quality new Flashcards
PCRB (Process Change Review Board)
A cross-functional board responsible for reviewing and approving changes in manufacturing processes. Its purpose is to assess the potential impact of changes on quality, reliability, and manufacturability, ensuring alignment with internal standards and customer requirements.
PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act)
A four-step iterative problem-solving process for continuous improvement:
- Plan: Identify the problem, set goals, and plan the solution.
- Do: Implement the solution on a small scale.
- Check: Measure and analyze the results.
- Act: If successful, standardize the solution; if not, refine and repeat.
APQP (Advanced Product Quality Planning)
A structured methodology for product development, ensuring that quality is built into the design and production processes. Common in the automotive and semiconductor industries, APQP covers:
- Product Design: Ensuring that the product meets customer requirements.
- Process Design: Ensuring the process is capable of producing the product.
- Validation: Testing and confirming the product and process capabilities.
- Feedback & Improvement: Continuous monitoring and enhancements post-launch.
SPC (Statistical Process Control)
A statistical method to monitor and control a process to ensure it operates at its full potential. The aim is to minimize variation and defects while improving consistency. Key tools:
- Control Charts: Monitor process variation over time.
- Histograms: Visual representation of process distribution.
- Process Capability Analysis: Measures the ability of the process to produce outputs within specification limits.
MSA (Measurement System Analysis)
A set of statistical techniques used to evaluate the measurement system’s reliability and accuracy. It ensures that measurement data is trustworthy. Key metrics:
- Repeatability: The variation when the same operator measures the same part multiple times with the same instrument.
- Reproducibility: The variation when different operators measure the same part with the same instrument.
- Accuracy: The closeness of measurements to the actual or true value.
- Precision: The consistency of repeated measurements.
PPAP (Production Part Approval Process)
A standardized process in the automotive and manufacturing sectors to ensure that a supplier’s production process can consistently meet the part specifications. Key documents and elements:
- Design Records: Complete part drawings and design details.
- Engineering Change Documents: Record of any design or process changes.
- Process Flow Diagrams: Detailed flowchart of the manufacturing process.
- Control Plans: Detailed plans on how the process will be controlled to maintain quality.
- Capability Studies: Statistical studies confirming that the process can consistently produce within spec.
Reliability Engineering Key Terms
- ????? (Hot Carrier Injection): Degradation of MOSFET devices due to high-energy electrons or holes.
- ????????? (Negative Bias Temperature Instability): A type of transistor degradation due to prolonged exposure to negative gate voltage and elevated temperature.
- TDDB (Time-Dependent Dielectric Breakdown): The gradual breakdown of a dielectric layer under stress over time, leading to device failure.
- EM (Electromigration): The movement of metal atoms in a conductor due to high current density, which can lead to circuit failure.
- Stress Migration (SM): The diffusion of metal atoms due to mechanical stress, potentially causing voids and cracks in metal lines.
Etch Process Key Terms
- Rate: The speed at which material is removed from a surface during etching.
- Selectivity: The ability of an etching process to remove the desired material while minimally affecting other materials.
- Measure Depth: The depth of material removed during etching, typically measured with SEM or profilometry.
- AEICD: A tool used to measure and verify line width in semiconductor manufacturing.
Lithography Key Terms
- Energy: The amount of energy used during the exposure of a photoresist in lithography.
- Focus Energy Matrix (FEM): A technique used to optimize lithography parameters by systematically varying focus and exposure energy to achieve the best pattern resolution.
- Layer-to-Layer Alignment: Ensuring accurate overlay of multiple layers in a semiconductor device.
Film Process Key Terms
- CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition): A method of depositing a thin film by chemically reacting gaseous precursors on a substrate.
- Thickness: The uniformity and control of the film’s thickness are crucial to ensure device functionality.
- Uniformity: Ensuring the deposited film has consistent thickness and properties across the wafer to avoid defects.
CMP (Chemical Mechanical Planarization)
A process used to smooth and flatten surfaces in semiconductor fabrication.
- Pressure on the back: The force applied during CMP to ensure uniform planarization.
- Slurry: A mixture of chemicals and abrasive particles used in CMP to achieve material removal and surface polishing.
WAT (Wafer Acceptance Test)
A series of electrical tests performed on the scribe line of a wafer to assess the integrity and performance of devices before they are packaged. This is crucial to identify defective wafers early in the production process.
Familiar Technologies (4082, MPPT, Sagi)
- 4082: A process control tool commonly used in semiconductor manufacturing.
- MPPT: Maximum Power Point Tracking, typically used in optimizing energy efficiency.
- Sagi: A tool for process control in semiconductor manufacturing. Experience in programming with Excel VBA and Python for data analysis is preferred.
Semiconductor Manufacturing Process Flow
- Oxidation: Creation of a thin oxide layer on the wafer surface.
- Lithography: Transferring a pattern onto the wafer using light and photoresist.
- Etch: Removing material to form patterns (wet or dry methods).
- Thin Film Deposition: Depositing protective or functional films on the wafer.
- Ion Implantation: Doping the wafer with ions to change its electrical properties.
- Metal Wiring: Depositing metal layers (Al, Ti, W) to create electrical connections.
- EDS: Electron Discharge Scribing, a testing step for inspecting wafers.
Negative Bias Temp Instability
Si-H bond breakdown. only for P-MOS.
HCI failure occurs when high-energy electrons or holes are injected into the gate oxide of a MOSFET under high electric fields. This causes trapped charges, leading to threshold voltage shifts, reduced current drive, and increased leakage, ultimately degrading device performance and reliability over time.
