Chip lifecycle / Process node lifecycle / Node End of Life

Node End of Life

Withdrawing the node in an orderly way when demand, equipment or materials can no longer sustain it: notifying customers, taking last-time orders, running the final wafer starts, planning equipment and materials supply to the end, and archiving the process record.

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

^DA10 High-Volume Manufacturing

^A11 Continuous Improvement & Derivatives

^A12 Node End of LifeYou are here

Business and customers milestones

PRProduction PDK release RRTechnology refresh review DNNode discontinuance notice

Technology milestones

HVMVolume production release RCRamp complete LWLast wafer start

Technology business and roadmap^A

HVM

Process module engineering^A

HVM

Yield, defects and process control^D

HVM^DA

Process reliability and quality^A

HVM

PDK development and release^A

HVM

Customer design enablement and ecosystem^A

HVM

Manufacturing operations and capacity^O

HVM^DA

Equipment and materials supply^A

HVM

KeyPre-kitPathfindingv0.1Early access kitv0.5Design-start kitv0.9Pre-production kitv1.0Production kitHVMIn volume productionFaded block: Held, the status shown before it still standsFreeze or sign-off pointMilestone for one item; the rest of the work carries onMilestone gateYou are here: Node End of LifeAI impactDisruption (red)Augmentation (blue)Opportunity (green)How AI is changing the workWhat the steps mean What the codes mean

Show this chart as a list

Stages

Business and customers milestones

Technology milestones

Disciplines

Technology business and roadmap^A
- High-Volume Manufacturing: maturity HVM, In volume production. Node in volume production: its roadmap position and refresh reviewed, then discontinuance and last-time buys planned and announced.
- Continuous Improvement & Derivatives: maturity HVM, In volume production. Node in volume production: its roadmap position and refresh reviewed, then discontinuance and last-time buys planned and announced.
- Node End of Life: maturity HVM, In volume production. Node in volume production: its roadmap position and refresh reviewed, then discontinuance and last-time buys planned and announced.^A
Process module engineering^A
- High-Volume Manufacturing: maturity HVM, In volume production. Production recipes released for volume and modules improved under change control.
- Continuous Improvement & Derivatives: maturity HVM, In volume production. Production recipes released for volume and modules improved under change control.^A
Yield, defects and process control^D
- High-Volume Manufacturing: maturity HVM, In volume production. Process control plan released for volume, with yield reports and improvement plans under change control.^DA
- Continuous Improvement & Derivatives: maturity HVM, In volume production. Process control plan released for volume, with yield reports and improvement plans under change control.^A
Process reliability and quality^A
- High-Volume Manufacturing: maturity HVM, In volume production. Reliability monitored in volume and every process change qualified and notified.
- Continuous Improvement & Derivatives: maturity HVM, In volume production. Reliability monitored in volume and every process change qualified and notified.^A
PDK development and release^A
- High-Volume Manufacturing: maturity HVM, In volume production. Kit updates released under change control as process changes are notified.
- Continuous Improvement & Derivatives: maturity HVM, In volume production. Kit updates released under change control as process changes are notified.
Customer design enablement and ecosystem^A
- High-Volume Manufacturing: maturity HVM, In volume production. Production design support closed out at the volume release, with the support log final.
Manufacturing operations and capacity^O
- High-Volume Manufacturing: maturity HVM, In volume production. Volume ramp and output reporting, then the final wafer starts and the process archive at end of life.^DA
- Continuous Improvement & Derivatives: maturity HVM, In volume production. Volume ramp and output reporting, then the final wafer starts and the process archive at end of life.
- Node End of Life: maturity HVM, In volume production. Volume ramp and output reporting, then the final wafer starts and the process archive at end of life.^O
Equipment and materials supply^A
- High-Volume Manufacturing: maturity HVM, In volume production. Production tool set and materials under change control, and end-of-life supply planned when the node is discontinued.
- Continuous Improvement & Derivatives: maturity HVM, In volume production. Production tool set and materials under change control, and end-of-life supply planned when the node is discontinued.
- Node End of Life: maturity HVM, In volume production. Production tool set and materials under change control, and end-of-life supply planned when the node is discontinued.

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