Appendix E: Electronic Research & Service Organization

APPENDIX E. TAIWAN SITE REPORTS (MARCH 1996 VISITS)

Site:: Electronic Research & Service Organization (ERSO)
Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI)
R200, 195-4, Sec. 4, Chung Hsing Rd., Chutung, Hsinchu, Taiwan 310 Tel: 886-35-917007; Fax: 886-35-918022; e-mail: scl@erso.itri.org.tw
Participants:: Sebastian Shyi-Ching Liau, Design Development Manager, Electronic Packaging Tech. Div.
Fei-Jain Wu, Sr. Asst. to General Director, Electronic Packaging Technology Div.
Dr. Min-Shyong Lin, Executive Vice President, ITRI
Dr. Wenbin Hsu, Deputy General Director, ITRI
Li-Chung Lee, Vice President & MRL General Director, ITRI
Choung-Lin Lo, Consultant, MRL, ITRI

ITRI is a nonprofit, government-sponsored organization chartered to promote the development of high-tech. industries, to improve domestic product design and processing technologies, to provide technical services to industry, and to assist in the development of defense technologies and industry.
ITRI is the sole source of R&D for small firms in Taiwan.
ITRI is concentrating on developing key components that are imported and cause a trade deficit.
ITRI moves products from the laboratory to pilot production, and into private industry.
ERSO was established in 1974 to develop and diffuse electronic technologies. It focuses on semiconductor IC devices, display devices, microwave components, and electronic packaging. ERSO also provides technical services to industry.
ERSO developed low-cost MCM-D substrate packaging, flip-chip bonding, thin-film resistor array, ceramic ball grid array, and plastic ball grid array capabilities.

ITRI's budget of NT$7 billion comes from government (55% from MOEA and 25% from defense) and industry (20%). ITRI has seven laboratories and three centers. The range of technologies is quite broad, with about half of ITRI's efforts going to support electronics technologies.
ITRI has about 5,700 young and energetic engineers, over 200 from IBM and ATT.
ITRI played a key role in creating the semiconductor industry in Taiwan. ITRI research accounts for about 1% of the revenues that have been generated from ITRI semiconductor spin-offs. In 1995, there were 26 companies involved in IC design with total revenues of $593 million, 12 firms producing IC with total revenues of $4 billion, 21 companies that package ICs with revenues valued at $2.6 billion, 200 firms producing PCBs valued at $1.7 billion, and 23 firms that assemble motherboards valued at $2 billion. There are four 8-inch fabs in operation in Taiwan, 10 under construction, and 6 in the planning phase. In 1995, domestic suppliers provided 19.1% of Taiwan's IC requirements. This is projected to reach 37.8% by the year 2000.
ERSO established consortiums for PC computers in 1983 and 1984, submicron process development in 1991 and 1992, and LCD development in 1993.

IC research focuses on deep sub-micron lithography, etching, device, and thin film development, high-frequency process integration, and design of mixed signal IC, RF ICs, and CCDs.
Packaging research focuses on passive device thin film processing, flip chip bonding, tape automated bonding, chip on glass, MCM designs, substrate processing, and module packaging.
Flat panel display research focuses on thin film LCD device and circuit processing, color filters, module integration, and optical systems.
ITRI's strength is transferring technology into the commercial world.

IC process capabilities include:

Process capabilities in CMOS are 0.5 mm in mass production and 0.35 mm in R&D (U.S./Japan mass-produce at the 0.35 mm level and have 0.25 mm in R&D).
16 MB DRAM are in mass production and 64 MB in R&D (Japan/Korea mass-produce 64 MB and are introducing 256 MB, and have published a paper on 1 GB).
4 MB Flash memory is mass-produced and 16 MB in pilot production (In U.S./Japan, 16 MB is mass-produced, 32 MB in production, and 256 MB in R&D).
Gate arrays up to 60K are produced in Taiwan (Japan/U.S. produce 100K, and have 1,600K prototypes).
8-in. silicon is in production (Japan/Germany/U.S. have 12-inch in R&D).
In SRAMs, Taiwan is the low-cost producer (SRAM cost in Taiwan = 1, Korea = 1.14, Japan = 1.43, and the U.S. = 1.6).

Packaging capabilities include:

PGA with 172 pins in mass production (U.S./Japan mass-produce over 300 pins).
QFP is mass produced with lead pitch of 0.4-0.5 mm (Japan mass-produces 0.25-0.4 mm pitch).
TSOP in mass production with thickness 1.0 mm (U.S./Japan mass-produce 1.0 mm, have 0.5 mm in R&D).
BGA with 50 mil ball pitch is mass produced and 40 mil is in R&D (U.S. mass-produces 50 mil and has 40 mil in R&D).
TAB-OLB is mass produced with 9.8 mil pitch (Japan mass-produces 9.8 mil and has 8 mil in R&D).
MCM is in pilot production (U.S. is producing packages).

Developments are targeted at substrate and fine pitch/small via technology. Taiwan's technical capabilities include:

Line width/spaces of 4 mil/4 mil are in mass production (U.S./Japan have 2 mil/2 mil in R&D).
Drilling diameters of 13.5 mil are in mass production (U.S./Japan mass-produce 13.5 mil and have 6 mil in R&D).
Blind vias of 10 mil are in mass production (U.S./Japan mass-produce 10 mil and have 4 mil in R&D).
Layer thicknesses of 24 mil are in mass production (U.S./Japan produce 24 mil and have 12 mil in R&D).
Pitches of 0.4 mm are in mass production (U.S./Japan produce 0.4 mm and have 0.25 mm in R&D).
Aspect ratios of 5 are in mass production (U.S./Japan mass-produce 5 and have 8 in R&D).

Taiwan has been successful in moving into critical component areas. For example, in 1995, Taiwan companies held 72% of the worldwide market in the computer mouse, 65% in motherboards and keyboards, 64% in scanners, 57% in monitors, 38% in network cards, 35% in power supplies, 32% in graphic cards, 27% in portable PCs, and 11% in CD-ROMs.
6 of the world's top 100 PCB manufacturers are in Taiwan.

Published: May 1997; WTEC Hyper-Librarian