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The Trusted Access Program Office (TAPO) was established to provide a path for the DoD and the Intelligence Community to have guaranteed access to trusted microelectronics technologies for their critical system needs now and into the future.

Trusted: The Meaning

Trust is defined as "the confidence in one's ability to secure national security systems by assessing the integrity of the people and processes used to design, generate, manufacture, and distribute national security critical components." -- Michael Wynne Acting USD AT&L (27 January 2004)

TAPO provides the DOD and the Intelligence Community a path for:

• Guaranteed access to trusted foundry suppliers for mission applications.
• Ability to fabricate classified designs up to the secret level.
• Low Volume customers access to leading edge technology.
• Quick turnaround times for prototyping and production.
• Technology support through industry partnership.

Who can use the Trusted Foundry Program?

Any government-sponsored program can use the Trusted Foundry:

• DoD Sponsored Programs may qualify for prepaid access (provided funding remains).
• Other government agencies will need to provide funding for access.
• Contractors working on IR"D projects may access the foundry provided they have a government sponsor.

What the Trusted Foundries have to offer:

We have established a contractual relationship with IBM to produce leading-edge microelectronics parts in a trusted environment. IBM maintains world-class facilities, providing capabilities to the government with yearly options through fiscal year 2013. Other facilities, including sources for design, packaging, test, and fabrication, are currently under review.

What services are available?

Through industry partnership at IBM - TAPO offers:

• Foundry Services including MPW, dedicated prototypes, and production in both high- and low-volume models.
• Intellectual Property (IP) development, including standard prepurchased IP.
• Limited packaging and test service.
• ASIC Service: SA-27e, Cu-11, and Cu-08.

Foundry Services:

TAPO offers several production options in the foundry business area depending on the schedule and the quantity desired. Designs up to the secret level are accepted.

1. Multi Project Wafer (MPW) Prototyping - MPW prototype runs have multiple designs on a single reticle, and are targeted to customers in need of low volume with no production quantities.
2. Dedicated Prototype is a dedicated single design prototype run that includes the mask build. IBM guarantees that a minimum of three wafers will be delivered to the customer.
3. Production phase produces unlimited chip quantities, following a successful prototype phase.

ASIC Services:

TAPO now has a contract in place for IBM's end-to-end commercial ASIC flow on digital chips. The customer provides a netlist of RTL hand off and IBM will do the physical layout, package, design, and GDSII generation, and provide tested packaged parts. Design submissions are accepted in SA-27e, Cu-11, and Cu-08. Please note that IBM's ASIC methodology is not available for classified designs.

Intellectual Property:

TAPO has bought pre-paid access to certain Intellectual Property (IP) that it makes available to customers on an as-needed basis. A complete list of available IP can be obtained from the TAPO. IP orders can be placed for existing IBM IP, custom, and non-IBM IP.

Contact Information:

All requests for services through the Trusted Foundry must begin with the submission of a properly authorized customer request form, which can be obtained by contacting the TAPO office at https://www.tapoffice.org. All customer request forms submitted to the TAPO office must be approved by a government program manager before any action will be taken.