Strategic Issues on Yield, Reliability, and Their Relationship in Semiconductor Manufacturing

此拨款将用于研究晶圆级的可靠性和良率关系及其与老化的关系。为了保证集成电路（ic）所需的可靠性，烧坏已成为消除婴儿死亡率的有效方法。半导体良率是一个工艺相关的质量参数；随时间变化的老化控制参数；可靠性是与时间和过程相关的参数。本研究通过将这三个参数相互关联来建立产量和可靠性模型。本研究将探讨以下关键问题：(1)应用失效机制的物理学来寻找良率和可靠性之间的关系；(2)建立良率-可靠性关系模型，并从理论上证明该模型适用于半导体制造；(3)根据关系模型确定良率的老化效应；(4)寻找包括良率增益和良率损失在内的半导体最佳老化策略。如果成功，该关系模型可用于预测新产品的可靠性。此外，还可以发现栅氧化物的预计可靠性和其他缺陷。通过将磨损效应与产量-可靠性关系模型相结合，可以找到在给定运行时间内满足可靠性要求的最小努力值。为了得到关于产量的合理决策，本研究描述了给出最佳老化时间和水平的模型。它可以用于在晶圆级和芯片级找到具有成本效益的老化解决方案。老化覆盖策略将为实现老化系统提供一种最佳的方法。该研究将首次以分析证明的方式为产量可靠性问题提供解决方案。

This grant provides funding for studying the reliability and yield relationship and its association with burn-in at the wafer level. In order to guarantee the required reliability of integrated circuits (ICs), burn-in has been conducted as an effective method for removing infant mortalities. Semiconductor yield is a process-dependent quality parameter; burn-in a time dependent control parameter; and reliability both a time- and a process-dependent parameter. This study models yield and reliability by inter-relating these three parameters. This study will investigate the following key issues: (1) to apply the physics of failure mechanisms to find a relationship between yield and reliability, (2) to develop a yield-reliability relation model and to theoretically justify this model for semiconductor manufacturing, (3) to determine burn-in effect on yield, based on the relation model, and (4) to find optimal burn-in strategies for semiconductors which include yield gain and yield loss.If successful, the relation model can be used to predict the reliability of new products. In addition, the projected reliability of gate oxide and other defects may be found. By combining burn-in effect with the yield-reliability relation model, it is possible to find the minimum effort for meeting the reliability requirement at a given operation time. To arrive at a rational decision regarding yield, this research describes models which give optimal burn-in times and levels. It can be used to find a cost-effective burn-in solution at the wafer level and the die level. The burn-in coverage strategy will provide an optimal approach for implementing the burn-in system. The research study will be the first to provide solutions to the yield-reliability problems in an analytically justified way.