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 die area?
- Only partly. Die imaging cost does scale with area, but delayering cost depends on process node and metal composition, and circuit analysis price depends on circuit complexity. 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 report costs little and is credited against the full analysis — 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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