Standard Cell ASIC production costs

[kishore2k4]

0.13u wafer diameter tsmc

What are the typical production costs for 20mm2 die 0.13u/0.12u process@5K units. The only prices I found are for a prototype volume of 25 dies at CMP. It costs around 2200 euros/mm2 for the above process.

What kind of production volume is needed to reduce the unit cost to less than $25 excluding NRE and prototyping. The packaging can be (x)QFP or BGA.

Also if anyone has information regarding general prices of Structured ASICs please let me know.

Thank You.

 

[boardlanguage]

A 'processed 0.13u wafer' at a pure-play foundry (TSMC, SMIC, Chartered) runs "approximately" $3000 (8" diameter wafer.) Process options (polysi, e-DRAM, embedded flash, # metal-layers, etc.) affect the price +/- 50%.

From here, you can estimate per-unit/cost:
8" wafer = 200mm diameter wafer = ~31415mm2 total area
(Not all of the total-area is usable)

30000mm2 / (20 mm2) = ~1500 dice per wafer (best-case, 100% yield)

Estimated raw per-die cost = $3000 / 1500 = $2/die (100% yield)

Packaging & testing add another, I don't know, let's say $1/die?

Estimated KGD (known good die) = 1500 * 80% = 1200

Final estimate:

Estimated KGD cost = (30000mm2 / 1200) + $1 = $2.5/die

---------

Now then, your question revolves around "how many wafers do I need to order to qualify for $3000/wafer pricing?" That's dependent on your choice of foundry.

 

[kishore2k4]

Thanks. Your post is very informative. What about set-up costs for masks and stuff? From my minuscle requirement of 5-10K units (4-8 wafers with 80% yield) I think the wafer cost can go up 5-10 times and the cost will still be under $25. Any idea?

 

[boardlanguage]

What about set-up costs for masks and stuff? From my minuscle requirement of 5-10K units (4-8 wafers with 80% yield) I think the wafer cost can go up 5-10 times and the cost will still be under $25. Any idea?

TSMC's mask-shop charges in the range of $400,000 for a full 0.13u mask order. (Exact pricing is dependent on processing options, # layers, etc.) That's quite a discount from the introductory pricing of $700,000 a few years back.

There are a few things to consider:

1) I think TSMC has a minimum order of 25 wafers (1 lot.)

2) TSMC regularly turns away customers which aren't a good fit for their business model. (I.e., customers who are likely to place only one order, then go away for a while.)

The order quantities we've discussed fall below TSMC's requirements for a
direct-account. In other words, you'd probably have to place your order with one of TSMC's alliance partners, or a "turn-key" service (such as www.esilicon.com)