A few months ago, Samsung inked a deal with Apple to make CMOS image sensors (CIS) for the iPhone. The company is now moving forward with preparations at its semiconductor plant in Austin, Texas. The firm could begin operation of the CIS line as early as March 2026, boosting its US chip manufacturing business.
Samsung will install equipment for iPhone CIS soon at its Austin facility
According to a report from TheElec, Samsung is gearing up to install production equipment at its Austin facility for the manufacturing of CMOS image sensors. The company has recently posted job openings for mechanical and electrical project managers to manage hookup work at the fab. For the uninitiated, Hookup involves building pipelines for utilities such as gas and water.
The hiring also suggests that foundation work for the cleanroom is nearing completion. Once the hookup work is finished, Samsung can begin placing production equipment inside the cleanroom. The company is also hiring technicians and engineers for cleaning equipment at the plant. This allows the company to remove impurities, such as unwanted oxide layers and defective metal, from the surface of silicon wafers. In cutting-edge chip manufacturing, cleaning processes can make up as much as 40% of the total production steps.
Last month, a report revealed that Samsung plans to invest around $1.9 billion in its Austin facility. The spending will go for repair and maintenance work as well as the purchase of advanced manufacturing equipment. Industry sources said this new investment is mainly because of the Samsung-Apple CIS deal.
The CMOS image sensors will use advanced wafer-to-wafer hybrid bonding technology. This method stacks three wafers, with each wafer performing a different function. One wafer is for photodiodes, another contains transistors, and the third includes analog/digital converters. This structure allows the chips to use smaller pixels and less noise, improving image quality.