Methods for non-lot-based manufacturing of articles

• US 8,600,540 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2012
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Jones, Mark L., Barnett, Gregory A.
• Primary Examiner(s): KASENGE, CHARLES R
• Application Number:
  US13/615,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20130006411A1
• Time in Patent Office: 446 Days
• Field of Search: 700/95, 700/108, 700/109, 700/110, 700/112, 700/115, 700/116, 700/117, 700/121, 700/215, 702/182, 702/183, 702/184, 702/185, 702/187, 438/14, 438/18, 365/103, 209/573, 209/583
• US Class Current: 700/121
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/31718 Logistic aspects, e.g. binning, selection, sorting of devices under test, tester/handler interaction networks, Test management software, e.g. software for test statistics or test evaluation, yield analysis mechanical aspects G01R31/2808, G01R31/2851
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/128 the workpiece itself serves as a record carrier, e.g. by its form, by marks or codes on it
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31296 Identification, pallet object data and program code for station
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45026 Circuit board, pcb
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/006 Identification G06F11/2289 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/5444 for electrical read out
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0207 Geometrical layout of the components, e.g. computer aided design; custom LSI, semi-custom LSI, standard cell technique
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A method for continuous, non lot-based manufacturing of integrated circuit (IC) devices of the type to each have a unique fuse identification (ID) includes: reading the fuse ID of each of the IC devices; advancing multiple lots of the IC devices through, for example, a test step in the manufacturing process in a substantially continuous manner; generating data, such as test data, related to the advancement of each of the IC devices through the step in the process; and associating the data generated for each of the IC devices with the fuse ID of its associated IC device.

Claims

1. A method of tracking an article of manufacture in a manufacturing process, the method comprising:

associating an article of manufacture with a substantially unique identification (ID) code, wherein the substantially unique ID code is retrievable from the article of manufacture;

advancing the article of manufacture through at least a portion of the manufacturing process with one or more other articles of manufacture without regard to a lot from which any of the articles of manufacture comes;

generating data related to the advancement of the article of manufacture through the at least a portion of the manufacturing process;

associating the data with the substantially unique ID code; and

outputting the article of manufacture to a mixed output lot comprising articles of manufacture from one or more lots different from the lot with which the article of manufacture was associated before advancing through the at least a portion of the manufacturing process.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the substantially unique ID code comprises a machine readable ID code.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein associating an article of manufacture with a substantially unique ID code comprises programming the article of manufacture with the substantially unique ID code.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of the manufacturing process comprises an act in the manufacturing process.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the article of manufacture comprises an electronic device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the substantially unique ID code specifies, at least in part, a lot number.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the substantially unique ID code is the same for all electronic devices comprising at least one component from a common source.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the substantially unique ID code is the same for all electronic devices coming from the same lot.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising reading the substantially unique ID code before advancing the article of manufacture through the at least a portion of the manufacturing process.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising reading the substantially unique ID code after advancing the article of manufacture through the at least a portion of the manufacturing process.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the substantially unique ID code before advancing the article of manufacture through the at least a portion of the manufacturing process.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the substantially unique ID code after advancing the article of manufacture through the at least a portion of the manufacturing process.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the data comprises process-related data.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the data comprises a process variable.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the data comprises a performance variable.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining whether a correlation exists between the process variable and the performance variable.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the data comprises a performance variable.

18. A method of tracking an article of manufacture in a manufacturing process, the method comprising:

associating an article of manufacture with a substantially unique identification (ID) code, wherein the substantially unique ID code is retrievable from the article of manufacture;

mixing the article of manufacture with other articles of manufacture without regard to lots;

advancing the article of manufacture with the other articles of manufacture through at least a portion of the manufacturing process without regard to a lot from which the article of manufacture comes;

generating data related to the advancement of the article of manufacture through the at least a portion of the manufacturing process;

associating the data with the substantially unique ID code; and

outputting the article of manufacture to a mixed output lot comprising articles of manufacture from one or more lots different from the lot with which the article of manufacture was associated before advancing through the at least a portion of the manufacturing process.

19. A method of tracking an article of manufacture in a manufacturing process, the method comprising:

receiving the article of manufacture from a plurality of mixed lots of articles of manufacture without regard to a lot of the plurality of mixed lots of articles of manufacture from which the article of manufacture comes;

associating the article of manufacture with a substantially unique identification (ID) code, wherein the substantially unique ID code is retrievable from the article of manufacture;

advancing the article of manufacture through at least a portion of the manufacturing process without regard to the lot of the plurality of mixed lots of articles of manufacture from which the article of manufacture comes;

generating data related to the advancement of the article of manufacture through the at least a portion of the manufacturing process;

associating the data with the substantially unique ID code; and

outputting the article of manufacture to a mixed output lot comprising articles of manufacture from one or more lots different from the lot with which the article of manufacture was associated before advancing through the at least a portion of the manufacturing process.