Abstract: A method of detecting failure causes in semiconductor processing systems may include receiving an indication of a failure in a semiconductor processing system and providing the indication of the failure as a query to a network representing the semiconductor processing system. The network may include nodes representing on-wafer effects and component functions, and relationships between the nodes that represent causal dependencies between the component functions and the on-wafer effects. The method may also include calculating a change in probabilities assigned to nodes representing the component functions resulting from the query, and generating an output indicating a probability of at least one of the component functions as a cause of the failure.

Abstract: Bayesian inference and modeling techniques, along with model decomposition may be used to improve mismatch performances in semiconductor processing devices by identifying sources of intrinsic and extrinsic variations in performance. A network of causal relationships between processes and hardware in a semiconductor processing device may be accessed to generate a first Bayesian model for a first semiconductor processing device using the causal relationships in the network and performance data. A second Bayesian model may also be generated for a second semiconductor processing device using the causal relationships in the network and associated performance data.

Abstract: A method of detecting failure causes in semiconductor processing systems may include receiving an indication of a failure in a semiconductor processing system and providing the indication of the failure as a query to a network representing the semiconductor processing system. The network may include nodes representing on-wafer effects and component functions, and relationships between the nodes that represent causal dependencies between the component functions and the on-wafer effects. The method may also include calculating a change in probabilities assigned to nodes representing the component functions resulting from the query, and generating an output indicating a probability of at least one of the component functions as a cause of the failure.