Japan Semi ramps up IC production

Article By : Peter Clarke

Japan Semi's Iwate and Oita operations are focusing on IC production, aiming 30% of its revenue to come from foundry business in FY18.

Japan Semiconductor Corp. aims to raise its analogue and mixed signal IC game by devoting a large amount of its production to chip manufacturing. Japan Semi is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Toshiba Corp. that came into being on April 1, 2016 and owns wafer fabs at Iwate and Oita and employs 2,030 people.

The company has manufacturing capabilities in mixed-signal ICs, MCUs, ASIC, linear sensor and discrete semiconductors. It can also build through-silicon-vias and apply color filter coatings. The capability extends from 0.6-micron down to 130nm in CMOS and high-voltage 48V and 100V processes are also available. Oita has a 6-inch and an 8-inch wafer fab while Iwate has an 8-inch wafer.

In a Toshiba Group presentation prepared for investors and analysts the company said that in the 2018 financial year the company was aiming for 30% of revenue to come from foundry business.

It expects that automotive-grade quality and "world-leading" analogue technology will enable this. However, there is speculation that the naming of the company is indicative that Toshiba is looking to dispose of the company.

Yasuo Naruke, CEO of the parent Toshiba Storage and Electronic Devices Solutions Co., told analysts and investors in a meeting held Wednesday, July 6 that analog foundry business is what he has in mind for Japan Semiconductor and with regard to the possibility of an initial public offering of shares in Japan Semiconductor Naruke said in translation: "We do not like to reject any possibility."