India’s first chip fabrication facility, Semi-Conductor Laboratory (SCL) in Mohali, is set to offer comprehensive support to local chip design startups, including fabrication, testing, and packaging services. This is a significant move as fabless startups currently rely on international foundries for chip samples before mass production, leading to high costs and limited access to hands-on failure analysis and testing.
“SCL is an integrated device manufacturer (IDM) with complete expertise in semiconductor production. Startups need a platform to evaluate their designs, understand challenges in assembly and packaging, and move towards screening and qualification,” said Kamaljeet Singh, Director General of SCL.
SCL is encouraging startups to explore chip designs using 180 nanometre (nm) technology before advancing to lower nodes. Singh explained that once startups succeed in 180 nm technology, their confidence would grow, and they could further develop their designs for external fabrication. Under the government’s design-linked incentive scheme, 13 startups have already been approved for chip design projects.
With two fabrication lines for 6-inch and 8-inch wafers, an ATMP (Assembly, Testing, Marking, and Packaging) unit, and a compound semiconductor facility, SCL has been producing 180 nm chips for critical sectors such as space, railways, and telecom. The lab is also prepared to share its legacy 1.2-micron semiconductor technology with other countries and domestic companies.
As part of its support, SCL plans to offer limited production assistance, assembly, and packaging solutions to startups at low or no cost, depending on the product and intellectual property (IP) generated. The facility is also considering integrating startups’ chip design solutions into its operations. Discussions with startups about SCL’s capabilities, including its system-on-chip (SoC) portfolio, will take place next month.
SCL is currently undergoing an upgrade, and electronics and IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed during the Semicon India 2024 event that a modernisation plan for SCL Mohali is ready and will soon be presented to the Cabinet for approval.
