Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2010/09/11
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Frank did a nice job of detailing the problem of large IC chips.... There are a lot of algorithms to determine the relative reject ratio based upon relative ship sizes.... but suffice it to say that the square law is a quick and dirty rule of thumb.... double the area and the defects go up by a factor of 4..... Now, having said all of that, the processor in the computer you are reading this on is less than 2 inches square. It sells for less than a couple hundred bucks in its lowest speed range. It sells in quantities of several million a year, all the same variety. The sensor in your camera is roughly the same size......although rectangular, not square...... and Leica will make 100-200 a day, say 24,000-50,000 a year digital cameras. It is all about getting the reject rate down, which requires a big volume...... which Leica and Hasselblad and all the other MF cameras in the world just do not have.... So you get more rejects, short product life cycles, and subsequently high selling prices. Frank Filippone Red735i at earthlink.net