Product Re-creation
Rochester Electronics is the only aftermarket company that has a Design & Technology group dedicated to re-creating original manufacturers' designs. Through the Rochester Semiconductor Replication Process (SRP)™, all re-created components are re-created under the approval and licensing of the original manufacturer and fully guaranteed by Rochester. With SRP, Rochester is able to manufacture an endless, continuing supply of silicon wafers and finished devices.
Manufacturers discontinue the manufacture of semiconductors for a variety of reasons - leaving customer demand to outlive the manufacturer's production output.
- the original process technology may be replaced by a newer, more cost effective technology
- demand forecasts may have been inaccurate
- customer volume requirements may be too low to be profitable.
In some situations, Rochester purchases surplus inventory for distribution. When there is no surplus inventory, Rochester can purchase all remaining die and tooling and continue to manufacture the device using the exact packaging, test programs, and systems as the original manufacturer.
But, when none of these resources is available, and only one sample part exists, the Rochester Design & Technology team can re-create the device "from the ground up. Here are some benefits that Rochester's Design & Technology Group can provide for you:
- All recreations are done with the permission of the original manufacturer; there are no "legal issues"
- All Rochester replications are 100% guaranteed by Rochester
- Rochester maintains complete control and priority over the design and the manufacturer
- Our Design & Technology Group can expand as needed, adding new capabilities and technologies
- Rochester can design in enhancements
- Rochester can guarantee a long-term supply … up to 20 years
Many industries that take advantage of the Rochester Semiconductor Replication Process (SRP)™ and rely on Rochester for long-term support: military, aerospace, industrial, telecom, medical, automotive, and space. Rochester re-created devices affect the lives of a surprising number of people!
A word of warning - beware of companies that offer "emulations" or whose replacement parts are not authorized by the original manufacturer. There's a big difference between "replication / re-creation," which is what we do at Rochester, and "emulation," which is what we don't do! Rochester SRP-created devices are schematic and process duplicates of the original parts, with authorization of the original manufacturer. They are guaranteed to work exactly as the original parts - sometimes even better because we can make required improvements. Emulations are merely functional duplicates that mimic a discontinued device. These devices often fail because they are not exact duplicates … some parameters are left out … often times the ones you need!
With Rochester's SRP, the resourceful Design & Technology Group can do whatever it takes to re-create a device, no matter what the resources - or the requirements:
- Re-Fabrication: Rochester uses the original manufacturer's design, tooling, and masks - and the same technology - to create new components. Rochester can even use the same packaging program. Original intellectual property can include source control drawings as well as original netlist, Verilog, VHDL, or GDS2 information.
- Reverse-Engineering: Rochester builds components from scratch when the design archive is no longer available. Engineers redraw and/or redesign the device using scope and scanning electron microscope (SEM) images. The end product is a form, fit, and functional replacement that is guaranteed to original data-sheet performance. A Rochester-exclusive, side-by-side comparison reveals the Rochester part virtually identical to the original - guaranteed.
- Process Migration: Rochester can re-target a device to a similar process by translating the original design archive to modern tools and processes.
- Re-design: Rochester's re-creation can include one or more parameter modifications or enhancements. For example, you might require RoHS modifications (restriction of hazardous substances), a commercial-to-military upgrade, or a higher temperature tolerance.
- Process Re-Creation: In cases where the design archive is complete and a family of products is needed, Rochester can re-create the original FAB process at a new foundry, maintaining the original designs. (Rochester has successfully recreated the original Intel FAB 4 NMOS processes and the AMD bipolar prom processes using this methodology.)
The capabilities of Rochester's Design & Technology Group are continually expanding:
- All types of products - processors, co-processors, controllers, memory (RAM, PROM, EPROM, and more)
- Logic and linear semiconductors - CMOS, NMOS, Bipolar and others
- Voltages: 3, 3.3, 5, 7, 12, 24, 80, and 100V
- Components down to .18 micron in thickness
- Wafers 150 and 200 mm in diameter