TOKYO--Toshiba Corporation today announced that construction of an advanced 300mm-wafer clean room for System LSI at its Oita Operations plant in Oita prefecture, Kyushu would start in June this year. The fab will start mass production in the latter half of first half of FY2004, and once it reaches full production will have a capacity of 12,500 300mm wafers a month. Approximately 40 billion yen will be invested in the new fab and its clean room in fiscal year 2003, as the first stage of a four-year, 200-billion yen scale project.

In December 2002, Toshiba announced its decision in principle to construct advanced 300mm-wafer fabs at its Oita Operations system LSI production base and its Yokkaichi Operations memory production base in Mie Prefecture. A four-year investment program from FY2003 will see approximately 350-billion yen channeled into the two new fabs. Today’s announcement on Oita is the first on specific plans under the program.

The new Oita fab will produce cutting-edge system LSIs, mainly microprocessors for broadband network applications. It will employ Toshiba’s embedded DRAM process technology and 65-nanometer process technology, and will transition to 45nm process in the future. By using advantages inherent in its world-leading embedded DRAM process technology, Toshiba is determined to remain a driving force in technological innovation and to provide customers with excellent products for broadband networks, including digital consumer products and mobile equipment.

Toshiba is now working with Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) on joint implementation of production facilities for the manufacture of SCEI’s products in Oita’s new clean room. The two companies will confirm details in due course, including the amount and timing of SCEI’s investment.

New Facility

Oita Operations