Chip lifecycle / Power and compound lifecycle / Cost-down & Sustaining

Cost-down & Sustaining

Lowering cost and keeping the product competitive once it is in volume: yield and defect improvement, die shrinks and next device generations, thinner substrates, larger wafers, second-source materials, assembly cost reductions and test time reduction, each change qualified and notified to customers under change control.

Where this stage sits

This stage with its neighbours. Each row is a discipline active here, shaded by how mature its work is by the end of each stage.

Stage

^A11 Wafer Size Transition

^O12 Cost-down & SustainingYou are here

^A13 End of Life

Business and customers milestones

TAWafer size transition approved LRLifecycle review LTBLast-time buy EOSLast-time ship

Device and process milestones

RCRamp complete WELarger wafer equivalence shown CQCost-down change qualified

Power product management and business^O

1.0

Substrate and epitaxy supply^D

Freeze^A

Process development and integration^A

Freeze^A

Wafer fab manufacturing and yield^A

1.0

Device characterisation^D

1.0

Reliability and ruggedness qualification^A

1.0

Package and module engineering^A

Freeze

Production test and screening^A

Freeze

Quality and automotive compliance^D

1.0

Supply chain, capacity and cost^A

1.0

Key0.0Planned0.3Concept drafted0.5Learning0.8Near target1.0CompleteFreezeFrozenFaded block: still at the step shown before it, Held below Complete or Maintained under change control once complete or frozenFreeze or sign-off pointMilestone for one item; the rest of the work carries onMilestone gateYou are here: Cost-down & SustainingAI impactDisruption (red)Augmentation (blue)Opportunity (green)How AI is changing the workWhat the steps mean What the codes mean

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Stages

Business and customers milestones

Device and process milestones

Disciplines

Power product management and business^O
- Wafer Size Transition: maturity 1.0, Complete. Part released for volume orders with its datasheet and a long-term supply commitment; pricing, lifecycle reviews and discontinuance managed to the end.
- Cost-down & Sustaining: maturity 1.0, Complete. Part released for volume orders with its datasheet and a long-term supply commitment; pricing, lifecycle reviews and discontinuance managed to the end.^O
- End of Life: maturity 1.0, Complete. Part released for volume orders with its datasheet and a long-term supply commitment; pricing, lifecycle reviews and discontinuance managed to the end.
Substrate and epitaxy supply^D
- Wafer Size Transition: maturity Freeze, Frozen. Specification and sources under change control; larger substrates and second sources come in as qualified changes.^A
- Cost-down & Sustaining: maturity Freeze, Frozen. Specification and sources under change control; larger substrates and second sources come in as qualified changes.
Process development and integration^A
- Wafer Size Transition: maturity Freeze, Frozen. Baseline under change control; transfers to larger wafers and process changes are qualified before use.^A
- Cost-down & Sustaining: maturity Freeze, Frozen. Baseline under change control; transfers to larger wafers and process changes are qualified before use.
Wafer fab manufacturing and yield^A
- Wafer Size Transition: maturity 1.0, Complete. Control plan final for production part approval; yield ramped to its mature level and improved in volume.
- Cost-down & Sustaining: maturity 1.0, Complete. Control plan final for production part approval; yield ramped to its mature level and improved in volume.
Device characterisation^D
- Wafer Size Transition: maturity 1.0, Complete. Static, dynamic and ruggedness behaviour measured across temperature and compared with the design; repeated in the converter, on qualification lots and on larger wafers.
Reliability and ruggedness qualification^A
- Wafer Size Transition: maturity 1.0, Complete. Device and module qualification passed, with failures analysed and a lifetime model; later changes requalified.
- Cost-down & Sustaining: maturity 1.0, Complete. Device and module qualification passed, with failures analysed and a lifetime model; later changes requalified.
Package and module engineering^A
- Wafer Size Transition: maturity Freeze, Frozen. Assembly process frozen with module qualification; package changes and cost-downs are qualified before use.
- Cost-down & Sustaining: maturity Freeze, Frozen. Assembly process frozen with module qualification; package changes and cost-downs are qualified before use.
Production test and screening^A
- Wafer Size Transition: maturity Freeze, Frozen. Test program under change control; test time and screens reviewed in volume.
- Cost-down & Sustaining: maturity Freeze, Frozen. Test program under change control; test time and screens reviewed in volume.
Quality and automotive compliance^D
- Wafer Size Transition: maturity 1.0, Complete. Production part approval achieved; field monitoring, change notices and records run to the end of supply.
- Cost-down & Sustaining: maturity 1.0, Complete. Production part approval achieved; field monitoring, change notices and records run to the end of supply.
- End of Life: maturity 1.0, Complete. Production part approval achieved; field monitoring, change notices and records run to the end of supply.
Supply chain, capacity and cost^A
- Wafer Size Transition: maturity 1.0, Complete. Capacity plan final for the volume ramp; allocation, cost-downs, wafer size moves and final builds run to the end of supply.
- Cost-down & Sustaining: maturity 1.0, Complete. Capacity plan final for the volume ramp; allocation, cost-downs, wafer size moves and final builds run to the end of supply.^A
- End of Life: maturity 1.0, Complete. Capacity plan final for the volume ramp; allocation, cost-downs, wafer size moves and final builds run to the end of supply.^A

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