Solutions by Industry

Semiconductor Industry

Where small deviations decide yield

Questions this page answers

  • How do you identify yield-affecting factors in semiconductor process data?
  • Which signals reveal equipment anomalies early?
  • How do you process high-volume metrology data in real time?

Requirements in this industry

  • Yield
  • Metrology data
  • FDC (Fault Detection & Classification)
  • Process deviation
  • Anomaly detection
  • SPC

More data does not mean more answers

Semiconductor processes do not suffer from a shortage of data. If anything there is so much metrology and sensor data that deciding where to look is the harder problem.

The variables affecting yield are numerous, and a variable that looks insignificant on its own can cause trouble when it coincides with another condition. Interactions like that rarely surface in a spreadsheet review.

Approach

Collection structure first — Given the volume and velocity, the collection and storage design comes first. If that is shaky, the analysis behind it means little.

Variable influence analysis — Places process variables alongside outcome metrics to see which combinations lead to deviation.

Early equipment anomaly detection — Finds patterns in equipment signals that differ from the norm and raises them before failure.

Visual inspection — Deep learning inspection (V²) supplements rule-based vision where judgment is difficult.

Solutions applied