Processes and lifecycles
When you’re imagining how your design can become a reality,
do you ever wonder how to go from concept to product? We
break down the four main areas an idea goes through for one
of our chips: Research and development, finding the right
market, manufacturing and quality, reliability & support.
Research and development
Is the idea worth considering? Research and development (R&D) are required to find that answer. We conduct our R&D efforts in many ways, including with select universities worldwide; within our businesses where our researchers are quickly able to gauge customer reaction to a new idea; and through about a dozen dedicated TI research-and-development labs.
Kilby Labs
Breakthrough ideas: TI's Kilby Labs are designed to encourage teams to think about different ways of doing things, and rapidly explore these ideas in an open and collaborative environment. Begun in 2009 with the creation of Kilby Labs, Dallas, these centers for innovation now also include locations in Europe, India and Silicon Valley.
Systems and Applications Labs
TI’s Systems and Applications Labs are a set of technology-specific labs aggressively driving new and enhanced technology for specific business-oriented product development teams. The goal is to inject new best-in-class technology into current and future TI products. Each lab focuses on a set of key projects within its specific technology and work across our company to serve what all engineers need.
A look inside Kilby Labs
Take a look behind-the-scenes at Kilby Labs, where leading technologists collaborate with TI business, manufacturing and technology teams – as well as university researchers and other partners to develop groundbreaking, foundational technologies that are critical for the semiconductor industry.
Markets
From R&D we move to the market stage.In which market does a product belong? While we typically know the answer to this question early in the development process, we also want to unearth new uses of technology in unexpected places. Technology is used today in every area of our life and even those yet to be imagined. We sell our products into a diverse set of five end markets that we have grouped by their life cycles and market characteristics, including automotive, industrial, personal electronics, enterprise systems and communications equipment. This includes more than 35 subcategories, or sectors, that go into these five end markets. Where do you believe your idea belongs?The manufacturing process
We believe the idea is worth turning into a product. We have identified the market segment. The final stop before reaching the hands of an engineers hands is the manufacturing process. This requires a wafer fabrication plant. Take a journey through the birth of a semiconductor chip with this quick look inside TI’s world-class manufacturing processes.