Samsung, SK Hynix, and Toshiba can provide DRAM and NAND Flash.
Each of them
MUST go thru the same qualification process. No exception. Or more like gross foolishness if there are exceptions. Am going to educate you guys...As I usually do...
During the qualification process, I must send you my
PRODUCTION samples, meaning a quantity of standard market components.
I will send you several grades of my products. The accepted industry phrasing is 'product grade level' or PGL.
http://www.jsemicon.co.jp/eng/strengths/quality.htm
...we deliver highest-level, reliable products that satisfy our customers' needs, through activities ranging from development and design of products at different grade levels and for a variety of applications to thorough management of production quality.
Each company may have slightly different phrasing, but am sure you get the general idea. I even gave you a source to prove am not making this shit up.
The sample quantity is what you give me and the quantity depends on your product lines and priority. You can say 100 or 1000 units. It is not free, but if your request is small enough, I will be generous and give you free samples, after all, you are a potential customer.
In this particular event, Huawei will request a large sample and must pay for them. If the request is 1000 units each of DRAM and NAND, most likely the major manufacturers will give free. Each have the reserves to afford that. But given Huawei's large product portfolio, the request will be several thousands and it will be a purchase.
In my sample shipment to you, I will clearly label the PGLs of each sub samples.
PGL1 is highest quality. A PGL1 die is a die that passed all tests regarding performance, durability, appearance, and must
NOT have any repaired done to its individual components. PGL1 is profit.
We are talking at the microscopic level here. The worst 'repair' is when a cell failed the tests, was labeled as failed, isolated by having its access lines literally burned off, and a backup cell from the redundancy array routed to take its place.
Again...Am not making this shit up...
http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/685/
Dynamic Random Access Memories (DRAM) are large complex devices, prone to defects during manufacture. Yield is improved by the provision of redundant structures used to repair these defects. This redundancy is often implemented by the provision of excess memory capacity and programmable address logic allowing the replacement of faulty cells within the memory array.
The testing program does all of the above.
PGL2 is next quality. A PGL2 die is when a cell failed some tests, does not need repairs, but reclassified with a lower capacity. For example, the original die capacity is 32 gb but reconfigured to 16 gb and is sold as 16 gb. Usually, PGL2 is financially break even, but depending on market conditions, can be profitable.
PGL3 is lowest quality. A PGL3 die is when a die had so much repairs that it is 1/4 of its original capacity and if sold, it is at a loss. In NAND, many of the USB thumb drives in lesser known brands have PGL3 dies in them.
Once you received your sample shipment, you will conduct standalone tests on each die. To be 'standalone' means to test
OUTSIDE of your products. Not installed. Depending on your product lines, some dies will be encapsulated (packaged) and some will not. That would be in your request to me. Unpackaged dies have additional difficulties in handling and testing, so if you screwed up, you will have to buy a replacement. Some dies must go thru destructive testings. That is when you will over stress in terms of voltage, amplitude, current, time, and temperature. You have to verify everything I said is true.
Let us say you have 1000 DRAM units of 500 PGL1, 400 PGL2, and 100 PGL3. You can verify test all of each sub sample, or you sample test of each sub sample. Most usually sample test each PGL batch.
Next, you will allocate some of your products to become
ENGINEERING devices. These cannot ship to customers. You will install the sample units with their PGLs into matching products. Obviously, your top selling devices will have PGL1 components. Once done, you will test these engineering devices in as normal operations and expected customer usage as possible. This could be one week to one month or even months. It all depends on your quality expectations to your customers.
Returning to the Huawei issue, Huawei will have to do everything I said above for each potential DRAM/NAND supplier. Any corner cuttings at any qualification step will have long term negative consequences because the entire qualification process is the result of experience that qualified Micron in the first place where Huawei's top featured and top selling devices were durable, enjoyable to use, and promoted customer loyalty. Shortcuts
WILL result in lower quality devices sold as top tier devices.
You think it is easy for Huawei to just simply turn to other suppliers?
https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Tra...rs-dust-off-backup-plans-to-prepare-for-storm
Huawei had attempted to prepare for the worst by
stockpiling six months' to more than a year's worth of certain American components, the Nikkei Asian Review has reported. But
the company did not expect the restrictions to also cover all foreign suppliers that indirectly use a certain amount of U.S. technologies to build products for it. This caught the Chinese company off-guard, people familiar with the matter said.
What this mean is that even though Huawei do have multiple suppliers of the same DRAM/NAND requirements, they are now doing self assessments to see if their products falls under the ban. Not just Huawei, but suppliers were also caught off-guard.
Huawei's own OS? Try
YRS before Huawei's engineers are satisfied, let alone customers are convinced that Huawei's OS is on a par with Android and Apple. So when all you guys and your friends on this forum started spouting off on how to support Huawei -- you guys do not know what you are talking about.
