FAQ
The questions we are asked most
The questions we are asked most often when quoting. Anything not covered here, just email us.
Pricing and schedule
- Does the price depend on how big the die is?
- Only partly, and the area that counts is the region you outline, not the size of the die. Die imaging is billed per shot, and that area is one factor — but the process node sets the magnification, and the field of view shrinks with the square of it: the same die shot at 10,000× takes four times as many frames as at 5,000×, multiplied again by the number of layers imaged. Delayering and circuit analysis are billed per hour: delayering depends on the metal composition (aluminium or copper) and layer count, analysis on device count and connectivity. So a small die can cost more than a large one — what sets the cost is not how big it is, but how hard it is.
- Can you give a rough price range up front?
- Any number given before seeing the die is either too low or too high, and both cause problems later. The evaluation itself is free of charge — it is the fastest route to an accurate figure.
- How long does it take?
- Lead time depends on process difficulty, scope and circuit complexity. Once we have your purchase order or signed LOA, we confirm an exact completion date along with the deliverables list.
- How many samples do you need?
- At least one for evaluation. The quantity required for the analysis itself depends on process difficulty and scope, and is confirmed with the evaluation.
Scope and deliverables
- Do you have to analyse the whole die?
- No. You can analyse a single critical block — just circle the region on the top-layer photograph we provide. High-resolution layer imagery alone, or device identification and net annotation without full schematic recovery, are also available.
- What files do I receive?
- Three: the BrigenOne project (our own circuit viewer, no installation required), schematics compatible with Cadence Composer, and a PDF report laid out by circuit hierarchy.
- Does the price include simulation?
- No. You can convert the delivered schematics to a netlist and simulate them yourself, but simulation is outside the scope of this service.
- How is accuracy assured?
- Netlist extraction uses a double-extraction-and-compare process, imaging the die twice against different backgrounds where necessary and comparing separate extractions. A quality team of senior engineers reviews each low-level block, with a further full review once all blocks are complete.
Licensing and use
- What is the difference between Exclusive and Non-Exclusive?
- One difference only: whether the report is ever supplied to anyone else. Non-Exclusive is the default at one third of the Exclusive price, and the report may later appear in our public library; Exclusive costs three times as much, is never resold and stays with the commissioning party alone. About four in ten choose Exclusive. Worth stating plainly: whichever you choose, we never disclose who is reading a report — who commissioned it, which chip they asked about, or when. That is a bottom line, not a paid extra.
- Why can I not find a particular chip in the library?
- The library lists only reports we are entitled to supply to others. Exclusive commissions are never resold, and imaging-only or annotation-only projects are not resold either, so none of them appear.
- Does CPS encourage copying a design?
- No. Our reports have never been about copying. The same technique often behaves in unexpected ways in a different product domain, and the more designs an engineer has seen, the more original their judgement becomes. That is what we want these reports to do.
A question not listed here
Email us directly, or send the part number you need analysed and we will get back to you.
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