Replies to post #18057 on Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD)

[sgolds]

CombJelly, chipguy, blasting -

Building on top of an existing building does not require blasting, so that old expansion should not have bothered production. Whether or not a new building requires blasting depends on the ground conditions there - is there bedrock in the way? If the subsoil is silt, then it can all be done with bulldozers and such. I'm certainly not familiar with the intimate geology of Dresden so I don't know what is required.

The other big cause of earth movement - earthquakes - should not be a big consideration in central Europe. Actually, earthquakes can happen anywhere, although most frequent on the faults at the edge of tectonic plates. When they happen, production in progress can be greatly affected but the lessons from Taiwan are that only wafers at critical stages need to be trashed. The equipment itself is brought back up and running in a few days.

[chipguy]

At least one contractor has some experience with that.
When they originally expanded the cleanroom, they put it on
top of the original building while it was in full operation...


Really? Most fab buildings consist of a three floor structure
with the clean room on the middle floor on a huge "floating"
platform. The first and third floors hold mostly air plenums,
baffles, and the baddest-ass "furnace filters" you have ever
seen. ;-)

Stacking one fab on another sounds like quite an effort.

[blauboad]

When they originally expanded the cleanroom, they put it on top of the original building while it was in full operation...

Could this be a factor in AMDs alleged yield problems? If so, it would not be one anymore.