The location decision
In October 2023, SFN signs the lease at our development facility, Burton-on-Trent, and contractors begin conversion work. The decision to establish its own fabrication facility — rather than relying on third-party foundries — had been building for months.
The reasoning was straightforward: outsourcing fabrication to conventional fabs meant delays in wafer transport, queuing for scheduled processes, and an unwillingness from some foundries to work with SFN's novel process without greater technology disclosure than SFN was prepared to give.
Water as a competitive advantage
Burton-on-Trent's water quality — long famous for brewing — turns out to be equally valuable for semiconductor fabrication. Ultrapure water is essential for wafer cleaning and processing. The natural quality of Burton's water supply significantly reduces the cost and complexity of filtration, delivering a structural cost advantage over fabs in locations with poorer source water.
From third-party to self-sufficient
The lease signing marks the moment SFN commits to manufacturing its own devices rather than depending on external fabs for the bulk of its processes. The franchise concept — if a fast fab is cheap and simple enough to run, clients can have their own — begins to take concrete form.
Equipment delivery begins shortly after signing, with temporary commissioning arranged to accelerate configuration and staff training ahead of the formal opening.