In Mohali, Punjab, Sem-Conductor Laboratory (SCL) was set up in 1984 in a campus of 51 acres. It was set up three years before Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (SMC) was set up. There was a mysterious fire some 35 years ago that destroyed its facilities. SCL was a government owned company. It resumed its operations in 1995.

SCL is trying again to earn its place in the sun. It has received Rs. 10000 crores from the government for its modernization plan.

The US-based Micron has set up ATMP facility at Sanand, Gujrat. SCL is facilitating the working of Micron.

SCL has two fabrication lines — for 6 inch and 8-inch wafers. It has an assembly, test, marking and packaging unit (ATMP). It has a compound semiconductor unit. SCL will support startups and industry for R&D and prototyping.

SCL has been serving strategic sector like space and satellite, railways and telecom. It supplies them 180 nm chips.

As soon as it starts 28 nm technology, it aims to increase its capacity to 24000 wafers per month. At present, it rolls out 700 wafers per month. Wafer acts as a foundation for creating chips. Chip manufacturing starts with wafer preparation.

There is a diminishing market for 180 nm chips. It meets critical requirements of the automotive industry. SCL produces chips of 1-2 micron to 180 nm successfully. To make 180 nm chips, its partner is Tower Semiconductor, Israel.

SCL collaborated with ISRO for Chandrayan-3 mission by fabricating Vikram Processor. It is making CCDS and image sensors for ISRO.

SCL is progressing towards 12-inch wafer fab with 28 nm technology. It will have to find a technical partner for 28 nm fab. Global Companies are reluctant to share their technical know-how. Tata Group is lucky to get it from PSMC. There is a ray of hope — IBM and IMEC, Belgium have expressed interest in partnering for developing the 28 nm technology for R&D purpose. Even Tata Group has expressed interest in modernizing SCL.