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Technology Stocks : Advanced Micro Devices - Moderated (AMD) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Joe NYC who wrote (147525)	1/11/2005 11:26:33 PM
From: burn2learn	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 275872

Here is one point, I need to read the recent IEDM paper on the 65nm process to comment further. Who is going to qual the tools and ramp the 90nm process for 300nm at Fab 36? 1. IBM just discussed the 65nm process at IEDM. I guess they have a pretty good ideal of what the process is. But the real nice learning's that are key will happen over the next year. Yields suck (not manf) at this point in development. The next phase is ramping yield. They probably have a good roadmap but just need to execute. This is the time where you want your AMD process engineers involved, the real ramp process learning's. 2. It's not trivial to transfer a process. Intel sends hundreds of engineers to PTD in OR for a year to get the process transfer down. The AMD 65 nm PE's can't work on this, you need another set. The process since the change for AMD is 300mm and 90nm, the IBM process would require learning's. 3. You start training these 90nm AMD PE's they get to Fab 36 in the Summer after more tools move in and spend the next 2-3 months qualing production tools for 90nm. It's now fall and your ready to start first production risk material at low volume. 4. The first parts are out by EOY and prove the yield is fine to ramp (x fingers), you now start more material but the fab is still not qualified for prod shipments. 5. It's spring and your now ramping slowly 90nm parts. But wait! Your 65nm engineers at IBM just showed up in the fall and need to requal the tools for 65nm (I think >50% tools would need requal the IEDM process data will help detail this). In addition there are automation upgrades (APM), process flow changes ect. Because the fab ramps tool availability over time, there is not another "line" of tools to do this on. Go to step 3. It's best to wait for 65nm PE's from IBM to return and ramp.