Critical factors in successful transfer of semiconductor products across factories

Semiconductor devices are transferred from one manufacturing factory to another in order to adapt to business changes, to support more advanced technology development, or to take advantage of external foundry business. The challenge is to utilize the optimal amount of engineering resources and to transfer in the shortest time without disruption of product delivery to the end customers. While there is relatively little literature that describes the issues and factors that impact the transfer process, this paper describes and summarizes experience learned through managing over 60 CMOS transfers in parallel, across multiple factories within and outside of the country. Critical factors that impacted the transfer timeline and corresponding recommendations are identified. A project management process is also described to identify potential risks involved and project slippage as early as possible to minimize customer impact