Why should I develop a new wafer-based technology (MEMS, photonics, etc.) with AMFitzgerald instead of a foundry? A foundry’s main business is high-volume wafer manufacturing. Their facility, equipment, staff, and job-queuing is optimized for production. And profitability depends critically on high utilization of expensive resources, so the needs of production customers with large orders are prioritized. In this environment, development projects often suffer from lack of attention. AMFitzgerald’s business is focused on technology development. Our expert staff will process your wafers, not line operators. This allows important process data to be gathered at every step by our engineers, who have the discretion to make immediate mid-process corrections. We can iterate and manage risk more tightly, resulting in faster prototype development and a richer set of proprietary data on your design and process. Our main value as expert developers is de-risking your design and process as quickly as possible–and generating IP along the way, which you will own outright.
