14 March 2012

Yole launches sapphire crystal, core & wafer cost-simulation tool

Due to its specific growth technologies - Kyropulos, Czochralski (Cz) growth, EFG (edge-defined film-fed growth) etc - and linked wafering steps (drilling, beveling, sawing, CMP etc), the cost of sapphire crystals and subsequent cores and epitaxy-ready wafers can be difficult to estimate, says market analyst firm Yole Développement. This is why a specific and very flexible tool is required for cost optimization, the firm reckons.

Yole has therefore launched what it claims is a unique cost-simulation tool, Sapphire CoSim+, to enable evaluation and optimization of the manufacturing cost of sapphire crystals, cores and epi-ready wafers.

The Excel-based tool allows the user to:

• simulate a complete sapphire manufacturing unit (alumina raw material, crystal growth, drilling, sawing etc) with the four pre-loaded growth techniques (Kyropulos, CZ on-axis, CZ off-axis and EFG) and any boule weight, EFG ribbon size or wafer diameter;
• evaluate the cost of manufacturing using your own inputs or using the pre-defined parameters included in the tool;
• run a simulation for a variety of different conditions (region, process type, business model…); and
• save an unlimited number of process flows, equipment types and materials/chemicals, and simulate of up to five simultaneous scenarios, allowing the user to compare results such as yield improvement, change of growth technology, manufacturing location impact on cost, etc.

The tool comes with complete equipment, chemicals & materials databases.

Tags: Sapphire

Visit: www.i-micronews.com/reports/Sapphire-CoSim+/245