A new phase has begun at the construction site in Arizona for Intel Fab 62. The company has begun installing production equipment in the factory under construction. The facility will be the sixth factory on the Ocotillo campus. Moreover, according to plans, it should start working by the end of 2028.
According to Naga Chandrasekaran, Intel's head of manufacturing, the project has now moved from building construction to the equipment phase. Therefore now complex production systems will be installed and adjusted. Then the qualification of the production processes will be carried out.
What Remains Uncertain About Intel Fab 62
Intel has not yet announced the factory's planned production capacity. Additionally, the construction cost is unknown. Moreover, there is no final decision on the production technology to be used in the facility.
Options considered include Intel 18A, 18A-P and Intel 14A. Fab 52 is also located on the same campus, but Intel 18A has already been announced for this factory. This technology combines the RibbonFET transistor architecture with PowerVia.
PowerVia moves power transmission to the back side of the silicon wafer. In this way, power and signal connections are separated, thus reducing circuit layout constraints. This is especially important for processors with high transistor density, because electrical and energy consumption requirements increase in these chips.
High-NA EUV in Production in Oregon
Intel has incorporated High-NA EUV lithography into its manufacturing processes at its D1X facility in Oregon. According to the information provided by the company, the technology is also used in the production of some components in the Panther Lake family. So the method has gone beyond laboratory experiments. However, this does not mean that every layer of all chips produced is printed with this technology.
The biggest difference compared to previous EUV systems is that the numerical aperture of the optic has been increased from 0.33 to 0.55. In this way, smaller structures and higher resolution are achieved. However, when anamorphic optics are used, the exposure area becomes smaller. For this reason, some large chip structures have to be printed and assembled with multiple exposures. Therefore, higher precision and stability are expected from the process.
The economic return is not yet clear. High resolution can reduce some multiple exposure steps. But the devices are more complex, and photomasks, materials and measurement equipment need to be adapted for integration. The final cost of a working chip depends on die size, device efficiency and yield.
According to Intel's previous statements, more than 1 million silicon wafers were processed in these equipment at various stages of development and production. However, this figure is not the number of processors fully produced or ready for sale. As a matter of fact, process stability, defect density and the actual performance of the equipment are decisive for evaluating the technology.
Other Investments in the USA Apart from Intel Fab 62
Intel is also expanding production in other parts of the United States. For example, at the Ohio One site in New Albany, the first major load-bearing element of one of the future factory buildings was installed. However, the company does not yet give the exact date when chip production will start there.
EMIB and Foveros packaging technologies are being developed in Arizona and New Mexico. Additionally, a new photomask production facility is being built in Santa Clara. The main goal for Intel Foundry is to prove to customers that it can produce chips with advanced processes at high volume, at predictable cost and with acceptable yield.
The equipment installation at Intel Fab 62 is a significant step forward for the company's US manufacturing capabilities. However, the final configuration of the factory, its capacity and the schedule for mass production have not yet been determined. The only clear date is that the facility is planned to be put into operation by the end of 2028.
