| |
Chips |
Spheres |
| Manufacturing complexity |
Three semi-automated processes(create, process and package wafers) |
One fully automated process |
| Production flexibility |
Batch processing |
Single-unit processing |
| Surface area for inscribing circuits |
Limited (area of 1mm chip = 1 sq. mm.) |
Two to three times more (area of 1mm sphere = 3.14 sq. mm.) |
| System integration |
More functions on larger chip |
Cluster smaller balls with different functionality |
| Processing temperature |
Must be below 1400ºC |
Can exceed 2000ºC |
| Shipment to customers |
Plastic or ceramic packaging |
No packaging required |
| Cycle time, original silicon to final assembly |
120-180 days |
5 days |
| Cost per function |
Varied |
Approximately 1/10th for comparable function |
| Ease of innovation |
Only highest volume designs are produced; high processing cost limits innovation |
Lower processing cost means more designs can be converted to silicon |
| Energy consumption |
Higher |
lower |
| Original silicon material shipped as final product (%) |
10-20 |
90-95 |
| Environmental impact |
10-20 |
significantly lower impact |
| Wafer fabrication |
Clean room |
Clean tubes and pipes |
