US semiconductor firm Texas Instruments could receive up to $1.6bn in funding from the US Department of Commerce to support the development of three 300mm wafer fabs currently under construction in Texas and Utah.
A non-binding preliminary memorandum of terms has been signed for the capital and, if approved, the funds will be distributed under the CHIPS and Science Act.
Read more: President Biden signs $52bn CHIPS Act into law
In addition to the CHIPS Act capital, Texas Instruments also expects to receive around $6bn to $8bn from the US Department of Treasury’s Investment Tax Credit for qualified US manufacturing investments.
The funding will support Texas Instruments’ plans for a more than $18bn investment through 2029 as part of its broader investment strategy in manufacturing.
It is thought that the direct funding will support three wafer fabs, two in Sherman, Texas, (SM1 and SM2) and one in Lehi, Utah (LFAB2), specifically to:
- Construct and build the SM1 cleanroom and complete pilot line for first production
- Construct and build the LFAB2 cleanroom for first production
- Construct the SM2 shell.
Read more: Texas Instruments breaks ground on Utah semiconductor plant
Haviv Ilan, President and CEO of Texas Instruments, said that the CHIPS Act is supporting more semiconductor manufacturing capacity in the US, making the semiconductor ecosystem stronger and more resilient.
“With plans to grow our internal manufacturing to more than 95% by 2030, we’re building geopolitically dependable, 300mm capacity at scale to provide the analogue and embedded processing chips customers will need for years to come.”
At the time of writing, Texas Instruments is the largest US analogue and embedded processing semiconductor manufacturing.
US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, said, “With this proposed investment from the Biden-Harris Administration, we help secure the supply chain for these foundational semiconductors that are used in every sector of the US economy and creates tens of thousands of jobs in Texas and Utah.”
It is thought that Texas Instrument’s investment will create over 2,000 new full-time company jobs and thousands of indirect jobs for construction, suppliers, and supporting industries.
The role of specialty gases in semiconductor manufacturing
Specialty gases are often thought of as the lifeblood of the electronics industry and the beating heart of semiconductor manufacturing. These gases, including those used in creating silicon for chips, are directly linked to the advancement of current technology. Remarkably, a single wafer – a thin slice of semiconductor material crucial for integrated circuits – can comprise up to one thousand chips.
Semiconductor manufacture may use up to 30 different gases in all the various processes, including gases such as helium, nitrogen, and argon, which are used to create an inert atmosphere, flush chambers at the end of a process, or before cleaning.
Other specialty gases such as hydrogen, ammonia, and chlorine, in addition to less common examples like hexafluoroethane, octafluorocyclobutane and germane, are used in the etching and deposition processes.
Helium Super Summit 2024
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