Microchip Technology Inc., a leading provider of microcontroller, mixed-signal, analog and Flash-IP solutions. Here Steve Drehobl, Vice President, MCU8 Division, Microchip Technology Inc. lightened advanced semiconductor manufacturing process and key issues.
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What are the key objectives of your semiconductor manufacturing process?
Reduce cost and power consumption, improve product performance, and increase mixed-signal content, product reliability and quality.
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What are the advancements to achieve the performance increase in advanced IC manufacturing?
Process techniques and methods, combined with circuit-design skills that address the key objectives above. Specific items are company confidential.
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What are the key issues in advanced semiconductor manufacturing?
Most semiconductor-manufacturing companies are faced with continually increasing material, energy and labor costs. Companies that employ a conventional Moore’s Law shrink strategy have the added pressure of tool costs that continue to grow at a higher rate than the die-area reductions, along with increasing device leakages and decreasing Vdd ranges. At Microchip, in contrast, we don’t follow Moore’s Law because our embedded semiconductors serve a broad range of mixed-signal applications that don’t naturally migrate to the lowest lithography node, which can only be achieved with the latest advanced semiconductor processes. This is unlike companies that make the main processors and SoCs in computers and mobile phones.
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What are other ways besides miniaturization?
With a combination of skills and techniques to address the key issues from question 3 and the objectives from question 1, primarily in the areas of process engineering, design engineering, test engineering, manufacturing and architecture.
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Can you describe your achievements?
Microchip’s Aggregate System strategy and differentiation, as described in CEO Steve Sanghi’s book called Driving Excellence (www.drivingexcellence.biz), has worked well for us over the past 20+ years. Long-term achievements are evident in our company results, as our customers have recognized us as a top-tier supplier in our market, we’ve increased our market share, and we’ve provided a profitable return to our shareholders and employees every quarter in each of the last 93 quarters.
