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

这笔资金用于研究可靠性和成品率之间的关系，以及它与晶圆层面老化的关系。为了保证集成电路(IC)的可靠性，老化已成为消除婴儿死亡率的有效方法。半导体成品率是与工艺有关的质量参数；老化是与时间有关的控制参数；可靠性既是与时间有关的参数，也是与工艺有关的参数。这项研究通过将这三个参数相互关联来对产量和可靠性进行建模。本研究将探讨下列关键问题：(1)应用失效机制物理学寻找良率与可靠性之间的关系；(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)基于该关系模型确定老化对良率的影响；(4)寻找包含良率增益和良率损失的半导体最优老化策略。如果成功，该关系模型可用于预测新产品的可靠性。此外，还可以发现栅氧化层的预计可靠性和其他缺陷。通过将老化效应与成品率-可靠性关系模型相结合，可以找到在给定的运行时间内满足可靠性要求的最小工作量。为了得出关于产量的合理决定，这项研究描述了给出最佳老化时间和水平的模型。它可用于在晶片级别和芯片级别找到具有成本效益的老化解决方案。老化覆盖战略将为实施老化系统提供最佳方法。这项研究将是第一次以分析合理的方式为成品率-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.