Microchip Technology reported that its Nantes, France manufacturing site has been granted an expansion to its MIL-PRF-38535 Qualified Manufacturers List (QML) certification to now include QML Class Y. The company said the expanded accreditation increases the facility's technical scope beyond the existing Q and V classifications.
Certification scope and capabilities
According to the company, adding Class Y to the Nantes site's credentials permits support for a broader set of packaging technologies, explicitly including non-hermetic solutions intended for aerospace and defense uses. The site had previously retained QML Classes Q and V since 1999.
Microchip described the Class Y qualification as enabling the Nantes plant to accommodate greater levels of integration and more advanced semiconductor architectures that the company says are required by next-generation military and space programs. The facility is also equipped to support qualification and testing for Microchip's PIC64 High-Performance Spaceflight Computing (PIC64-HPSC) family - a line of 64-bit microprocessors that the company describes as radiation-hardened and radiation-tolerant for space exploration applications.
Global qualification footprint
With the new accreditation, the Nantes location joins Microchip's San Jose, California site as company facilities qualified to MIL-PRF-38535 Classes Q, V and Y. The Nantes site also holds ESCC QML and AS9100:2018 certifications.
Microchip maintains multiple qualified sites across the United States and Europe. In the U.S., the company lists its Garden Grove, California site as supporting Class Q for analog and mixed-signal devices. Its Lawrence, Massachusetts location is cited as holding capabilities under MIL-PRF-19500 and MIL-PRF-38534 Classes H and K for discrete and hybrid microelectronics. In Europe, Microchip's Ennis, Ireland facility is certified to MIL-PRF-19500 for discrete manufacturing.
Market reaction
Microchip Technology shares rose 2.6% in premarket trading on Thursday following the announcement of the Nantes certification expansion.
Note on reporting
This report summarizes the company-stated certifications, facility capabilities and related trading reaction. The company statements form the basis of the details above.