The microelectronics supply chain has seen its share of challenges in recent years, while efforts to ensure its stability in the U.S. are unprecedented. One way that companies ensure semiconductor supply continuity is by developing their own Application Specific Integrated Circuits, or ASICs. An ASIC contains multiple components designed to work together to perform a specific function integral to the application’s operation.
From processing to sensing to memory and power management, a single multi-function ASIC can reduce the demands and lead times in a supply chain. A customer may capitalize on its design investment by creating multiple ASICs to support a range of product applications and performance requirements. By building a proprietary library of ASIC designs, the customer can ensure it will have the ICs needed for the life of its application, thus reducing reliance on an external supplier.
ASIC design is the intellectual property of the customer. The customer provides its design to a foundry for manufacture. The customer-foundry relationship is an important consideration. Recent foundry consolidations are leaving customers with last time buys or limited access to support their ASICs, which can lead to manufacturing delays or stoppages.
Spirit Electronics, a distributor and outsourced semiconductor assembly and test provider based in Phoenix, offers support for ASIC programs with full screen and qualification for military and space applications. Spirit offers foundry services supporting U.S.-based manufacturing for analog, mixed-signal and RF integrated circuits. One of Spirit’s foundry providers is Texas Instruments. Spirit has partnered with TI to offer and manage foundry services for its customers, providing access to TI’s advanced manufacturing and wafer processing.
Spirit offers support for ASIC redesign if needed for customers without a GDS2 or RTL files from their current provider. Spirit can port them over to a TI foundry on very similar technology nodes and processes. Spirit’s in-house fabric and IP portfolio reduces the overall design cost for ASICs, accelerates customer designs and enhances design compatibility for optimum performance and flexibility. The tools that Spirit brings to the party empower ASIC designers with efficiency and effectiveness to bring leading-edge technology to the forefront for the A&D market.
Spirit manages the ASIC program from design to delivery. Its ASIC engineering experts have large IP libraries for reference in the design stage so customers don’t have to design from scratch. Spirit recently added ASIC expert and semiconductor veteran Naveed Sherwani, Ph.D., to its team. Dr. Sherwani has more than 300 designs in his portfolio and continues to provide cutting-edge digital solutions in the ASIC design world.
Spirit works with the foundry for quantity management and to maximize space on the wafer for each production run. Customers choose from ceramic or organic substrates to mount the ASIC die. Spirit’s test capabilities can characterize substrates for thermal requirements. Substrate characterization can enhance ASIC reliability and performance.
Spirit packages the ASIC into its final form, working with the customer’s packaging supplier or sourcing the package from a trusted partner.
ASIC testing and qualification can include:
- Wafer sort
- Advanced assembly
- Electrical characterization
- Screen and qualification for Class B and Class S high reliability components
- Radiation testing
- MIL-STD-883 testing (of which Spirit is a qualified DLA commercial lab provider)
ASIC programs support long-term production, even into end-of-life and legacy applications.
Marti McCurdy, owner and CEO of Spirit Electronics, is a veteran not only of the semiconductor business but also of the United States Air Force. McCurdy’s focus as CEO is to serve the aerospace and defense industry with high-reliability supply-chain solutions that include component distribution and value-added services. McCurdy’s mission is to bring her high standard of customer service and cultivated relationships to serve the A&D sector.
Spirit Electronics is committed to providing Made in the USA ASICs that provide legacy replacement and advanced solutions, along with assembly and test, producing secure products that are vital to National Security and continued availability of end-of-life chips. This enables the Aerospace and Defense customer base to secure their supply chain, control costs and ensure a life cycle that adapts to their needs. Arizona defense contractors such as Northrop Grumman, RTX, Lockheed Martin and Boeing rely on Spirit’s supply chain solutions.
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