VENTURE TO PRODUCE ADVANCED MIXED-SIGNAL AND RF WAFERS IN
CHINA USING JAZZ TECHNOLOGY
The agreement will enable the first pure play-foundry manufacturer
of silicon germanium
BiCMOS wafers in China
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., and SHANGHAI, China, Jan. 31, 2003
- Jazz Semiconductor and Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp.
of Shanghai (ASMC) have formally established a silicon manufacturing
venture in which Jazz will contribute mixed-signal and radio-frequency
(RF) technologies, including bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS) and Silicon Germanium
(SiGe) BiCMOS process technology, engineering assistance, and marketing
and sales storefront services. ASMC will provide capacity in its
new 200mm wafer fabrication facility located in Shanghai, China.
The strategic alliance provides Jazz customers with a second source
of capacity for the processes currently manufactured in its Newport
Beach fabrication facility. It also reinforces ASMC’s position
as the leading manufacturer of BiCMOS technology in China.
“ASMC’s experience in manufacturing BiCMOS technology
makes them an ideal partner to ensure a timely and efficient ramp
of certain Jazz processes in the new facility,” said Theodore
Zhu, vice president of sales, strategy and business development
for Jazz Semiconductor.
Zhu continued, “One of the primary markets for SiGe products
is wireless handsets, which require integration of RF functions
at low power consumption and at low cost. The agreement provides
Jazz customers access to RF and mixed signal process technologies
in China where the wireless market is expected to grow significantly,
and provides a second sourcing alternative.”
“Jazz is a leader in advanced Si BiCMOS and SiGe BiCMOS manufacturing
processes with technical expertise and resources to support its
customers who develop competitive analog and RF integrated circuits,”
said Tony Liu, president of ASMC. “We are very pleased to
form such a strategic alliance with Jazz.”
According to a spokesman for The Ministry of Information Industry
(MII) of China, China has become the largest mobile communications
market in the world, with over 200 million mobile phone subscribers
and over 100 million handsets sold in 2002 alone. "It is our
longstanding policy to promote the advancement of technology and
to support the localization of manufacturing. We thus welcome the
establishment of this Jazz/ASMC alliance." "With this
strategic alliance, China has the capability to provide advanced
silicon germanium, RF, and analog foundry services to RF IC manufacturers
both abroad and emerging in China."
The fabrication facility in China is expected to begin volume production
in the fourth quarter of 2003, producing 30 k 200mm wafers per month.
About ASMC
Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation of Shanghai (ASMC),
previously Philips Semiconductor Corporation of Shanghai, is the
leading analog and power wafer foundry in the world and the leading
smart card wafer foundry company in China. ASMC is an ISO9002, QS9000
and ISO14001 certified company. ASMC has one 5” bipolar fab
with 40K/month wafer capacity and one 6” BICMOS fab with 30K/month
wafer capacity. ASMC 8” fab will come on line this year with
30K wafer/month capacity.
About Jazz Semiconductor
Jazz Semiconductor manufactures semiconductor wafers that enable
the development of high-performance, low-power radio-frequency (RF)
wireless and broadband wireline communications products. The company’s
rich heritage in analog and RF integrated circuits (IC) manufacturing
has evolved into a leadership position in silicon germanium (SiGe)
bipolar complementary metal oxide semiconductor (BiCMOS) and silicon
BiCMOS technologies and design tools that are setting the standard
for communications IC foundry services. The company’s wafers
are manufactured using bipolar, BiCMOS, SiGe, analog, and mixed-signal
CMOS process technologies. The Newport Beach ISO9001-certified facility
includes 100,000 square feet of Class 1 clean-room space, and has
the capacity to support 21,000 eight-inch wafer starts per month.
Jazz Semiconductor is a privately held company headquartered in
Newport Beach, CA. and has approximately 670 employees. To learn
more, visit us at www.jazzsemi.com
Jazz Contact
Jeff McHenry
Executive Director, Marketing.
(949) 435-8245
jeff.mchenry@jazzsemi.com
ASMC Contact
Sun Zhen
Director, Marketing and Sales.
86 21 6 485 1900
zhen_sun@asmc.com.cn
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