eskimou
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TSMC delays Arizona plant, blames US labor shortage
Some portions have been covered by a few people here but from a facilities standpoint the most important requirements for semiconductor fabrication are, having 20+ years in the field:- Access to large amounts of reliable electricity production
- Access to large amounts of clean water, most of it will need be to be pre-treated and de-ioninized before use. yes every fab tries to recycle 70+% of the water they use, not only to be a good environmental neighbor but also the cost of obtaining the amount needed.
- Seismic stability, when trying to place feature with near atomic level accuracy even a passing train can impact production
- Temperature and Humidity Control - Many critical processes and chemicals used require an operating range of 19-23 degrees C for stability of chemical and control within +/-0.02 degrees to avoid unwanted features like expansion/contraction of tool components (talking about you reticles and litho lenses). Humidity must be controlled for similar reasons
- Airborne contamination control, to prevent defects from impacting device operation, less of a concern in last 10 years as we've moved to more microenviroment FOUP/FOSB use.
- Access to talented and trained workforce (main point of this article I believe TSMC was referencing)
- Favorable tax/investment environment (how $10+ Billion in capital equiment needed for modern fab is treated is important)
- Access to transport for raw material needed (silicon wafers, bulk chemicals, etc), can by by sea, land or air
- Distance to critical suppliers/vendors for items mentioned above (usually most ancillary suppliers will build their own facilities close to new fabs, but if existing infrastructure already exists, very handy)
- Access to R&D centers for transfer of new/revised processes.