Infineon Technologies Secures its Lead in Technology and Cost-Effective Production; Announces That 300-mm Production Module in Dresden is 'Ready for Equipment'

Dresden/Germany, April 23, 2001 – Infineon Technologies (FSE/NYSE: IFX) today announced that the world’s first 300-mm production module for memory products, located in Dresden, is “ready for equipment,” thus concluding the construction work begun in May 2000. Production equipment will now be brought into the completed module (cleanroom) for installation. When work is completed, total investment volume in the new module will amount to approximately Euro 1.1 billion. The new Infineon fab will deploy the 300-mm technology for the first time anywhere in the world.

“Our significant lead in the field of 300-mm technology is certain to provide Infineon with an impressive advantage in terms of cost savings in the production of semiconductors,” explained Dr. Johann Harter, Senior Vice President Frontends MP Group & Managing Director Infineon Technologies Dresden.

The new module is planned to reach full capacity toward the end of the year 2002. During the start-up phase, 256-Mbit DRAM storage modules in 0.14 µm structures will be produced. Infineon will introduce and manufacture other products on the basis of its technology roadmap.

“With the help of 300-mm production technology, Infineon aims to achieve significant cost savings per chip and considers the volume production of 300-mm chips as indispensable for the cost-effective manufacture of semiconductors,” explained Dr. Peter Kücher, Vice President & Managing Director Infineon Technologies SC300. “Compared with the conventional 200-mm technology used to date, it is now possible to fit approximately two-and-a-half as many chips onto the larger silicon wafers.”

The production and development activities in 300-mm technology have been brought together in the company known as Infineon Technologies SC300 GmbH & Co. KG. Investors include Leipziger-Messe GmbH with Euro 118 million and M+W Zander, a subsidiary of Jenoptik, with Euro 51 million. M+W Zander is an internationally recognized company specializing in the planning and building of semiconductor plants. With the start of volume production, approximately 1,100 new jobs will be created. The first products based on 300-mm silicon wafers are expected to roll off the new production lines during the second half of calendar year 2001.


Infineon developed the 300-mm technology in Dresden in cooperation with Motorola in a joint venture known as “Semiconductor300”. The Free State of Saxony and the German National Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) funded the project. Following the successful start of the pilot line, the first 64-Mbit DRAMS produced using 300-mm technology begin shipping to customers in September 1999. The well-known trade journal “Semiconductor International” applauded the pilot line of the joint venture as one of the best semiconductor productions in the year 2000 (“Fab of the Year 2000”). The managing directors at that time, Dr. Peter Kücher and Horia A. Grecu, received the European SEMI Award 2000 in April 2000.

Infineon Technologies AG, Munich, Germany, offers semiconductor and system solutions for applications in the wired and wireless communications markets, for security systems and smartcards, for the automotive and industrial sectors, as well as memory products. With a global presence, Infineon operates in the US from San Jose, CA, in the Asia-Pacific region from Singapore and in Japan from Tokyo. In the fiscal year 2000 (ending September), the company achieved sales of Euro 7.28 billion with about 29,000 employees worldwide. Infineon is listed on the DAX index of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: IFX). Further information is available at www.infineon.com