Semiconductor industry and market

Which correctly describes a 'fabless' company?

  1. AA company that handles everything from design to manufacturing and sales in-house
  2. BA company that has no manufacturing plants of its own and specializes in design and sales
  3. CA company that takes on only back-end semiconductor processes on contract
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Answer: B. A company that has no manufacturing plants of its own and specializes in design and sales

Fabless means a company without a manufacturing plant (fab). It concentrates its resources on design and sales and outsources manufacturing to foundries. A company that does everything from design to manufacturing in-house is called an IDM (integrated device manufacturer), and a company that does back-end work on contract is called an OSAT.

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More Semiconductor industry and market questions

  1. Which best describes 'Moore's law'?
  2. Which correctly describes companies called OSATs?
  3. In the semiconductor market, what is the phenomenon called in which booms and busts repeat periodically due to the balance of supply and demand?
  4. Which type of semiconductor company handles everything from design through front-end and back-end manufacturing to sales in-house?
  5. Which correctly describes Dennard scaling?