System and methodology for calculating the cost of future semiconductor products using regression analysis of historical cost data

• US 7,337,149 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2000
• Issued: 02/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Miraglia, Stephanie A., Blouin, Cathy L., Camisa, Carolyn S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes; John W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NELSON, FREDA ANN
• Application Number:
  US09/735,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20020073051A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,632 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/7, 705/8, 705/10, 705/400, 703/2, 700/121, 707/10
• US Class Current: 705/400
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

A method and structure for predicting semiconductor product costs at a fabricator entailing a storage medium which includes a database of historical critical dimensions and historical critical groundrules correlated to cost functions at the fabricator. The user interface has user inputs for new design parameters and new critical groundrules associated with a new device to be produced at the fabricator and a computer adapted to receive the user inputs, extract data from the storage medium, and compute semiconductor costs for the new device. The historical critical dimensions and the new critical dimensions are gate dimensions and the new critical dimensions are smaller than the historical critical dimensions. This device includes a future technology generation. Fabrication hardware and fabrication methods for producing the future technology generation are unknown and the relationships comprise base models and models that include options. The relationship comprise models that illustrate that costs increase exponentially as the historical critical dimensions and the historical critical groundrules are reduced.

Claims

1. A system for calculating semiconductor product costs at a fabricator comprising:

a storage medium including a database of historical costs and historical critical gate dimensions of different technologies run at said fabricator;

a user interface adapted to receive user inputs for new design parameters and new critical gate dimensions associated with a new device to be produced at said fabricator; and

a computer adapted to;

receive said user inputs;

perform a regression analysis using said historical critical gate dimensions as independent variables and said historical costs as dependent variables, wherein said regression analysis produces relationship curves that only show relationships between said historical critical gate dimensions and said historical costs; and

calculate product costs of said new device based on said user inputs and said relationship curves.

2. The system in claim 1, wherein said historical critical gate dimensions and said new critical gate dimensions comprise gate dimensions.

3. The system in claim 1, wherein said new critical gate dimensions are smaller than said historical critical gate dimensions.

4. The system in claim 1, wherein said new device comprises a technology generation that is yet to be developed.

5. The system in claim 4, wherein fabrication hardware and fabrication methods for producing said technology generation are unknown.

6. The system in claim 1, wherein said relationship curves illustrate that costs increase exponentially as said historical critical gate dimensions and said historical critical ground rules are reduced.

7. A method of calculating semiconductor product costs comprising:

storing, in a database, historical costs and historical critical gate dimensions of different technologies run at a fabricator;

performing a regression analysis using said historical critical gate dimensions as independent variables and said historical costs as dependent variables, wherein said regression analysis produces relationship curves that show only relationships between said historical critical gate dimensions and said historical costs;

inputting new design parameters and new critical gate dimensions of a new device into said database; and

calculating product costs of said new device based on said relationship curves.

8. The method in claim 7, wherein said historical critical gate dimensions and said new critical gate dimensions comprise gate dimensions.

9. The method in claim 7, wherein said new critical gate dimensions are smaller than said historical critical gate dimensions.

10. The method in claim 7, wherein said new device comprises a technology generation that is yet to be developed.

11. The method in claim 10, wherein fabrication hardware and fabrication methods for producing said technology generation are unknown.

12. The method in claim 7, wherein said relationship curves illustrate that costs increase exponentially as said historical critical gate dimensions and said historical groundrules are reduced.

13. A system for calculating semiconductor product costs at a fabricator comprising:

a regression analyzer adapted to produce relationship curves that show relationships between historical critical gate dimensions and historical costs of different technologies run at said fabricator;

a user interface for inputting a new critical dimension of a new technology; and

a calculator for calculating a cost of said new technology based only on said new critical gate dimension and said relationship curves.

14. The system in claim 13, wherein said historical critical gate dimensions and said new critical gate dimensions comprise gate dimensions.

15. The system in claim 13, wherein said new critical gate dimensions are smaller than said historical critical gate dimensions.

16. The system in claim 13, further comprising a storage unit adapted to store a database of said relationships.

17. The system in claim 13, wherein said new device comprises a technology generation that is yet to be developed.

18. The system in claim 17, wherein fabrication hardware and fabrication methods for producing said technology generation are unknown.

19. A computer program product stored a storage device readable by a computer, wherein said computer program product comprises a computer program for performing a method of calculating semiconductor product costs, said method comprising:

storing, in a database, historical costs and historical critical gate dimensions of different technologies run at a fabricator;

performing a regression analysis using said historical critical gate dimensions as independent variables and said historical costs as dependent variables, wherein said regression analysis produces relationship curves that only show relationships between said historical critical gate dimensions and said historical costs;

inputting new design parameters and new critical gate dimensions of a new device into said database; and

calculating product costs of said new device based on said relationship curves.

20. The computer program product in claim 19, wherein said historical critical gate dimensions and said new critical gate dimensions comprise gate dimensions.

21. The computer program product in claim 19, wherein said new critical gate dimensions are smaller than said historical critical gate dimensions.

22. The computer program product in claim 19, wherein said new device comprises a technology generation that is yet to be developed.

23. The computer program product in claim 22, wherein fabrication hardware and fabrication computer program products for producing said technology generation are unknown.

24. The computer program product in claim 19, wherein said relationship curves illustrate that costs increase exponentially as said historical critical gate dimensions are reduced.