London, UK, March 8, 2007 – Atmel Corp. has announced it has retained Colliers International’s Advanced Technology Resource Group (ATREG) based in Seattle, Wash. to assist with the sale of its wafer fab located near Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK. The 200mm wafer fab is described as being fully operational.
Colliers has been offering the European 200mm wafer fab for sale since August 4, 2006, according to information that could be downloaded from the Colliers web site when this story was first posted. Colliers said the identity of the facility would remain confidential until a non-disclosure agreement had been executed.
The Atmel facility in North Tyneside spanning some 750,000 square feet (approximately 70,000 square meters) has approximately 54,000 square feet (5,000 square meters) of cleanroom and counts approximately 270 tools. The fab is a prominent landmark in North Tyneside, some eight miles from the city of Newcastle in the UK.
Atmel announced it would seek to sell its wafer fabrication facilities in North Tyneside, UK and Heilbronn, Germany in December 2006.
“The Atmel offering represents significant cost- and time-to-market advantages for a producer seeking additional capacity or to manufacture a more diverse and advanced set of semiconductor products,” explains Stephen Rothrock, managing director of ATREG.
The SMIF mini-environment and class 100 ballroom is designed to run 200mm-diameter wafers with features as small as 130nm.
“Atmel selected Colliers ATREG to assist in capitalizing on the high level of international interest we have experienced since our announcement,” added Walt Lifsey, Atmel’s senior vice president of operations, in a statement. “Atmel is committed to identifying a qualified purchaser who will see the inherent long-term value this offering team presents.”
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About ATREG
A semiconductor sales division of Colliers International, ATREG specializes in helping companies restructure advanced technology assets. Co-directed by Stephen Rothrock and Doug Barrett, ATREG has represented some of the semiconductor industry’s top companies in transactions totalling over U.S.$2 billion. ATREG advises on the sale of operational semiconductor fabs, wafer supply agreements, process and product intellectual property (IP), complete tool lines, and fab infrastructure. For more information, please visit us online at www.atreg.com.