SBIR Phase I: IC Yield and Quality Improvement thru Test Data Analysis

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段的研究项目的重点是通过从测试测量数据中提取信息来提高集成电路（ic）的产量和质量。随着制造技术向尺寸越来越小的结构发展，生产可靠的、可工作的集成电路（ic）变得越来越困难。因此，确定每个制造的集成电路是否正确和可靠的传统测试任务也变得越来越重要。但除了传统的分类功能外，测试已成为提高产量和质量的主要反馈机制。包括在线检测、晶圆级测试结构和物理失效分析在内的标准实践正在失去有效性，必须采用新的方法来挖掘IC测试测量数据，以获得关键信息，从而提高产量和质量。该提案计划通过扩展正在申请专利的、最先进的测试和诊断方法来最大限度地从IC测试数据中提取知识，以应对更复杂的失效机制和现代IC日益增加的复杂性。这里提出的研究的广泛影响集中在继续推进2500亿美元的美国半导体产业。为集成器件制造商和无晶圆厂设计公司提供基于每个设计的测试数据分析，使他们能够通过IC测试的反馈来提高产量和质量，这是一个重要的商业机会。制造商将使用这些信息来微调他们的制造工艺，以最大限度地提高产量和性能，并优化他们的测试方法，以确保质量满足客户需求。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I research project is focused on improving the yield and quality of integrated circuits (ICs) thru information extraction from test measurement data. Yielding reliable, working integrated circuits (ICs) is becoming significantly more difficult as fabrication technology moves towards structures with even smaller and smaller dimensions. As a result, the traditional testing task of determining if every manufactured IC is correct and reliable is also growing in importance. But beyond its traditional sort function, test has to become a major feedback mechanism for improving yield and quality. Standard practices involving in-line inspection, wafer-level test structures, and physical failure analysis are losing effectiveness and must be augmented with new methodologies that mine IC test measurement data for critical information that enable improvements in both yield and quality. This proposal plans to maximize knowledge extraction from IC test data by extending the patent-pending, state-of-the-art test and diagnosis methodologies to cope with more complex failure mechanisms and the increasing complexity of modern ICs.The broad impact of the research proposed here centers on continuing the advancement of the $250B U.S. semiconductor industry. There is significant commercial opportunity in supplying test data analysis on a per-design basis to both Integrated Device Manufacturers and fabless design houses that enables them to improve yield and quality through feedback from IC testing. Manufacturers will use this information to fine-tune their fabrication processes to maximize yield and performance, and optimize their test methodologies to ensure quality meets customer demands.