Flexible options in semiconductor design

Thesis: S.M. in Engineering and Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, 2019

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: McShea, Matthew D.
Other Authors: Richard de Neufville.
Format: Thesis
Language:eng
Published: Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2019
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/122247
_version_ 1811086681451790336
author McShea, Matthew D.
author2 Richard de Neufville.
author_facet Richard de Neufville.
McShea, Matthew D.
author_sort McShea, Matthew D.
collection MIT
description Thesis: S.M. in Engineering and Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, 2019
first_indexed 2024-09-23T13:29:51Z
format Thesis
id mit-1721.1/122247
institution Massachusetts Institute of Technology
language eng
last_indexed 2024-09-23T13:29:51Z
publishDate 2019
publisher Massachusetts Institute of Technology
record_format dspace
spelling mit-1721.1/1222472019-09-19T03:03:29Z Flexible options in semiconductor design McShea, Matthew D. Richard de Neufville. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering and Management Program. System Design and Management Program. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering and Management Program System Design and Management Program Engineering and Management Program. System Design and Management Program. Thesis: S.M. in Engineering and Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, 2019 Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Includes bibliographical references (pages 79-82). In semiconductor design, system architects must find the right balance between competing goals [1]: 1. Creating customer value with low average development costs to minimize overhead over a range of products. 2. Fulfilling customer demand with the lowest per unit cost to maximize profit. 3. Exceeding customer expectations to increase market opportunity and drive future growth. As the cost for semiconductor development and investment increases, so does the uncertainty of market success for new products. In this risky environment, a flexible design that increases market opportunity is potentially highly valuable. Flexible designs allow system architects to defer decisions about the exact system configuration and functionality which in turn minimizes the downside effects associated with unforeseen changes in market demand and promotes learning opportunities which lower per unit cost over time [2]. In semiconductors, monolithic designs built for a single, specific application, often have lower overall manufacturing cost when compared with discrete, general-purpose designs built to handle multiple applications. This thesis focuses on two dimensions of how flexible designs in semiconductors can meet changing requirements: modularity and generality. Modularity is when we can quickly re-configure elements in a system. Generality is when a single element in the system accommodates changing requirements. When carefully applied to semiconductor design, these flexibilities can provide higher overall value across all possible project outcomes when compared with single application, monolithic designs. The thesis presents a case study describing potential applications of flexible design techniques for semiconductor products. A Net Present Value (NPV) analytical model calculated the expected return on investment for flexible designs combining multiple, smaller dies in a System in Package (SiP) integration. Its goal is to show how proper recognition of uncertainty and the time value of money, generally counter-balances, and sometimes overwhelm the economy of scale benefits from monolithic designs. Ultimately, this case study demonstrates the economic potential of flexible designs of semiconductor products. by Matthew D. McShea. S.M. in Engineering and Management S.M.inEngineeringandManagement Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program 2019-09-17T19:50:17Z 2019-09-17T19:50:17Z 2019 2019 Thesis https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/122247 1119537369 eng MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 93 pages application/pdf Massachusetts Institute of Technology
spellingShingle Engineering and Management Program.
System Design and Management Program.
McShea, Matthew D.
Flexible options in semiconductor design
title Flexible options in semiconductor design
title_full Flexible options in semiconductor design
title_fullStr Flexible options in semiconductor design
title_full_unstemmed Flexible options in semiconductor design
title_short Flexible options in semiconductor design
title_sort flexible options in semiconductor design
topic Engineering and Management Program.
System Design and Management Program.
url https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/122247
work_keys_str_mv AT mcsheamatthewd flexibleoptionsinsemiconductordesign