Maintaining robust production capabilities for mature nodes is more important than ever.
As the semiconductor industry continues to push the boundaries of innovation with advanced nodes, it is easy to overlook the critical role that ICs manufactured at legacy process nodes play in our everyday lives.
While the spotlight often shines on the leading-edge advancements of 5nm technology and below, it’s the mature nodes, those above 28nm and even above 130nm, that are the unsung chips that underpin a vast array of industries and applications. These mature node devices are indispensable, providing the backbone for electronic systems from automotive electronics to consumer products and industrial equipment.
Looking into the challenges and opportunities facing legacy semiconductor manufacturers, you will learn why maintaining robust production capabilities for these nodes is more important than ever.
The automotive industry offers a stark reminder of the importance of legacy nodes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the world witnessed a dramatic slowdown in vehicle production due to a shortage of semiconductors. Notably, it wasn’t the most advanced chips that were the primary issue, but the mature node devices that were essential for basic automotive functions such as steering, braking and engine control.
The situation became so dire that some automakers were forced to halt production lines, resulting in more than 600,000 fewer vehicles produced in Q1 2021, according to IHS Markit. This crisis highlighted the fragility of today’s global supply chains and underscored the critical need for reliable access to legacy semiconductors. As vehicles become increasingly electrified, the demand for legacy chips (in addition to advanced ICs) will only grow, cementing their importance even more.
While the automotive sector is a very high-profile example, semiconductors manufactured at mature process nodes are essential across many other industries as well. Consider the everyday items that we often take for granted: televisions, refrigerators, coffee machines, and Wi-Fi routers. These products all rely on mature semiconductor process technology. Unlike their advanced counterparts, which are typically focused on high-performance computing and specialized applications, legacy nodes offer the perfect balance of performance, cost, and reliability for mass-market high-volume products.
Their well-established manufacturing processes result in higher yields and lower defect rates, translating into cost-effective products for consumers and predictable profitability for manufacturers. For these reasons, the demand for legacy nodes remains strong.
Legacy nodes are also critical in industrial and military applications where reliability and durability are paramount. Industrial control systems, used in manufacturing equipment and process automation, rely on mature node ICs to ensure stable and uninterrupted operations. The ability to perform consistently in harsh environments makes these chips ideal for such applications.
In the military sector, legacy semiconductors are used in avionics, communication systems, radar, and missile guidance systems. These applications require chips that can withstand extreme conditions and provide long-term reliability, traits that are hallmarks of mature node process technology.
The COVID-19 pandemic served as a stark reminder of American (and global) dependency on legacy semiconductors. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, firms faced their most acute shortages in chips at the 40nm node or larger. This shortage was a result of disrupted supply chains and a surging demand for consumer electronics and work-from-home devices, which further stressed production capacity for legacy chips. As consumers found out, the semiconductor industry cannot simply add more production capacity, it takes years to bring additional manufacturing capacity online.
This situation highlighted the critical need to enhance domestic manufacturing capabilities for both legacy and advanced semiconductors. The U.S. automotive and electronics industry’s reliance on these chips underscores the economic and strategic importance of maintaining robust legacy (and advanced) manufacturing capabilities.
For legacy semiconductor manufacturers, the path forward requires a delicate balancing act between maintaining and upgrading existing fabs and investing in new production capabilities. Many legacy fabs are now over two decades old with equally aged manufacturing equipment and most likely with a significant percentage of its workforce nearing retirement. AI/ML can provide legacy fab managers with a two-pronged approach to these challenges: Improving fab profitability through higher OEE by leveraging all the data generated and collected across the fab to identify critical process and maintenance issues before they negatively impact manufacturing. The second benefit of AI/ML is to preserve the institutional and tribal process knowledge in your subject matter experts and democratize it across your entire manufacturing workforce.
For semiconductor companies building new fabs to increase capacity, the capital outlay is enormous, and it is vital to have those fabs reach high-volume production as soon as possible. AI/ML can help here as well, by leveraging the optimized process and equipment maintenance knowledge that was captured by the machine learning models from your existing fabs and using that knowledge to accelerate the yield ramp in your new fab.
Legacy process nodes are the unsung heroes of the semiconductor industry. Their critical role in powering a wide range of applications, from automotive and consumer electronics to industrial and military systems, cannot be overstated. As we continue to navigate the post-pandemic world, the importance of maintaining strong production capabilities for these mature nodes is more evident than ever.
For a deeper dive into the significance of legacy nodes and their role in the semiconductor industry, I encourage you to read the comprehensive Semiconductor Engineering article that inspired this blog. Understanding the nuances and complexities of legacy semiconductor manufacturing will help us appreciate the vital role these technologies play in our modern world.
Read the full Semiconductor Engineering article. Stay informed and stay ahead in the ever-evolving world of semiconductors.
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