Motorola Begins Next Phase In Arizona Fab Development

The Semiconductor Products Sector (SPS) of Motorola (Phoenix, AZ) announced today that it would begin the next phase for its MOS 12 silicon wafer fabrication facility in Chandler, AZ with the completion of the East fab portion of the building. During this next phase, the semiconductor manufacturer will invest approximately $40 million into the building. This investment is part of the original $1.1 billion expansion plan Motorola announced in October of 1997.

The new phase follows the initial stage of construction, which involved build out, infrastructure improvements, and the installation of several process tools in the South fab portion of the building. The additional space is needed due to continued demand for the company's embedded microcontrollers being produced in MOS 12. These controllers are employed in cellular system designs.

Work on the new phase will begin within the next few weeks. This phase is expected to be complete during the first quarter of 2000.