Hierarchical Modeling for Monitoring Defects

In semiconductor manufacturing, discovering the processes that are attributable to defect rates is a lengthy and expensive procedure. This paper proposes a approach for understanding the impact of process variables on defect rates. By using a process-based hierarchical model, we can relate sub-process manufacturing data to layer-specific defect rates. This paper demonstrates a hierarchical modeling method using process data drawn from the Gate Contact layer, Metal 1 layer, and Electrical Test data to produce estimates of defect rates. A benefit of the hierarchical approach is that the parameters of the high-level model may be interpreted as the relative contributions of the sub-models to the overall yield. Additionally, the output from the sub-models may be monitored with a control chart that is ‘oriented’ toward yield.

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