The Price Curve between Accuracy Grades in One Product Family
Sensor accuracy price curves scale exponentially because higher tiers demand longer thermal chuck dwell times, lower silicon yields, and guard-banded calibration.
Wafer Binning
Sort Methodology
Categorization of individual semiconductor dies on a wafer according to their measured performance allows a manufacturer to sell different grades of the same chip. During wafer binning, automated test equipment probes each die and assigns it to a specific category based on its maximum frequency or power consumption. This process maximizes the total value of the production run.
Parametric Testing
Electrical measurements taken at this stage identify the functional limits of each circuit before it is separated from the silicon disc. Data from wafer binning is used to generate a map that guides the assembly process, ensuring that only the high performance parts are placed in expensive packages. This testing also identifies the dies that have failed completely and must be discarded because they do not meet the minimum requirements for any product grade.
Automated software assigns each unit to a specific bin based on the results.
Inventory Distribution
Statistics from the binning process provide a clear picture of the health of the manufacturing line. If a large percentage of the dies fall into the lower performance categories, the process engineers must adjust the fabrication parameters to improve the yield of the premium parts.
Profit Management
Selling the same physical design at different price points based on its performance is a standard practice in the industry. It allows a company to address multiple market segments with a single product.