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When did Plus Semi become Plessey Semiconductors?
The relaunch was reported on 11 January 2010. Electronic Specifier said the acquisition of X-FAB UK Limited completed on 6 January and was effective from 31 December 2009. The resulting business brought together management teams and engineering capabilities from Plus Semi’s Swindon design and technology centre and the former X-FAB operation in Roborough, Plymouth. (EE Times; Electronic Specifier)
Who owned the Plymouth Roborough fab?
The relaunch followed the acquisition of the share capital of X-FAB UK Limited. That transaction placed the Roborough facility within the newly named Plessey Semiconductors business, alongside Plus Semi’s Swindon engineering capability. The arrangement preserved a UK semiconductor manufacturing base centred on the Plymouth site. (Electronic Specifier)
What could the Roborough facility manufacture?
Eight-inch CMOS foundry services
At launch, Roborough operated an eight-inch (200-mm) wafer line for external customers using 0.35-micron CMOS processes. Plessey intended to continue supporting existing foundry customers while using the facility to develop its own products. (EE Times)
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Planned bipolar and silicon-on-insulator transfer
The company planned to transfer bipolar process technologies from Swindon to Roborough during 2010, including technologies for silicon and silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates. This was a stated plan at the time, not evidence that every transfer was completed. (EE Times; Electronic Specifier)
Announced capacity and SiGe BiCMOS development
Semiconductor Today reported in 2010 that Plessey was developing a 0.35-micron silicon-germanium BiCMOS process on its eight-inch line. It also reported annual capacity of 30,000 eight-inch wafers. That figure describes the facility’s reported capacity, not a count of wafers actually produced. (Semiconductor Today)
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What products did the relaunched Plessey plan to make?
Plessey’s strategy joined customer foundry work with proprietary high-performance analog and mixed-signal products. Semiconductor Today identified three core product areas: sensors, RF components and power-management devices. Commercial director Paul James said the company expected its first product families to be released later in 2010; that was a schedule announced at launch, not confirmation of their eventual release. (Electronic Specifier; Semiconductor Today)
What funding was reported for the relaunch?
The South West Regional Development Agency was reported to be providing nearly £1 million through the Grant for Business Investment scheme. The figure was reported as regional development support for the business; it should not be read as a statement of the company’s total funding or ongoing finances. (Electronic Specifier)
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Why did management describe the relaunch as a return to roots?
Managing director Michael LeGoff described the model as designing and manufacturing high-technology semiconductor products in a market the team knew well. The relaunch therefore was not presented solely as a fab acquisition: it combined manufacturing for customers with an ambition to build Plessey’s own product business. (EE Times)
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