Winbond Electronics and Etron Technology have enjoyed booming shipments of SDRAM and 1T SRAM chips to Intel, Sharp and FASL (a joint venture between AMD and Fujitsu), according to sources.
The sources said the three companies have placed significant SDRAM and 1T SRAM orders in Taiwan as they hope to ride the surging demand for MCP (multichip package) memory for multimedia handsets. Intel, Sharp and FASL produce their own NOR flash chips but procure SDRAM and 1T SRAM from other suppliers, the sources said.
MCPs contain multiple NOR or NAND flash and SRAM dies in a single package. The MCPs can deliver higher memory density, consume less power and have a smaller package size than standalone flash and SRAM for handsets.
Winbond offers 1T pseudo SRAM (PSRAM), which uses a DRAM core with an SRAM interface, allowing for lower costs. With the increasing demand, sources expect Winbond’s 1T PSRAM shipments will grow to 20,000 wafers per month in the second quarter, up from an estimated 15,000 per month in the first quarter.
According to a March 17 Economic Daily News report, Etron has also enjoyed rising 1T SRAM and SDRAM shipments. The report said Etron has been producing chips at the 8-inch fabs of Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), and Powerchip Semiconductor Corporation (PSC). Etron also produces some 0.13-micron-based chips at PSC’s 12-inch fab.
Worldwide MCP shipment based on NOR and NAND flash will grow at a 37.6% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) to 658.7 million units in 2007, according to iSuppli analyst Betsy Van Hees.
Article translated by Jack Lu and edited by Jack Lu
