Statistical process control in semiconductor manufacturing

The author presents a brief survey of standard SPC (statistical process control) schemes, and illustrates them through examples taken from the semiconductor industry. These methods range from contamination control to the monitoring of continuous process parameters. It is noted that, even as SPC is transforming IC production, the peculiarities of semiconductor manufacturing technology are transforming SPC. Therefore, the author describes novel SPC applications which are now emerging in semiconductor production. These methods are being developed to monitor the short production runs that are characteristic of flexible manufacturing. Additional SPC techniques suitable for in situ multivariate sensor readings are also discussed