PUBLISHED: 8 Oct 2024 at 05: 30
According to the Thai Microelectronics Center ( TMEC ), the country’s first and only national research and development unit for wafer fabrication, the first-ever silicon carbide factory that is scheduled to start production in Lamphun province within the next two years will mark a milestone for the nation’s semiconductor industry.
Wutthinan Jeamsaksiri, a senior scientist for the TMEC, stated that the Lamphun Industrial Park factory’s goal is to meet the growing global demand for power technology.
The TMEC, a speciality foundry for customised microelectromechanical systems ( MEMS ), and the National Elections and Computer Technology Centre ( NECTEC ) provided support for the factory, which is under the FT1 Corporation, a joint venture between Hana Microelectronics and PTT.
The TMEC, according to Mr. Wutthinan, was established in 1997 to promote research advancements in the commercial market.
As a state firm, the TMEC can assist businesses in the private sector, such as the FT1 Corporation, to create projects without having to launch from zero.
The launching of the FT1 factory, which is also supported by the Thailand Board of Investment ( BOI), will ignite the country’s competitiveness in the semiconductor industry, he said.
The TMEC’s aid for MEMS silicon gadget development ranges from style, to prototype, testing, and industrial production as well, Mr Wutthinun said.
” Not only does the TMEC develop products based on research, we also provide production companies, which is unique from most research companies that typically work on paper-based improvements and patents”, he said.
He said that the TMEC now has customers in the United States, Europe, China and Korea.
He claimed that” we have seen a business opportunity from consumers looking to examine its video products, primarily those that are connected to electric vehicles and smart telephones.”
He added that the center likewise contributes significantly to boosting the number of employees in the semiconductor sector.
By working with the Office of the National Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Policy Council and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, the TMEC even helps to produce professionals to help the company’s future progress.
Mr Wutthinan added that the TMEC’s squad of 50 researchers and engineers even work on semiconductors for storage engineering, medical technology, agrarian technology, and other innovative science and technology development.
A Memorandum of Understanding between the TMEC and Siriraj Hospital regarding the development of clinical medical chips, including organ-on-chips, cell culture chips, and dilution chips.
If effective, it will help build the new trend of perfection medication, Mr Wutthinun said.