In the FLEMANIE project we evaluated the economic feasibility of our two core innovations:
- Implementing an “asset-light” model (dubbed World Wide Fab) which relies on our partners’ network with equipment and processes that are unavailable to us, and combine those with our facilities, to allow seamless, efficient production flows between different facilities.
- Development of accurate simulation tools for production processes: Currently, microchip manufacturing – despite its technological advancement – is highly experimental, and process qualification and testing is slow.
The original objective of Summa Semiconductor as a manufacturing services for bespoke microelectronic device technologies, had its validity confirmed by the broad interest found within the possible stakeholders and customers.
However, the concept was refined and changed substantially. The main refinements are:
- The asset-light (World Wide Fab) model is (currently) unworkable on a large scale for volume manufacturing. It can only be used for special processes and predominantly in the R&D phase.
- Consequently, sufficient control by the service provider (i.e. Summa) over the production facilities, operations and processes is required for a smooth manufacturing.
- Technological compatibility is necessary between R&D facility (or facilities) and the production fab to ensure fast, predictable process transfer and ramp-up in production volumes.
- A multi-user facility is attractive for many stakeholders for many reasons, including lower investment requirements (per partner), lower fixed costs (due to sharing), rapid process cycles (due to standard process modules), and predictable path to volume production from R&D.
- Potential partners and customers differ greatly by size and financial resources, technological capabilities, and the maturity of their product lines. Thus, the concept must offer many ways to provide added value for the partners, i.e. we must provide right courses for different horses.
- Stakeholders find it important to have access to a much broader range of services and activities than envisioned in our original concept, concentrating on the manufacturing of the devices (the so called “front-end”). The extended services cover financing instruments (for start-ups), device design services, training of personnel, purchasing for production supplies, maintenance services, quality management systems, IT-services, and product testing and packaging (i.e. “back-end”).
- A key aspect we identified is operating culture. All commercial actors are keenly aware of the importance of maintaining their commercial secrets, also those related to their products and proprietary production processes. On the other hand, industrial engineers know well that problems respect no boundaries, and have often already been solved by others. Therefore, open communications in technical matters are a great enabler of faster progress, allowing every partner to tap into a much larger body of technical knowhow than is available in their own organisation. The challenge will be to combine these two opposing needs.
