Flash output ramps up at 65nm in Japan

Spansion is the first company to produce next-generation NOR Flash memory technology on 300mm wafers.

Spansion has reached a level of more than 25,000 wafer-starts per quarter at its Spansion 1 (SP1) facility in Japan, the world's first 300mm, 65nm MirrorBit technology Flash memory manufacturing fab.

A number of Spansion's top customers are already in the process of qualifying products at SP1, including leading-edge 65nm products, such as MirrorBit Eclipse devices.

"This is a significant milestone for the Flash memory industry and we expect it will provide important benefits for our overall business", says Bertrand Cambou, President and CEO, Spansion.

"With this leading-edge facility, and the cost and technology advantages of MirrorBit technology, we are delivering on our promise to bring more value to our customers and stockholders".

"We expect that this production ramp should rapidly reduce our reliance on external foundries and older technology nodes, giving Spansion greater capacity with attractive cost structures for our target segments".

Spansion is the first company to produce next-generation NOR Flash memory technology on 300mm wafers.

A 300mm fab usually gives about a 30% cost reduction over 200mm, according to Jim Handy, a Principal Analyst with Objective Analysis.

"Ramping production at SP1 is tremendously important - it enables Spansion to produce MirrorBit wafer products with a lower cost structure, which in turn makes it a more efficient competitor", says Handy.

"There are a number of companies that have tried getting into that and have had a problem with it".

SP1 is integral to Spansion's strategy to produce leading-edge differentiated Flash memory solutions.

MirrorBit technology offers higher yields and scales more easily to higher densities than the traditional floating-gate NOR technology being used by Spansion's competitors.

SP1 is colocated with Spansion's other fab in Aizu, JV3, and shares some resources with JV3 such as employees and facilities.

The SP1 wafer manufacturing site is the first factory constructed by Spansion since becoming an independent company.

Plans for SP1 include an aggressive migration plan to 45nm next year, which is expected to provide additional cost efficiencies.

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