Government Invites Bids From Indian And Global Companies To Modernise Semiconductor Lab In Mohali

The government has invited bids from Indian and global firms with expertise in technology and operations to modernise the Semiconductor Lab in Mohali.

The bids can be submitted by the firms till 21 October.

As per the proposal, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) plans to transform the SCL into a research and development centre of excellence or an at-scale manufacturing facility, or a combination of both, a bid document of the MeitY said.

The ministry has assured that the SCL will continue to meet the semiconductor chip demand of government agencies such as the Indian Space Research Organisation.

SCL is an autonomous society under the MeitY with more than 40 years of experience as a semiconductor Integrated Device Manufacturer (IDM).

SCL currently operates 2 wafer fabrication lines – 8” CMOS at 180 nm node and 6” MEMS with a combined capacity of approximate 750 Wafer Starts Per Month (WSPM).

SCL undertakes activities pertaining to design, fabrication, assembly & packaging, testing and quality assurance of silicon CMOS and MEMS devices for various applications.

To Make the SCL into an R&D Centre, the ministry has proposed the creation of a new R&D-cum-prototyping line for 300 mm wafer processing on advanced nodes such as 28 nm or below.

The bidder, if they choose to modernise the lab, will be responsible for end-to-end setup and operationalisation of the R&D fab including technology transfer, material and equipment supplies, installation, operational testing, commissioning, onsite and offsite skilling of operational manpower and periodic maintenance as well.

"The proposed facility shall primarily be used for applied research and development purpose along with providing prototyping support / multi-project wafer support to startups / universities and other members of the Indian as well as global industry. The proposed facility shall also provide practical / hands-on training programs for semicon talent enablement in India," the ministry said.

The bid document states that applicants must provide a clear roadmap for progressing from 28nm to 14nm and beyond, preferably with baseline logic capabilities, if they choose to modernise SCL.

"For Modernization Path 2 (At-scale manufacturing focused entity), the resultant entity, in addition to commercially viable volume production, shall also provide for in-house product/process technology R&D (in-line with the proposed manufacturing capabilities) and practical / hands-on training programs for semicon talent enablement in India," the bid document said.

To transform SCL into an at-scale manufacturing-focused entity, the IT ministry is seeking proposals to convert it into a semiconductor or compound semiconductor, or an assembly, testing, and packaging unit.

The government may provide 50 per cent capital support for the project or fully invest in it and retain ownership of the modernised entity.