Dynamic inline yield analysis and prediction of a defect limited yield using inline inspection defects
First Claim
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1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
- calculating, using a computer, a criticality factor (CF) for each of a plurality of defects detected in at least one inspection process step of a wafer, the wafer comprising a plurality of dies;
determining a non-defect yield component of a final yield for the wafer using a subset of the plurality of dies that have no visual defects;
determining a yield-loss contribution of the inspection process step to the final yield based on the CFs of the plurality of defects, a yield model built for a relevant design, and the non-defect yield component; and
predicting the final yield for the wafer using the yield-loss contribution of the inspection process step.
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Abstract
In one embodiment, a method for predicting yield includes calculating a criticality factor (CF) for each of a plurality of defects detected in an inspection process step of a wafer, and determining a yield-loss contribution of the inspection process step to the final yield based on CFs of the plurality of defects and the yield model built for a relevant design. The yield-loss contribution of the inspection process step is then used to predict the final yield for the wafer.
47 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
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calculating, using a computer, a criticality factor (CF) for each of a plurality of defects detected in at least one inspection process step of a wafer, the wafer comprising a plurality of dies; determining a non-defect yield component of a final yield for the wafer using a subset of the plurality of dies that have no visual defects; determining a yield-loss contribution of the inspection process step to the final yield based on the CFs of the plurality of defects, a yield model built for a relevant design, and the non-defect yield component; and predicting the final yield for the wafer using the yield-loss contribution of the inspection process step. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A computer-implemented system comprising:
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a memory; processor coupled to the memory; a model constructor executed from the memory by the processor to build a yield model for a design; and a yield analyzer, coupled to the model constructor, to calculate a criticality factor (CF) for each of a plurality of defects detected in at least one inspection process step of a wafer, the wafer comprising a plurality of dies, to determine a non-defect yield component of a final yield for the wafer using a subset of the plurality of dies that have no visual defects, to determine a yield-loss contribution of the inspection process step to the final yield based on the built yield model and the criticality factors calculated for individual defects detected at different process steps, and the non-defect yield component, and to predict the final yield for the wafer using the yield-loss contribution. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions which when executed on a processing system cause the processing system to perform a method comprising:
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calculating a criticality factor (CF) for each of a plurality of defects detected in an at least one inspection process step of a wafer, the wafer comprising a plurality of dies; determining a non-defect yield component of a final yield for the wafer using a subset of the plurality of dies, wherein the subset of dies has no visual defects; determining a yield-loss contribution of the inspection process step to the final yield based on CFs of the plurality of defects, a yield model built for a relevant design, and the non-defect yield component; and predicting the final yield for the wafer using the yield-loss contribution of the inspection process step.
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Specification