https://www.wsj.com/articles/manufacturing-microchips-the-equipment-that-makes-them-11636149507

Skip to Main ContentSkip to Search
 
SubscribeSign In

https://www.wsj.com/articles/
manufacturing-microchips-the-equipment-that-makes-them-11636149507

[]
[]
Semiconductor manufacturing equipment inside an Onsemi manufacturing
plant in Gresham, Ore.
Keywords: Christopher Mims

What's Harder to Find Than Microchips? The Equipment That Makes Them

The world is hungry for semiconductors, and not all of them need to
be made with cutting-edge technology. The race is on to find older
machines that can still crank out chips.

Semiconductor manufacturing equipment inside an Onsemi manufacturing
plant in Gresham, Ore.
By
Christopher Mims
Close

Christopher Mims

  * Biography
  * @mims
  * christophermims
  * christopher.mims@wsj.com

| Photographs by Will Matsuda for The Wall Street Journal
Nov. 6, 2021 12:00 am ET

Stephen Howe is a dealer of expensive antiques of almost unfathomable
mechanical complexity that are much sought-after by a discerning and
deep-pocketed clientele hailing from nearly every part of the
developed world. The need for his wares is at an all-time high, and
yet he's feeling glum: Demand has so outstripped supply that it's
almost impossible for him to get hold of items to sell.

Mr. Howe buys and sells not vintage watches or classic cars but the
equipment that makes the microchips that have been so scarce lately.
The machines he sells tend to be at least 10 years old, since that's
about how long the best-capitalized chip manufacturers--like Samsung ,
Intel and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing --hold onto new
chip-making equipment. But they can be much older.

To Read the Full Story
Subscribe Sign In
[wsj-logo-b]

Continue reading your article with
a WSJ membership

View Membership Options

Resume Subscription

We are delighted that you'd like to resume your subscription.

You will be charged $ + tax (if applicable) for The Wall Street
Journal. You may change your billing preferences at any time in the
Customer Center or call Customer Service. You will be notified in
advance of any changes in rate or terms. You may cancel your
subscription at anytime by calling Customer Service.

Please click confirm to resume now.

Confirm

  * Customer Center
  * Subscriber Agreement
  * Privacy Notice
  * Cookie Notice
  * Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  * (c) 2021 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.