A quality framework “e-Supplier platform” to improve material quality and feedback for process control

In the era of nanotechnology, IC fabrication requires extremely good control over the stability and consistency of raw materials from different suppliers. To support the need, the e-Supplier Platform has been set up for supplier quality management. An important material of IC manufacturing is the raw material-silicon wafers. By means of an ongoing program with wafer vendors, the COA (Certificates of Assurance) is checked at IQA to assure wafer parameters that is important to IC manufacturing. The key check items are like SFQR, warp, GBIR, Epi TTV, and LPD..., etc. Based on the requirement of continuous improvement for IC manufacturing process, a framework of material quality tracking and controlling with statistical methods is put forward. Through eCOA uploading into e-Supplier, COA will be checked immediately and it is easy to analyze wafer parameters by means of comprehensive statistics module. We address some statistical methods (like Exponentially weighted moving averages - General Linear Model, ..) to identify the assigned causes that make wafer parameters impact. The performance between suppliers are compared onward and triggering suppliers to improve immediately. Several successful quality improvement activities demonstrate e-Supplier is effective. For example of the stability monitoring, we found the sensitivity of PR is shifted to low limit due to in-completed PCN management. For example of the consistency monitoring, we found some supplier used the wrong recipe and the surface particle is improved after QIA. With over 40% manpower cost is reduced and we benefit purchase bargain power greatly by e-Supplier.