Microchip Technology expects its role as a European production base to be strengthened as its Nantes production facility in France expands its QML (MIL-PRF-38535) certification, a quality standard for military and space semiconductors, to 'Class Y'.

Microchip announced on the 17th that the QML certification for its Nantes production facility has been expanded to include Class Y, in addition to the existing Class Q and V. QML certification refers to the semiconductor quality and reliability standards required in the military and space sectors.

The Nantes plant has maintained Class Q and V certifications since 1999. With the addition of Class Y certification, it is now possible to produce semiconductors, including non-hermetic packaging-based solutions. According to the company, this can be utilized to support next-generation military and space programs requiring highly integrated semiconductor architectures.

The facility also holds ESCC QML and AS9100:2018 quality certifications. Based on this, it operates as a key production base in Europe that meets semiconductor production standards for the aerospace and defense industries.

In addition, the Nantes plant is equipped with certification and testing facilities for 64-bit microprocessors (PIC64) that support radiation-tolerant (RT) and radiation-hardened (RH) functions. This is described as equipment designed to meet the electrical verification and long-term operating conditions required in a space environment.

Microchip operates several certified manufacturing facilities across the United States and Europe. Each facility operates with military-grade certification, depending on the product type.

The San Jose facility in the U.S. produces digital and space semiconductors based on Class Q, V, and Y certifications, while the Garden Grove facility supports Class Q certification for analog and mixed-signal products.

The Lowrance facility supports discrete and hybrid products based on MIL-PRF-19500 and 38534 standards, while the European Ennis facility holds MIL-PRF-19500 certification for discrete production.

The company explained that through this in-house certification production system, it reduces reliance on external certification bodies and maintains consistent quality standards across regions.

Microchip supplies semiconductors for the aerospace and defense industries, including microcontrollers (MCUs), microprocessors (MPUs), FPGAs, Ethernet PHYs, power semiconductors, and RF products.

In addition, the part is included in the QPL (Qualified Product List) and is used in military and space projects.