Automotive Engineering - October 2022 - 10

TECHNOLOGY
REPORT
SEMICONDUCTORS
New 300-mm wafer fab is key to Bosch's chip future
SAE INTERNATIONAL
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Srinivasa (Sri) Srinath, Ph.D
President
Jeff Hemphill
2021 President
Todd Zarfos
2023 President Elect
Susan Ying, Ph.D
Vice President - Aerospace
Daniel Nicholson
Vice President - Automotive
Michael Weinert
Vice President -
Commercial Vehicle
Andrew Jeffers
Treasurer
David L. Schutt, Ph.D
Chief Executive Officer
Gregory L. Bradley, Esq.
Secretary
The 300-mm silicon wafers can require up to 500 steps to manufacture.
A new semiconductor plant is the single largest
investment made by Robert Bosch AG in the
122-year-old company's history. The facility, in
Dresden, Germany, is welcome news to automakers
focused on building regional electronics
production in the wake of supply shortages
and bottlenecks. It's the latest move in Bosch's
strategy to be a major player in the global microchip
industry.
Bosch claims that the new Dresden plant,
which began construction in 2017, is the first
300-mm (11.8-in.) wafer production plant
(known as a wafer fab) to be built in Europe
since 1999. Its construction was in step with
the European Chips Act announced in
February 2022. One of the aims of the Act is
to double Europe's share of global semiconductor
production from 10% to 20% by 2030.
A 300-mm chip contains thousands of identical
semiconductor devices. Producing a semiconductor
involves transferring an integrated
layout in a three-dimensional structure to silicon.
The process needs repeating up to 27
times and can involve around 500 process
steps, according to Bosch engineers. This can
take several months, depending on the complexity
of the required circuitry.
10 October 2022
R&D center focus
Bosch already has invested €1B in the Dresden
facility, which was part-funded by the IPCEI
(Important Project of Common European
Interest) special subsidy. The plant currently employs
350 and staffing will increase to 400 by the
end of 2022 and to 700 by the time the plant is
completed. The new wafer fab is one of two
Bosch production facilities in Germany. The other,
at Reutlingen near Stuttgart, has produced semiconductors
for more than 50 years. Reutlingen
produces semiconductors on 150-mm (5.9 in.)and
200-mm (7.87 in.)- diameter silicon wafers.
A new European funding program, IPCEI 2, is
in progress. Within the framework of IPCEI 2,
Bosch plans to invest €3B in semiconductor
technology and systems by 2026.This will involve
an investment of more than €170 million
in the construction of two new development
centers at Reutlingen and Dresden, with work
at Dresden due to begin in 2023. Dresden will
be home to a new development center for both
semiconductors and microelectro-mechanical
system (MEMS) sensors.
Bosch also plans to produce the MEMS sensors
on 300-mm wafers; production is scheduled
to start in 2026. Over the coming year,
Judy Curran
Rhonda Walthall
Joan Wills
SAE International Sections
SAE International Sections are local
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International Members in a defined
technical or geographic area. The purpose
of local Sections is to meet the technical,
developmental, and personal needs of the
SAE Members in a given area. For more
information, please visit sae.org/sections
or contact SAE Member Relations Specialist
Abby Hartman at abby.hartman@sae.org.
SAE International
Collegiate Chapters
Collegiate Chapters are a way for SAE
International Student Members to get
together on their campus and develop
skills in a student-run and -elected
environment. Student Members are vital
to the continued success and future of
SAE. While your course work teaches
you the engineering knowledge you
need, participation in your SAE Collegiate
Chapter can develop or enhance other
important skills, including leadership,
time management, project management,
communications, organization, planning,
delegation, budgeting, and finance. For
more information, please visit students.
sae.org/chapters/collegiate/ or contact
SAE Member Relations Specialist Abby
Hartman at abby.hartman@sae.org.
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
BOSCH
https://www.sae.org/participate/membership/sections https://www.sae.org/participate/membership/collegiate-chapters
Automotive Engineering - October 2022

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