Jim - Re: "AMD and 0.25 Micron Wafers"
At the K6 roll out, AMD exhibited one or two wafers that they said were K6 wafers that were processed on a 0.25 micron process in their Sunnyvale Development center.
These wafers were either test wafers or partially completed K6 wafers - they appeared to have a strange pattern - actually a double pattern - and certainly did not look like a shrunken version of the 0.35 micron K6.
Further, AMD gave their schedule for implementation of their CS44 process - their internal name for the 0.25 micron process. Implementation was to to be done late in 1997 at Fab 25 with conversion in early 1998.
As AMD has had trouble implementing the 0.35 micron process - as evidenced by the scarce availability of the 233 MHz device, I would assume that converting to a new process, when they haven't even got the older 0.35 micron process running in any kind of production, will be a near impossibility.
Let's face it - they have to master one process before they can hope to implement a more difficult one. As yet, there is NO EVIDENCE that AMD has mastered the 0.35 micron process.
Now, they may make a few 0.25 micron K6 devices in their Sunnyvale Development center and ship these to customers - but that is only going to provide small quantities at best.
And, if AMD continues to "tease" customers with advanced technology, and stumble when faced with delivering volume production, then they will alienate, or re-alienate, customers. This could do AMD a lot more harm than good.
Paul |
