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Celebrating the UK’s finest in manufacturing


Ongoing semiconductor manufacturing after discontinuation


Whilst the title seems contradictory at first glance, in this interview, Ken Greenwood, technical sales manager - EMEA, Rochester Electronics, discusses how one company is attempting to re-write the rules on conventional semiconductor production life-cycles - and how a product discontinuation notice (PDN) from the original chip manufacturer does not necessarily mean the end of authorised, risk-free supply.


Why is there a need for long- term IC supply?


Systems in markets such as mil-aero, industrial, energy, transportation, and medical often have lengthy production and service lives. Re-design and re-qualification costs are prohibitive, and customers need support for the original system design without modification. The semiconductors which go into them,


however, tend to have much shorter life cycles. The challenge for the system supplier is how to manage the gap between these two conflicting timelines?


How do customers normally


manage the mismatch between semiconductor lifecycles and system lifecycles?


Traditionally, customers made large last-time- buy (LTB) purchases of finished components; and then attempt to store components for the life of the project; a process which is fraught with risk and uncertainty. Carefully stored (and packaged) finished


components can normally provide three to five years of risk-free supply. Beyond that point, it is inevitable that yield-losses (solderability issues) will rise, although specialist storage can mitigate some of these risks. Unfortunately yield losses do not follow a linear trajectory and variations in plating type, plating quality, package type, and lead-form, all have an impact on the diminishing


that components are authorised and fully compliant with the original supplier’s specification, not only fit-form-function but also errata/software compliant as well. No further testing or qualification is required.


What happens if my IC package or a test platform is made obsolete?


usable life. The storage of finished components is also costly, both in terms of the capital tied up, and the cost of special storage conditions. One thing is certain - circumstances change!


A forecast LTB purchase is almost guaranteed to be wrong. Fluctuating market demand, combined with the uncertainty of long-term storage yields, can play havoc with a customer’s project plans. In desperation, some customers attempt to fill


gaps in last-time supply by purchasing finished components through the non-authorised / grey markets which introduces the spectre of : contaminated, pre-used, or counterfeit product.


Is there an alternative to a traditional LTB purchase of


finished components which offers a 100 per cent guarantee?


The only way to GUARANTEE long-term semiconductor availability is: Wafer Storage + Long-term Packaging and Test For over 35 years Rochester Electronics has


offered a comprehensive range of wafer storage and processing services at our facilities in Newburyport MA, USA. Our wafer and die stocks are received as


known-good-die (KGD) and then held in our next generation nitrogen-controlled wafer storage. Tightly controlled nitrogen storage provides almost unlimited storage life, with no deterioration. Long-term customer delivery programmes can be guaranteed, with no appreciable changes in production yield. Rochester’s unrivalled relationships with the


original chip manufacturers allows for the transfer of the original assembly and test processes. This means that customers who purchase from Rochester, can be 100 per cent confident


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As with the wafer itself, package styles and the sub-assembly components are also subject to obsolescence. Rochester Electronics manages the long-term supply and availability of these elements, as well as long-term support of the assembly and test equipment, to ensure that supply continues to be 100 per cent risk-free. Rochester’s in-house packaging capabilities


(ceramic, metal-can, plastic DIP….) are supplemented by excellent relationships with other leading packaging companies, allowing Rochester to identify best-in-class sourcing for most historical packages.


About Rochester Electronics Rochester Electronics is the world’s largest continuous source of semiconductors–100 per cent authorised by over 70 leading semiconductor manufacturers. As an original manufacturer stocking distributor, Rochester provides the world’s most extensive range of end-of-life (EOL) semiconductors and broadest range of active semiconductors. As a licensed semiconductor manufacturer, Rochester has manufactured over 20,000 device types. With over 12 billion die in stock, Rochester has the capability to manufacture over 70,000 device types. Rochester offers a full range of manufacturing services including Design, Wafer Processing, Assembly, Test, Reliability, and IP Archiving providing single solutions through to full turnkey manufacturing, enabling faster time-to-market.


Rochester Electronics www.rocelec.com T: 01480 408400 E: emeasales@rocelec.com


January 2021 UKManufacturing


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