energy efficient platforms. Among other products, Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processors are made on the 65nm process.
Why are larger wafers considered to be better?
Because hundreds of microprocessors are built on a single silicon wafer, larger wafers create cost savings. Simply, more chips can be produced per wafer at one time. Intel now manufacturers its most advanced microprocessors and chipsets on 300 mm wafers, which are approximately 12 inches in diameter. Because a 300mm wafer has more surface area, it is possible to put up to two and a half times more individual chips (called die) on a wafer than with an equivalent 200mm wafer. Capital cost typically is only about one and a half times greater so it is possible to recover the increased capital investment rapidly. Greater output per wafer means efficiency gains in the use of energy, materials and other resources. Production cost per die drops by more than 30% compared to a similar product and process on 200mm wafers.
What is a cleanroom and why are they prevalent in semiconductor factories?
Chips must be manufactured in an environment that precisely controls the air entering it. Cleanrooms are classified by the size and amount of particles allowed to be present in a cubic foot of air. Because the individual parts of integrated circuits are so small, any foreign matter, such as dust, smoke or skin flakes, is likely to cause damage, ruining individual chips. A cleanroom controls air by isolating particles of foreign matter in the air, constantly filtering the air, moving the air in laminar flow (from ceiling to floor), and regulating temperature and humidity.
What do you do with your factories once new, more modern facilities are built?
Intel's factory network is designed to accommodate a wide range of process technology generations. Additionally, Intel's factories are constantly retrofitted with upgraded equipment and facilities.
Intel's highest-volume products, the company's highest performing processors, typically are made in the company's most advanced facilities. When the newest, most advanced facilities come online, the next-to-the-newest facilities are then used to make other high-demand products, such as leading-edge chipsets and other performance processors. Older facilities may then be used to produce products that don't require the smallest circuitry, upgraded, or converted to other uses.
What is a microprocessor?
A microprocessor is an integrated circuit built on a tiny piece of silicon. It contains millions of transistors that are interconnected through extremely fine pieces of aluminum or copper. The transistors work together to store and manipulate data so that the microprocessor can perform a wide variety of functions.
How is a microprocessor made?
Microprocessors are built in layers on a silicon wafer through various processes using chemicals, gases and light. Making microprocessors is a complex, demanding process involving more than 300 steps. There are roughly 20 layers that are connected to form microprocessor circuitry in a three-dimensional structure. The exact number of layers on a wafer depends on the design of the microprocessor.
Hundreds of identical microprocessors are created in batches on a single silicon wafer. On the wafer, the microscopic circuitry of each and every microprocessor is tested. Then, the wafer is cut with a diamond saw, separating the microprocessors. Each processor is then inserted in a protective package that allows it to connect with other devices. The type of package depends on the type of microprocessor and how it will be used. Each packaged microprocessor is tested one more time, completing the last step in the chip-making process.
(SOURCE:http://www.intel.com)
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