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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsTexas Instruments’ RFAB tour follows semiconductor production from patterned wafers in Richardson, Texas, through packaging and testing before devices are shipped. The key distinction is that wafer fabrication makes many chip dies on a wafer; assembly packages those individual dies, and test checks the finished devices.
What happens inside TI’s RFAB?
RFAB is Texas Instruments’ 300mm wafer fabrication operation in Richardson, Texas. Its two connected fabs represent different stages in the site’s growth: RFAB1 opened in 2009, and RFAB2 began initial production in September 2022. TI says the Richardson fabs manufacture more than 100 million analog chips every day and have 650,000 square feet of clean-room space. TI’s Richardson manufacturing overview provides the company’s description of the site.
In 2019, TI said a 300mm wafer can produce more than twice as many analog chips as a 200mm wafer. The larger wafer is a way to increase the number of chips produced per wafer; it does not mean every chip is twice as large or that output per day is exactly doubled. TI’s 2019 announcement gives that comparison.
When RFAB2 began initial production, TI senior vice president Kyle Flessner said that connecting the two fabs at one Richardson site provides “great operational efficiencies and scale” to better support customers. TI’s RFAB2 production announcement describes the expansion.
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How does the tour follow a chip from wafer to shipment?
The Electronic Design video tour, published January 30, 2019, starts in TI’s 300mm wafer fab and then follows the process into packaging and test as devices are prepared for final shipment. These are connected stages of semiconductor manufacturing, but they do not necessarily happen in the same building or city.
- Wafer fabrication: The fab processes a semiconductor wafer to create patterned layers and many individual dies. At this point, the output is a wafer containing chip circuits, not a set of packaged components ready to install.
- Assembly and packaging: Individual dies are separated and packaged so they can be handled, connected to a circuit board, and protected for use. Packaging turns a die into a finished component form.
- Test: Devices are checked to determine whether they meet required electrical and functional criteria before shipment. The tour describes packaging and test as later steps in preparing chips for delivery.
- Shipment: Finished devices leave manufacturing for customers and distribution channels.
See Electronic Design’s RFAB and assembly/test tour for the footage and its account of the sequence.
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How do wafer fabrication and assembly/test differ?
| Stage | What it does | Physical output | Environment and equipment | Location in the tour context | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wafer fabrication | Builds patterned semiconductor circuits on a wafer. | A processed wafer containing many dies. | 300mm wafer-fab clean-room operation; TI says its Richardson fabs have 650,000 square feet of clean-room space (2023). | RFAB1 and RFAB2 in Richardson, Texas. | Upstream; precedes die packaging and finished-device testing. |
| Assembly and packaging | Separates dies and packages them as components. | Packaged individual chips. | Assembly/test site environments and equipment; further specifics are not stated in the cited tour summary. | The tour proceeds from Richardson fabrication to packaging and test; TI’s media library also identifies assembly/test sites in Melaka and Kuala Lumpur. It does not establish that every step occurs in Richardson. | After wafer fabrication and before shipment. |
| Test | Checks devices before shipment. | Tested finished devices. | Testing equipment and site-specific conditions are not stated in the cited tour summary. | Part of the later manufacturing sequence; TI’s media resources show assembly/test facilities in Melaka and Kuala Lumpur. | After packaging and before shipment. |
TI’s manufacturing overview and official media and news resources provide broader context for its manufacturing network. The tour shows a process sequence; it should not be read as proof that all downstream assembly and test for RFAB wafers take place at the Richardson site.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where are TI’s RFAB and assembly/test sites?
RFAB1 and RFAB2 are in Richardson, Texas, and are connected as one manufacturing site. TI’s media resources also include assembly/test footage from Melaka and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Those locations illustrate the broader network, but the available information does not specify which individual product or wafer lot moves through each site, nor does it establish that every step shown occurs in Richardson.
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For additional official footage of the facilities, see TI’s manufacturing page and TI’s Richardson facility video page.
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