Chip lifecycle / Fab build lifecycle

Fab build and equipment qualification lifecycle

A semiconductor fab, or a new phase of one, from the business case and technology choice through site selection, permits and incentives, facility design, construction, cleanroom and facility systems, tool procurement, installation and qualification, process transfer and first wafers to the yield and capacity ramp, operations and continuous improvement, and expansion or end of life. The output is a qualified factory running customer wafers.

The Fab build lifecycle journey

12 stages and 20 gates, 3 of the gates technical readiness reviews (TR). Each stop opens its stage; each sign opens its gate. Point at a stop or tab to it to read what the stage is for. What the codes mean

In collaboration with The Digital Electronics Blog (opens in a new tab)

A dashed sign with a TR tag is a technical readiness review gate.

In collaboration with The Digital Electronics Blog (opens in a new tab)

Business Case & Technology Choice
Deciding whether a new fab or a major fab phase is worth building: the demand it serves, the process technologies and wafer size it will run, the capacity and product mix, the wafer cost it must reach and the capital it needs, ending in an approved business case that funds site selection and design.
Investment concept approval gate Technology and capacity choice gateTR1, technical readiness review Business case approval gate
Site Selection
Finding and choosing where the fab will stand, weighing energy supply, water, skills and workforce, transport and industrial infrastructure, supply chain security, natural hazard exposure, sustainability and the public incentives on offer, and closing on land and an agreed site.
Site selected gate
Permitting & Incentives
Securing the permits a fab needs to be built and to operate, such as land use, building, environmental, air, water discharge and hazardous materials permits, completing the environmental impact assessment and community engagement, and negotiating and signing the public incentive agreements and their conditions.
Permits and incentives secured gate
Facility Design & Engineering
Turning the tool list and capacity plan into a facility design: the basis of design, the layout of fab, sub-fab and support buildings, the cleanroom, utility, gas, chemical, exhaust and abatement systems, automation and security, then the detailed design, the construction cost estimate and the final investment decision.
Design freeze gate Final investment decision gate
Construction
Building the fab: site preparation, foundations and the vibration-controlled structure, the building shell and envelope, and the central utility and support buildings, managed for safety, quality, cost and schedule until the building is enclosed and ready for cleanroom fit-out.
Building enclosed gate
Cleanroom & Facility Systems
Fitting out the cleanroom under clean build protocol and installing and commissioning the facility systems: air handling and filtration, ultrapure water, bulk and specialty gases, chemical distribution, process cooling, vacuum, exhaust, abatement and waste treatment, electrical power and backup, until the cleanroom is certified to its cleanliness class.
Facility commissioned and cleanroom certified gate
Tool Procurement & Move-in
Buying the process, metrology and automation equipment and the materials the fab will run on, with long-lead tools ordered early, then sequencing deliveries, moving tools into the cleanroom and setting them in their bays without damage or contamination.
Tool set release gate First tool move-in gate
Tool Install & Qualification
Connecting each tool to its utilities, starting it up, running the supplier's acceptance tests against the purchase specification, signing off its safety, linking it to factory automation and qualifying it on wafers, including matching to reference tools, until the tool set is ready to run the process.
Tool set qualified gateTR2, technical readiness review
Process Transfer & First Wafers
Bringing the process to the new fab, either copied from a source fab or developed for it: transferring recipes and specifications, running short loops and full-flow lots, getting the first wafers out, and proving the process at the new fab matches its reference in results and reliability.
First wafers out gate Process qualified at the new fab gateTR3, technical readiness review
Yield & Capacity Ramp
Starting production for customers and raising wafer starts, equipment availability and yield to the levels in the plan, with customers qualifying their products at the new fab, statistical process control in place and the construction project formally closed and handed over to operations.
Production start gate Ramp complete gate Project close-out gate
Operations & Continuous Improvement
Running the fab day to day and improving it: process control and excursion response, maintenance and equipment availability, cycle time, cost, energy, water and emissions reductions, tool upgrades and process changes under change control, workforce development and the reports incentive agreements require.
Operations and capacity review gate
Expansion & End of Life
Deciding what comes next for the fab: adding a phase or shell space, converting it to a new technology, or winding it down, and when it closes, transferring customers and products, removing or reselling tools, decontaminating the facility, remediating the site and meeting the exit terms of permits and incentive agreements.
Expansion or exit decision gate Decommissioning complete gate

