Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) today announced it will expand its manufacturing capacity in Chengdu, China, with a 300mm wafer bumping facility. The addition of this manufacturing process in Chengdu further increases TI's 300mm analog capacity and its ability to support customer demand. TI announced the new operation today in concert with an event celebrating the grand opening of its seventh assembly/test (A/T) facility. The 358,000 square-foot A/T facility was purchased from UTAC Chengdu Ltd. in December 2013 and is now qualified and in production using advanced quad-flat no-leads (QFN) packaging technology.
TI's manufacturing investment in China began in 2010 with the opening of the company's first wafer fabrication plant in Chengdu. TI extended its investment with the adjacent A/T facility, opening today. TI will now further extend its operations in Chengdu with a 300mm wafer bumping facility on its Chengdu High-tech Zone (CDHT) campus.
"The CDHT has been a dynamic area of economic development in West China, offering a strong environment for investment and government service," said Kevin Ritchie, senior vice president of TI's Technology & Manufacturing Group. "We're pleased to extend our 300mm manufacturing capabilities at our world-class Chengdu facility to further ensure continuity of supply to our customers and support their growth."
Wafer bumping is a manufacturing process for advanced packaging technologies, which is completed prior to assembly. The process replaces wire bonding as the interconnection by applying solder, in the form of bumps, or balls, to a device at the wafer level. Nearly 40 percent of TI's wafer production is manufactured using bump techniques. This investment plan does not change TI's capital spending forecast. The company continues to expect its capital spending levels to remain about 4 percent of revenue.
