Q: UMC re-investment in DRAM technology R & D Why?
A: UMC's foundry is foundry, to comply with market trends and strengthen the foundry services, UMC DRAM experience to contribute to the development of memory of the New World, including MRAM (Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory) Moreover, UMC is using external forces to develop DRAM technology, Fujian Jinhua support research and development costs, the two sides jointly invest in research and development equipment and technology, can quickly develop speed, will not squeeze UMC Profit performance.
UMC to independent research and development DRAM technology, another important significance for the implementation of technology in Taiwan semiconductor industry take root, this is UMC and the world's advanced self-developed DRAM technology, after another lapse of 15 years after the Taiwan companies have invested the most difficult DRAM research and development work, Meaning is extremely significant.
Q: Micron is the key to UMC's announcement that UMC has not involved DRAM R & D and production for many years. What is UMC's technology source?
A: UMC to independently develop DRAM technology. UMC in the foundry market for many years, long-term research and development has been very good technical strength, and even the most advanced and most complex 14nm logic IC process are independently developed and successfully started production, and many DRAM technology and UMC existing logic technology interlinked. As in the DRAM technology section, then through open technical reports, reverse engineering to understand, and then follow the development route implementation. In fact, the working principle of DRAM has not changed, today's DRAM is only Achieve lower cost per unit with more advanced process technology, operating principle the same as when developing DRAM 15 years ago.
Q: UMC's DRAM business operating mode?
A: UMC is currently working with foreign DRAM design companies to reach and accelerate DRAM technology research and development.Different from the three major DRAM factories have their own design team, UMC is the foundry industry, so the most in line with the cooperation of DRAM design company UMC Business model and experienced DRAM design team can reduce many of the uncertainties in the development process and speed up the resolution of problems.Moreover, UMC future DRAM technology R & D success will be authorized to Jinhua production, but UMC has no investment in Jinhua, the future may also strive for other DRAM OEM orders.Union currently has no self-built DRAM production plan, will not compete with the existing DRAM manufacturers in Taiwan.
Q: UMC DRAM technology developed by itself and Micron's DRAM technology is not the same?
A: UMC does not understand the contents of the Micron manufacturing DRAM, so there is no way to explain the difference between the two, but according to third-party TechInsights published an article in 2013, there is analysis Micron, Elpida, Samsung, SK hynix in the 30 nm process generation DRAM and Micron adopt the design of Active Area (AA), but UMC selected interleaved AA design, which is obviously different from the structure of Micron's memory cell. The memory cell of DRAM is the most technologically central point, and different memory Cell architecture, representing a different road of R & D to prove that the technical core of UMC and Micron are not the same.
Set micro-mesh news, Micron Technology in early December filed a civil lawsuit in California, sued UMC and Fujian Jinhua infringement of DRAM business secrets.
Micron said the company sued UMC and Fujian Jinhua for stealing its trade secrets and other misconduct on the basis of the civil provisions of the Law on the Protection of Business Secrets and the Anti-Extortion and Bribery Organization Act. Micron will actively protect its global intellectual property and shall use all legal channels , To stop any unlawful abuse.
In May last year, UMC announced that it signed a contract with Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co., Ltd., and UMC accepted Jinhua's entrustment to develop DRAM related process technologies.