News: Microelectronics
14 January 2025
MACOM unveils five-year, $345m plan to expand 100mm GaN and GaAs production and introduce 150mm GaN
MACOM Technology Solutions Inc of Lowell, MA, USA (which designs and makes RF, microwave, analog and mixed-signal and optical semiconductor technologies) has announced a long-term capital investment plan comprising up to $345m over five years to modernize its wafer fabrication facilities in Lowell, Massachusetts, and Durham, North Carolina, creating up to 350 manufacturing jobs and nearly 60 construction jobs across both states.
The plan is supported by a recently executed preliminary, non-binding agreement with the CHIPS Program Office, which would provide for proposed direct funding from the US Department of Commerce under the CHIPS and Science Act of up to $70m.
The preliminary terms propose up to $180m to be supported by the CHIPS and Science Act through a combination of direct federal funding, federal investment tax credits and state funding, including direct funding from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech) of up to $15.7m as well as other incentives from the State of Massachusetts.
The balance of about $165m is expected to be self-funded by MACOM’s operating cash flow over the next five years.
MACOM says that the wafer fab capital investment plan supports its growth and market positioning strategy to be an industry-leading supplier of advanced RF, microwave and millimeter-wave semiconductor technologies, supporting existing and emerging defense, telecoms and data-center applications.
Both fabs are Category 1A Trusted Foundries with the US Department of Defense (DoD) and produce compound semiconductors that are key to defense systems operating at high frequencies, including airborne and ground-based radar systems, as well as commercial applications such as telecoms.
Massachusetts fab investment
- expansion of cleanrooms within existing building footprint;
- modernization of current 100mm production lines, including gallium arsenide (GaAs), gallium nitride (GaN), silicon and other III-V materials;
- installation of 150mm GaN-on-SiC manufacturing capability for advanced-node applications;
- infrastructure upgrades (HVAC, water, solar and power systems).
North Carolina fab investment
- expansion of cleanrooms within existing building footprint;
- installation of 150mm wafer-size production capabilities to support RF GaN-on-SiC processes;
- installation of advanced metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) epitaxial growth capabilities;
- infrastructure upgrades (HVAC, water, power systems).
“This plan will strengthen MACOM’s domestic semiconductor manufacturing capabilities, accelerate our growth strategy and enable us to better service our customers with leading technologies,” says president & CEO Stephen G. Daly.
MACOM expects to work with the CHIPS Program Office to finalize the details and terms of a definitive agreement.
MACOM to lead US CHIPS Act-funded GaN-on-SiC technology development project
