Cost, Cycle Time, and Carbon-Aware TCAD Development of New Technologies
5 Min Read November 13, 2025
Beyond PPA: Complete PPACtE Optimization for Semiconductor Development
Technology development targets are evolving. While Power, Performance, and Area (PPA) remain critical, leading semiconductor manufacturers now recognize that Cost, Cycle Time, and Environmental impact (Carbon Equivalents) are equally essential to optimization.
With leading-edge process R&D costs approaching ten billion dollars per node, efficient technology development is no longer optional—it's business-critical.
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What You'll Learn
- How Cost Explorer enables complete PPACtE optimization: TechInsights has developed Cost Explorer as a plug-in to Synopsys Sentaurus Process Explorer, bringing cost, cycle time, and carbon footprint modeling to the industry's leading DTCO suite.
- Real-world validation from Tokyo Electron Tokyo Electron: used Cost Explorer to evaluate monolithic versus sequential CFET fabrication approaches. While the sequential approach showed 3% lower performance and 6% higher power consumption, Cost Explorer revealed a 15.3% cost penalty—a dramatic differential that fundamentally changed the technology decision.
- Detailed methodology for CtE modeling: Learn how Cost Explorer models 93 equipment types across 19 technology nodes, incorporating country-specific labor rates, utility costs, equipment configurations, material usage, and carbon footprint calculations to provide comprehensive PPACtE analysis before committing to expensive test wafers.
- The path to billions in development savings: Discover how optimizing for cost, cycle time, and environmental impact in simulation can reduce development costs and produce long-term manufacturing efficiency gains.
The Business Case for PPACtE
$10B+
R&D cost per leading-edge technology node
93
Equipment types modeled in Cost Explorer
15.3%
Cost difference identified in Tokyo Electron CFET study
Integration with Synopsys DTCO Suite
Cost Explorer seamlessly integrates with the Synopsys DTCO workflow, adding three critical dimensions to process optimization:
- Cost Modeling considers both fabrication process and facility in granular detail, modeling step-by-step equipment usage, material consumption, fab configuration, and operational efficiency factors that drive manufacturing economics.
- Cycle Time Analysis focuses on ideal cycle time—the fastest a wafer can be processed when every tool is available. By comparing ideal cycle times between process alternatives, engineers optimize for speed before considering real-world fab loading factors.
- Carbon Footprint Calculation determines materials and quantities used in process flows, then applies utilization, abatement, and global warming factors to calculate carbon equivalent emissions.
About the Author
Scotten W. Jones is President of Semiconductor Manufacturing Economics and Senior Fellow at TechInsights, with over four decades of experience in semiconductor cost analysis and technology development economics.
Optimize Beyond PPA
See how leading manufacturers are redefining process optimization beyond PPA. View Scotten Jones’ white paper to learn how to achieve cost-effective, carbon-conscious technology development.
