IMPROVE
Improvement of IC manufacturing efficiency
The objective of the project is to improve European semiconductor fabrication plants efficiency by providing methods and tools to better control the process variability, reduce the cycle time and enhance the effectiveness of the production equipment.
This will be achieved by development of new approaches in 3 major areas:
Virtual Metrology
virtually measure all processed wafers and to reduce sampling at standard metrology steps, thus improving cycle time
Predictive Equipment Behavior
improve the process tools reliability whilst optimizing the maintenance frequency and increasing the equipment uptime.
Dynamic Risk Assessment and Dynamic Control Plan
dynamically adapt the control plan, decreasing the number and frequency of control in the stable areas while increasing when needed in a sensitive zone.
The project started in January 2009 and ended in December 2011. Critical Manufacturing had the responsibility for the prototyping and modules specification for each of the major areas described before as well as their integration in a common fab-wide framework to be deployed at each of the IC manufacturers part of the consortium.
