Trends in Manufacturing Productivity and Yield Enhancement for Interconnected Devices and Industries

The global number of networked devices is expected to grow from ∼15 billion in 2015 to over 75 billion by 2025 [1] as technology advances from networked devices in consumer applications to networked industries and subsequently to networked societies. According to IC Insights [2], ∼52% of the wafer starts for these devices will be in mature technology nodes >28 nm. This paper will review trends in manufacturing and yield techniques to meet these challenges. In particular, the use of process equipment sensors to create Equipment Health Monitors and Virtual Metrology algorithms, to detect process variation, and maintain machine performance and yield will be considered. Application of emerging technologies (Deep Learning) for manufacturing control and yield will also be discussed. These trends are critical to enable autonomous Smart Factory, also known as Industry 4.0 [3].