iPhone 6 Fingerprint Sensor to Use Same 8-inch Process as iPhone 5s [Digitimes]

Digitimes reports that TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) will utilize 8-inch processing instead of the rumoured 12-inch fab, for the iPhone 6 fingerprint sensor. In an earlier report in January, Digitimes said that TSMC will start manufacturing iPhone 6 fingerprint sensors at its 12-inch fab using a 65 nm process.

Touch ID iPhone 5s

Apple previously decided to have TSMC produce fingerprint sensors for its next-generation iPhone at the foundry’s 12-inch facilities using a 65nm process, the sources noted. However, acknowledging risks associated with 12-inch WLP technologies, Apple has finally chosen TSMC’s 8-inch processing which enables mature yield rates for WLP to produce the fingerprint sensors, the sources said.

The report also states that Apple’s partner will stick with the same companies for handling the packaging process, the backend partners being identified as Xintec and China WLCSP. The manufacturer was rumoured to be taking over the packaging process as well if it fabricates the fingerprint sensors at its 12-inch fabs.

You may recall that the iPhone 5s was available in limited supply during the past quarter. The report also notes that low yield rates of the 8-inch wafer-level packaging (WLP) were also responsible for that. This year, yield rates for 8-inch WLP is expected to exceed 95%, Digitimes‘ sources say.

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