A fab, short for fabrication facility, is a manufacturing plant where semiconductor wafers are produced. These facilities use highly controlled environments and advanced equipment to build integrated circuits through hundreds of precise manufacturing steps.
Fab operations involve:
Because fabs require substantial investment and technical expertise, only a limited number of organizations operate advanced fabrication facilities.
A fabless semiconductor company focuses on chip design and development but outsources manufacturing to external foundries.
Fabless organizations typically specialize in:
This business model allows companies to focus on innovation while relying on manufacturing partners for fabrication.
Semiconductor equipment manufacturers develop the machines used throughout the chip manufacturing process. These systems support fabrication, inspection, metrology, testing, packaging, and assembly operations.
Examples include:
Advances in semiconductor equipment often drive improvements in chip performance and manufacturing efficiency.
Whether a company operates a fab, develops chip designs, or manufactures production equipment, controlling quality and product information is critical.
QMS platforms support:
By combining PLM and QMS, product-centric QMS provides the structure needed to support quality, traceability, and product lifecycle management throughout semiconductor operations.
A fab manufactures semiconductor devices, while a fabless company designs them. Fabless organizations typically rely on external foundries and OSATs for production.
Fabrication facilities require advanced equipment, cleanroom environments, and highly specialized manufacturing processes. These investments can reach billions of dollars.
They develop machines used for wafer fabrication, inspection, testing, assembly, and packaging. These systems support nearly every stage of semiconductor production.
Product-centric QMS supports quality management and compliance activities while managing product data and engineering processes. Together, they improve traceability and operational control.
