Execs gather at SEMI ISS

From Semiconductor Manufacturing and Design:

At SEMI's Industry Strategy Symposium (ISS), Applied Materials CEO Mike Splinter urged creation of a forum for equipment makers to provide input to the Global 450 Consortium (G450C). Splinter said collaboration is needed to tackle the 450mm transition, which could have an R&D t tag of $15-20 billion.

Speaking at ISS, an ASML executive put some hard numbers on the expected performance of the forthcoming commercial EUV tool. The NXE:3300 EUV scanners will start out with throughput rated at 69 wafers an hour, said James Koonmen.

The chip industry's three biggest spenders are bullish. Intel said it will up its capex spending for 2012, with more than a third of the $12.5 billion going into 14nm fab construction in Oregon and Arizona. Intel also promoted a manufacturing executive, Brian Krzanich, to chief operating officer, as part of a wider reorganization.

TSMC chairman Morris Chang said much of the foundry's $7 billion in 2012 capex is going into building new fabs in Taichung and Hsinchu, in preparation for 20nm risk production late next year. Samsung also is spending heavily, with capital expenditures of $29 billion going into making semiconductors and displays for mobile systems. More than a billion dollars is expected to go toward expanding logic IC capacity at its Austin fab.

KLA-Tencor said it has done a grounds-up redesign of its 2900 broadband wafer inspection tool, and upgraded its narrowband and e-beam wafer inspection systems as well.

SemiMD senior editor Mark LaPedus reported "there are more rumors that Micron Technology Inc. will make a bid for debt-ridden Elpida Memory Inc."