₹4,500 Crore Modernisation of SCL Mohali Announced
In News
What Happened
Why It Matters
Background
History & Context
What Changed
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Production Capacity: BEFORE, the facility had a limited legacy output of around 700 wafers per month using older 180 nm processes. NOW, the upgrade aims to increase the wafer output capacity by 100 times, introducing capabilities for 28 to 65 nm nodes.
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Technological Scope: BEFORE, SCL primarily focused on serving the space and defence sectors with basic CMOS devices. NOW, it will add advanced radio frequency, imaging, and power-management chip capabilities to cater to wider industrial applications.
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Start-up Integration: BEFORE, academic and start-up access to tape-out facilities was limited by outdated design tools and capacity. NOW, the modernised SCL will function as a shared national fabrication hub, actively prototyping chips designed by universities and start-ups under the C2S scheme.
Prelims Angle
NCERT Connection
Practice Questions
Q1
Correct Statement(s)With reference to the Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL) in Mohali, consider the following statements: 1. It is India's only commercial pure-play foundry operating at the cutting-edge 3 nm technology node. 2. It currently operates under the administrative control of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). Which of the statements given above is/are correct?