Re:TSMC Nanke 14 Factory Production Interruption Could Affec...
by avs733 on Monday January 28, 2019 @11:25PM
(#19023751)
>In confidence, I’ve heard stories of simple cost-saving measures at fabs that have resulted in 9+ figures of damages. Honestly, I am impressed at how well these companies keep it out of the news. It’s a shame because the stories are really quite good.
Dude at vendor switched a label on two boxes. Parts inside looked identical, and were installed. No way to tell until ~week later when chips hit end of line test and didn't work.
An average process tool (not even a complicated one) probably has a dozen different gasses and chemicals running into it. In a fab it's hundreds likely thousands. Things happen. They all come from vendors around the world, made in batches that vary and rely on negotiated compliance standards and qualifications.
Systems are everything. Wafers travel in boxes 10,000x cleaner than an OR inside a building 1,000x cleaner than an OR...everything matters.
Dude at vendor switched a label on two boxes. Parts inside looked identical, and were installed. No way to tell until ~week later when chips hit end of line test and didn't work.
An average process tool (not even a complicated one) probably has a dozen different gasses and chemicals running into it. In a fab it's hundreds likely thousands. Things happen. They all come from vendors around the world, made in batches that vary and rely on negotiated compliance standards and qualifications.
Systems are everything. Wafers travel in boxes 10,000x cleaner than an OR inside a building 1,000x cleaner than an OR...everything matters.