From planning to production
After 18 months of build-out, equipment sourcing, installation, and staff training, our development facility, Burton-on-Trent becomes operational in February 2024. In the first month alone, 160 wafers are processed.
The opening marks a fundamental shift in SFN's position: from a research and IP company to an operational semiconductor manufacturer. Our development facility is not a demonstrator — it is a working fabrication facility.
Why Burton?
The choice of Burton-on-Trent was deliberate. The town's water quality is exceptional — a critical factor in semiconductor fabrication, where ultrapure water is required for cleaning and processing. By locating in Burton, SFN achieves significant cost savings in filtration infrastructure that would be unavoidable elsewhere.
The site at our development facility provides clean hoods housed in a practical, controlled environment — functional rather than grandiose, and purpose-built for same-day fabrication.
No technical roadblocks
Processing staff joined the existing R&D team and the facility transitioned smoothly into production mode. There were no significant technical roadblocks in the opening period — a result of the extensive equipment commissioning and staff training that had been completed in the preceding months.
Our development facility remains SFN's operational base and the location where the Self-Learning Loop will run its first full cycle.