Microeconomics of process control in semiconductor manufacturing

Kevin M. Monahan

doi:10.1117/12.487631

2 July 2003 Microeconomics of process control in semiconductor manufacturing

Kevin M. Monahan

Proceedings Volume 5043, Cost and Performance in Integrated Circuit Creation; (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.487631
Event: Advanced Microelectronic Manufacturing, 2003, Santa Clara, CA, United States

Abstract

Process window control enables accelerated design-rule shrinks for both logic and memory manufacturers, but simple microeconomic models that directly link the effects of process window control to maximum profitability are rare. In this work, we derive these links using a simplified model for the maximum rate of profit generated by the semiconductor manufacturing process. We show that the ability of process window control to achieve these economic objectives may be limited by variability in the larger manufacturing context, including measurement delays and process variation at the lot, wafer, x-wafer, x-field, and x-chip levels. We conclude that x-wafer and x-field CD control strategies will be critical enablers of density, performance and optimum profitability at the 90 and 65nm technology nodes. These analyses correlate well with actual factory data and often identify millions of dollars in potential incremental revenue and cost savings. As an example, we show that a scatterometry-based CD Process Window Monitor is an economically justified, enabling technology for the 65nm node.

Citation Download Citation

Kevin M. Monahan "Microeconomics of process control in semiconductor manufacturing", Proc. SPIE 5043, Cost and Performance in Integrated Circuit Creation, (2 July 2003); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.487631

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