Semiconductor industry and market

For leading-edge logic chips, which is closest to the typical time from starting a wafer on the production line to completing the front-end process?

  1. AAbout one day
  2. BSeveral months (roughly three months or more)
  3. CAbout ten years
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Answer: B. Several months (roughly three months or more)

Leading-edge logic chips go through hundreds to over a thousand steps in total, including lithography, deposition and etching, so the front end alone takes several months. Back-end processing and testing come on top of that, so supply cannot be raised quickly when demand jumps, one factor making supply-demand mismatches and shortages likely.

  • A. Many steps cannot be completed in one day.
  • B. Correct. The front end alone takes several months.
  • C. It does not take as long as ten years.
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More Semiconductor industry and market questions

  1. What is it called when an equipment maker arranges to procure an equivalent product from another supplier as well, in case supply of a particular chip stops?
  2. When a chipmaker announces the end of life (EOL) of a product, what is it called when equipment makers using it buy, one last time, the quantity they will need for future maintenance and production?
  3. Which is the main reason the price per processed wafer has risen sharply as leading-edge process generations advance?
  4. Which correctly describes a 'foundry' in the semiconductor industry?
  5. Which correctly describes a 'fabless' company?