Rochester Electronics Provides Industry's Only Established Semiconductor Replication Process

Proven semiconductor replication service is a superior alternative to system redesign ...

Oct 20, 2010 – Rochester Electronics is proving that the combination of semiconductor re-creation and continuing manufacturing is a cost-effective and time-saving alternative to system re-design when critical semiconductors are no longer available from the original manufacturer. As the world’s largest authorized manufacturer of discontinued semiconductors, Rochester Electronics has established a process that provides customers with a replica device that matches the original semiconductor’s physical features, layer–by-layer and pin-for-pin, and is guaranteed to perform exactly as the original.

“Semiconductor re-creation is often times more cost effective than re-designing a system,” said George Karalias, director of marketing and communications at Rochester Electronics. “One of our customers recently went through two multi-million dollar re-designs for the same helicopter project. Each time, the semiconductors that were used in the new design went end-of-life right after the new system was up and running. Subsequently, we were able to re-create the part they needed, and we are now manufacturing a continuous supply, supporting their production indefinitely. In the future, they will be working with us to plan for end-of-life scenarios, avoid re-design where appropriate, and as a result, save millions of dollars.”

Even when the IP is no longer available from the original manufacturer, Rochester’s experienced design engineers can deconstruct and electrically analyze a device, re-design it, and re-engineer it onto a matched mature foundry process. Rochester can then test all circuit parameters with a collection of custom developed tools to analyze device characterization.

Rochester’s unique Semiconductor Replication Process™ (SRP™) guarantees that replicated devices perform as effectively as the original semiconductor devices. Rochester has successfully completed 83 semiconductor replication projects in the last 18 months and is currently engaged in more than 30 additional re-creation projects.

“Rochester Electronics’ re-creation expertise is distinctive because of our technology, experience, testing capabilities, and quality of the end product we supply,” said Karalias.

Customers should not be fooled by “emulated” devices, however, which are sometimes promoted as comparable to “replicated” devices. “Although these emulated semiconductors may be procured at an initial price that seems very reasonable,” says Karalias, “they merely mimic the characteristics of the original device without any consideration to comparative performance analysis. The cost of failure rates and trial-and-error foundry processes often make the investment fiscally irresponsible. As an alternative to introducing a questionable emulated device to the system, Rochester can provide the exact semiconductor through our SRP.”

Additionally, emulated semiconductors are not always tested to the original manufacturer’s specifications, so there is no guarantee that they will perform as required.

Rochester recently did a successful re-creation for a company that had previously contracted with two other companies for emulations that turned out to be unsuccessful because they were based on the company’s original intellectual property. Rochester’s SRP went beyond the IP, evaluated the actual device, and produced an exact replica that worked exactly as the original on the first production run, thus avoiding any additional foundry costs.

Rochester has agreements with most of the major semiconductor manufacturers and is proud to serve the industry as a reliable, long-term source for authorized, traceable, and quality end-of-life semiconductors.

For more information, contact Rochester Electronics at 16 Malcolm Hoyt Drive, Newburyport, Massachusetts 01950; by calling 978-462-9332; by fax at 978-462-9512; e-mail sales@rocelec.com; or on the Web at www.rocelec.com.

About Rochester Electronics, LLC

Rochester Electronics, LLC, is the world’s most comprehensive solution for mature and end-of-life semiconductors. Authorized by more than 60 leading semiconductor manufacturers, Rochester acquires all remaining finished devices, wafer/die, and available intellectual property in order to manufacture the exact same device and provide a reliable, continuing source of semiconductors used in critical systems worldwide in any quantity and for as long as needed. All components are 100% manufacturer traceable and certified. Rochester’s product offering includes 20,000+ Rochester-manufactured device types, from commercial to space-level; device re-creation; as well as more than ten billion die and five billion finished devices, in stock and ready to ship. Rochester is certified to ISO-9001:2008 and QML MIL-PRF-38535, as well as AS9120. Rochester is privately held. Worldwide corporate headquarters are located at 16 Malcolm Hoyt Drive, Newburyport, MA 01950, USA. Sales offices are also located throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. Phone 978-462-9332; Email sales@rocelec.com; Website www.rocelec.com.