Report: Canon’s imprint tech attracts Indian interest

Canon is talking to companies eyeing India as a chip manufacturing base about adopting nanoimprint lithography (NIL). “We’re in early stages of discussions with Indian and global semiconductor companies who have committed to invest in building semiconductor fabrication units in India as well as others who are expanding electronics manufacturing,” Canon CEO Manabu Yamazaki told Indian newspaper Economic Times (ET).

India has been working to boost high-tech activities, including semiconductor manufacturing, within its borders for some time now. The Tata conglomerate and Taiwan-based Powerchip Semiconductor (PSMC) have announced a chip plant for 28-110nm production. Another Indian firm, CG Power and Industrial Solutions, is working with Japan’s Renesas on consumer, industrial, automotive and power applications. The mature nodes being targeted may be a good fit with NIL’s capabilities.

Earlier this year, a Canon executive said that the interest in its lithography tool is “exceeding expectations.”