Data value development to enhance competitive advantage: a retrospective study of EDA systems for semiconductor fabrication

Abstract

In semiconductor manufacturing, reducing cycle time, producing high quality products, on-time delivery, continual reduction of costs and improving efficiency are the most direct and effective ways to create value for customers. However, the semiconductor manufacturing process is extremely complex. Without good support from fab engineers, creating value for customers is difficult. An Engineering Data Analysis (EDA) system is a very important off-line analysis-oriented system that can be used to support yield analysis and quality improvement for semiconductor fabrication. However, due to the data integration, system design, and requirement for cooperation among domain experts, IT specialists, and statisticians, to develop and deploy an in-house EDA system is difficult. A retrospective study of a semiconductor manufacturing company is presented; the company has more than ten years' experience of developing the in-house EDA system. In particular, the process of developing the system is reviewed, including design thinking and information design. An EDA system that is currently used in an 8-inch fab is introduced. This study identifies several hidden factors that may affect the successful development of an EDA system. Prescriptions for overcoming these difficulties are also given in this study.

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