An intelligent system for wafer bin map defect diagnosis: An empirical study for semiconductor manufacturing

Wafer bin maps (WBMs) that show specific spatial patterns can provide clue to identify process failures in the semiconductor manufacturing. In practice, most companies rely on experienced engineers to visually find the specific WBM patterns. However, as wafer size is enlarged and integrated circuit (IC) feature size is continuously shrinking, WBM patterns become complicated due to the differences of die size, wafer rotation, the density of failed dies and thus human judgments become inconsistent and unreliable. To fill the gaps, this study aims to develop a knowledge-based intelligent system for WBMs defect diagnosis for yield enhancement in wafer fabrication. The proposed system consisted of three parts: graphical user interface, the WBM clustering solution, and the knowledge database. In particular, the developed WBM clustering approach integrates spatial statistics test, cellular neural network (CNN), adaptive resonance theory (ART) neural network, and moment invariant (MI) to cluster different patterns effectively. In addition, an interactive converse interface is developed to present the possible root causes in the order of similarity matching and record the diagnosis know-how from the domain experts into the knowledge database. To validate the proposed WBM clustering solution, twelve different WBM patterns collected in real settings are used to demonstrate the performance of the proposed method in terms of purity, diversity, specificity, and efficiency. The results have shown the validity and practical viability of the proposed system. Indeed, the developed solution has been implemented in a leading semiconductor manufacturing company in Taiwan. The proposed WBM intelligent system can recognize specific failure patterns efficiently and also record the assignable root causes verified by the domain experts to enhance troubleshooting effectively.     

An Investigation of Diffusion Barrier Characteristics of an Electroless Co(W,P) Layer to Lead-Free SnBi Solder

Diffusion barrier characteristics for eutectic SnBi solder/electroless Co(W,P) couples were investigated via liquid-state aging at 250°C and solid-state aging at 120°C. At the couple interface, CoSn₃ intermetallic compound (IMC) spallation was observed for the SnBi/amorphous Co(W,P) couple subjected to liquid-state aging. In contrast, no spallation of IMCs was observed for the SnBi/amorphous Co(W,P) couples subjected to solid-state aging. For the SnBi/polycrystalline Co(W,P) couple, a thick IMC layer was observed adjacent to a tungsten-enriched amorphous interfacial layer regardless of aging conditions. IMC formation in all samples indicated that Co(W,P) is essentially a sacrificial barrier to SnBi solder. However, amorphous Co(W,P) might also exhibit stuffed-type barrier behavior due to its relatively high phosphorus (P) content. Analytical results indicated that the P content in Co(W,P) is a crucial factor affecting the structural evolution at the SnBi/electroless Co(W,P) interface.     

Switch-controllable dual-hysteresis mode bistable multivibrator employing single differential voltage current conveyor

This paper introduces a simple switch-controllable bistable multivibrator with dual hysteresis modes. The proposed configuration comprises a single differential voltage current conveyor (DVCC) as a main active building block with two external resistors. Both clockwise and counter-clockwise hysteresis operations can be performed using the same topology. The upper and lower threshold voltages of the bistable multivibrator can be adjusted using external passive elements. The operation of the circuit is described in detail with a discussion of the non-ideal effects and other considerations in the design of the proposed circuit. To demonstrate the feasibility of the circuit, researchers built a prototype using commercially available ICs and discrete components. Simulation results and experimental records are presented to confirm the theoretical analysis.     

Parallel Domain-decomposed Taiwan Multi-scale Community Ocean Model (PD-TIMCOM)

The Parallel Domain-decomposed Taiwan Multi-scale Community Ocean Model (PD-TIMCOM) was developed to provide a flexible and efficient community ocean model for simulating a variety of idealized and real ocean flows over a wide range of scales and boundary conditions. The model is particularly targeted at resolving multi-scale dynamics in the ocean environment, ranging from small scale turbulence to the global circulation gyres. The novel parallel algorithm improves the efficiency of the Error Vector Propagating (EVP) method, a simple direct solver for the typical pressure Poisson equations in the PD-TIMCOM. The new approach is ideal for multiple processes and takes advantage of parallel domain-decomposition, which can significantly reduce the operational counts and computational costs simultaneously. The speed-up is proportional to the number of domains, thus making the PD-TIMCOM a practical eddy-resolving global ocean model for climate projection. We illustrate the parallel performance based on the 1/4° global adaptation of PD-TIMCOM. Our results show accurate meso-scale variability, the reasonable separation of several western boundary currents from the coast, and the appropriate watermass distribution in the global ocean. Consistent with satellite altimetry, the results also show clear mean fronts in the Kuroshio Extension and extensive Kuroshio–Oyashio interaction. This leads to a quasi-equilibrium eddy field associated with three meandering jets in the Kuroshio Extension and Gulf Stream.     

Thermoelastic Analysis of Functionally Graded Rotating Disks with Variable Thickness Involving Non-Uniform Heat Source

The research aims to investigate thermoelastic behavior of functionally graded rotating disks with variable thickness involving a non-uniform heat source. We assume material properties and thickness of rotating disks to vary in the radial direction. Axisymmetric thermal loads including non-uniform heat source, heat flux, and temperature boundary conditions are considered. To conduct corresponding simulations, two user subroutines are edited and incorporated into the commercial finite-element code ABAQUS. For verification, analytical formulations are derived and solved uniquely by symbolic calculations using the computing software Mathematica. The developed finite-element technique is then verified with very good agreement between results by ABAQUS and Mathematica.