TSMC’s Semiconductor Research Center in Tsukuba Takes Off
Semiconductor foundries require immense capital investment. And once the manufacturing kicks off, sustainable access to international markets becomes necessary to profit. Under such circumstances, the Japanese semiconductor manufacturing industry has much to gain from cooperation with the industry giant TSMC. Of course, the benefits flow the other way around as well, Japanese expertise on microchip post-processing being a great asset for TSMC.
On June 24, 2022, Japanese government officials, corporate executives, and academicians met at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture. The purpose was the opening ceremony of “TSMC Japan 3DIC Research and Development Center”. In February 2021, founding of the 3DIC R & D Center in Tsukuba was announced. For preparation, TSMC established a wholly owned subsidiary in Japan in March 2021 under the name “TSMC Japan 3DIC Research and Development Center”.
The TSMC Japan 3DIC Research and Development Center project entails a production line for research inside a clean room at the AIST facilities in Tsukuba. Research and development into the phase of fabrication — a step where semiconductors with circuits installed are cut and assembled into a product — will be carried out starting in June 2022. The project focus is on the 3-D implementation technology development, where semiconductors with various functions are stacked vertically and connected to work as a single device. This technology allows turning multiple microchips into a small but highly functional product. The efforts to enclose the supply network for cutting-edge semiconductors are intensifying around the world due to the heightened competition between China and the United States and a worldwide chip shortage based on supply chain disruptions caused by COVID-19.
The total project cost is estimated to be about 37 billion yen ($273.5 million). The Japanese government subsidizes about half the cost by putting up 19 billion yen with the aim of helping shore up Japan’s position in the global market.
A total of about 20 Japanese companies, including semiconductor manufacturing equipment manufacturers such as Disco, Shibaura Mechatronics Corp., and Hitachi, and semiconductor material manufacturers such as Ibiden Co., Shinko Denki Kogyo, and Tokyo Oka Kogyo, are participating as partner companies. Non-industry participants are the AIST and the University of Tokyo.
According to the comments by one of the Japanese partner companies reported by Toyo Keizai, “If our equipment is adopted by TSMC starting at the research stage, then we will receive larger orders when the project reaches the mass production stage.” Other companies are showing enthusiasm for regarding this collaboration based on the potential business expansion overseas with TSMC.
TSMC occupies approximately half of the world market share in the field of semiconductor manufacturing. In particular, advanced semiconductor manufacturing industry is becoming more and more dependent on the company to the point of this phenomenon coming to be called “TSMC pilgrimage”.
Sources: Toyo Keizai (Japanese), Asahi Shimbun (English)
