NEWS
ESMC lays foundation for EU‘s first FinFET factory
Distinguished guests from both the cooperating companies and politics attended the ESCM groundbreaking ceremony. Image: TSMC
The European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (ESMC), a joint venture between TSMC, Robert Bosch GmbH, Infineon Technologies AG and NXP Semiconductors N.V., held a groundbreaking ceremony to officially mark the initial phase of land preparation for its first semiconductor fab in Dresden, Germany. The event brought together government officials, customers, suppliers, business partners and academia to celebrate a milestone in establishing what will be the EU’s first-ever FinFET-capable (fin field-effect transitor) pure-play foundry. "We are building our Dresden facility to meet the
semiconductor needs of the rapidly growing European automotive and industrial sectors. With this state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, we will bring TSMC’s advanced manufacturing capabilities within reach of our European customers and partners, which will stimulate economic development within the region and drive technological advancements," said TSMC Chairman & CEO C.C. Wei.
When fully operational, ESMC is expected to have a monthly production capacity of 40,000 300 mm (12-inch) wafers on TSMC’s 28/22 nanometer planar CMOS and 16/12 nanometer FinFET process technology, further strengthening Europe’s semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem with advanced FinFET transistor technology. In line with this mission, ESMC and its partners are dedicated to constructing a green fab that utilises both existing and cutting-edge techniques to optimise conservation. This includes energyefficient construction, water reclamation and obtaining LEED certification.
The establishment of ESMC exemplifies the strength of the alliance that has driven groundbreaking advancements, bringing together TSMC’s partners for a new level of collaboration. The investment signifies not just a deeper commitment to this strategic partnership, but also underscores unwavering dedication to nurturing innovation across Europe. Construction is expected to start later this year.
Multisensor scanner uses AI assistance
A new AI-supported multisensor application developed by the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Cognitive Internet Technologies CCIT is being used to screen perishable goods such as fruit and vegetables even under the surface. One of the major aims is optimising the flow of goods and improve planning capability so that, where possible, perishable fresh goods no longer contribute to the approximately 58 million tons of food thrown away every year in the EU alone. This figure also weighs heavily in financial terms, equating to around €132 billion.
Two major aspects contribute to the systems outstanding versatility. Firstly, the sensor technology is able to adapt to the requirements in question – with gas sensors for detecting ripening gases or hyperspectral cameras that measure sugar content and internal quality parameters. Secondly, the type of AI being used offers significant advantages by using anomaly detection to identify issues that would have gone unnoticed before. The model is trained on error free data and issues a notification when deviations occur. These insights can also be transferred relatively quickly, meaning
that only a small quantity of data is required to retrain the model. It is possible to envision even more applications in the future. For example, new partnerships could allow to expand the technology to conveyor belts if required. This would bring huge benefits for speed and quality plus the ability to use data in a centralised quality check and run entire processes automatically.