Show the journey as a list

Business Case & Technology Choice: Deciding whether a new fab or a major fab phase is worth building: the demand it serves, the process technologies and wafer size it will run, the capacity and product mix, the wafer cost it must reach and the capital it needs, ending in an approved business case that funds site selection and design. Gates: Investment concept approval (at the start), Technology and capacity choice (at the end, technical readiness review TR1), Business case approval (at the end).
Site Selection: Finding and choosing where the fab will stand, weighing energy supply, water, skills and workforce, transport and industrial infrastructure, supply chain security, natural hazard exposure, sustainability and the public incentives on offer, and closing on land and an agreed site. Gates: Site selected (at the end).
Permitting & Incentives: Securing the permits a fab needs to be built and to operate, such as land use, building, environmental, air, water discharge and hazardous materials permits, completing the environmental impact assessment and community engagement, and negotiating and signing the public incentive agreements and their conditions. Gates: Permits and incentives secured (at the end).
Facility Design & Engineering: Turning the tool list and capacity plan into a facility design: the basis of design, the layout of fab, sub-fab and support buildings, the cleanroom, utility, gas, chemical, exhaust and abatement systems, automation and security, then the detailed design, the construction cost estimate and the final investment decision. Gates: Design freeze (at the end), Final investment decision (at the end).
Construction: Building the fab: site preparation, foundations and the vibration-controlled structure, the building shell and envelope, and the central utility and support buildings, managed for safety, quality, cost and schedule until the building is enclosed and ready for cleanroom fit-out. Gates: Building enclosed (at the end).
Cleanroom & Facility Systems: Fitting out the cleanroom under clean build protocol and installing and commissioning the facility systems: air handling and filtration, ultrapure water, bulk and specialty gases, chemical distribution, process cooling, vacuum, exhaust, abatement and waste treatment, electrical power and backup, until the cleanroom is certified to its cleanliness class. Gates: Facility commissioned and cleanroom certified (at the end).
Tool Procurement & Move-in: Buying the process, metrology and automation equipment and the materials the fab will run on, with long-lead tools ordered early, then sequencing deliveries, moving tools into the cleanroom and setting them in their bays without damage or contamination. Gates: Tool set release (at the start), First tool move-in (at the end).
Tool Install & Qualification: Connecting each tool to its utilities, starting it up, running the supplier's acceptance tests against the purchase specification, signing off its safety, linking it to factory automation and qualifying it on wafers, including matching to reference tools, until the tool set is ready to run the process. Gates: Tool set qualified (at the end, technical readiness review TR2).
Process Transfer & First Wafers: Bringing the process to the new fab, either copied from a source fab or developed for it: transferring recipes and specifications, running short loops and full-flow lots, getting the first wafers out, and proving the process at the new fab matches its reference in results and reliability. Gates: First wafers out (at the end), Process qualified at the new fab (at the end, technical readiness review TR3).
Yield & Capacity Ramp: Starting production for customers and raising wafer starts, equipment availability and yield to the levels in the plan, with customers qualifying their products at the new fab, statistical process control in place and the construction project formally closed and handed over to operations. Gates: Production start (at the start), Ramp complete (at the end), Project close-out (at the end).
Operations & Continuous Improvement: Running the fab day to day and improving it: process control and excursion response, maintenance and equipment availability, cycle time, cost, energy, water and emissions reductions, tool upgrades and process changes under change control, workforce development and the reports incentive agreements require. Gates: Operations and capacity review (at the end).
Expansion & End of Life: Deciding what comes next for the fab: adding a phase or shell space, converting it to a new technology, or winding it down, and when it closes, transferring customers and products, removing or reselling tools, decontaminating the facility, remediating the site and meeting the exit terms of permits and incentive agreements. Gates: Expansion or exit decision (at the start), Decommissioning complete (at the end).

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