Spokane, Wash. — Honeywell Electronic Materials will more than double its refining and casting capacity for high-purity copper and tin at its Spokane, Wash., facility to meet increased demand in the semiconductor industry.
Demand for the copper material has been steadily growing as new advanced chip designs continue to require high-purity copper, said Honeywell. Additional demand also comes from memory manufacturers transitioning from aluminum to copper, and the use of copper — primarily due to the increased cost of gold — and tin for advanced chip packaging. Tin is increasingly used as an alternative to lead (Pb) for customers who need to comply with global regulations that restrict lead-based materials.
“We are committed to meeting the growing needs of the industry for advanced, high-purity metals,” stated Mike Norton, product line director for Honeywell Electronic Materials’ Advanced Metals business. “We are doing that by making the supply chain and technology investments necessary to meet industry requirements and support our customers, whether they are working on leading-edge technology nodes or within the more mature spaces within the semiconductor industry.”
The first phase of the capacity expansion will be complete in the first quarter of 2012. The second phase is expected to be completed by mid-2012.