Micron’s Sanand Plant Phase 1 Nears Validation for Cleanroom Production

The first phase of Micron’s ambitious project in Sanand, Gujarat, is nearing cleanroom validation, Economic Times reported.

A cleanroom is a highly controlled environment designed to minimise airborne particles including dust, bacteria and chemical vapours that could compromise sensitive processes or products, the report added.

“What Micron is doing is that they are trying to make Phase 1 of the main facility operational by the second half of this year,” one source said. “The certification is being done in order to enable that timeline.”

This will be Micron’s assembly, testing, marking and packaging (ATMP) plant, with a cleanroom space of half a million square feet planned for Phase 1.

The US-based memory-chip manufacturer plans to invest up to $ 825 million across two phases of the project. Micron and government agencies will collectively invest a total of $ 2.75 billion.

In a news release dated 22 June 2023, Micron stated that Phase 1 would begin operations in late 2024 and that the company would gradually increase capacity in alignment with global-demand trends. Micron noted at the time that Phase 2, which would involve constructing a facility comparable in size to Phase 1, would commence in the latter part of the decade.

Although initial schedules have been revised, with construction contractor Tata Projects indicating that the facility will now be handed over in December 2025, the start of cleanroom validation is considered a critical step towards operationalising the plant.

“Cleanroom validation is a cornerstone in semiconductor manufacturing because it ensures the production environment meets the extremely stringent conditions required for the fabrication of delicate microelectronic devices,” said Krishna Moorthy, a semiconductor-industry technology veteran and former CEO of the India Electronics and Semiconductor Association. “In this industry, even a single contaminant, whether a microscopic dust particle or a stray chemical, can disrupt processes like photolithography, etching and deposition, leading to defects and costly yield losses,” he told ET.

Construction delay

Amid delays in construction, American memory chipmaker Micron Technology is moving forward with the second phase of its Sanand factory. The $2.75 billion chip plant’s first phase is facing delays, and the company is now looking to move on from Tata Projects.

The American chipmaker, which secured the first government incentive under the India Semiconductor Mission, is now seeking a new construction partner for the second phase of the project, according to a report by The Economic Times (ET). When contacted regarding the delay, the chipmaker declined to comment.

Micron has reportedly invited bids from engineering companies, with L&T and KEC International among those interested.