METHOD OF WEIGHTED COMBINATION SPECS FOR ENHANCED MANUFACTURING YIELD
Embodiments of the invention provide methods for enhancing the downstream product yield without significantly affecting the yield of components from which downstream products are made or enhancing yield of the components without significantly affecting the downstream product yield and performance. In one embodiment, a method comprises obtaining a failure rate of the downstream manufacturing process as a function of each of a plurality of component performance parameters of the current manufacturing process of the component; optimizing weighted factors based on correlation between the current manufacturing process of the component and the downstream product, the weight factors each corresponding to one of the plurality of component performance parameters; and calculating figure of merits (FOM) with respect to the plurality of component performance parameters of the current manufacturing process of the component, the FOM including the weighted factors.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates generally to manufacturing processes and, more particularly, to improving the manufacturing yield using weighted combination specs.
Improving the manufacturing yield has obvious economic benefits. In the context of recording devices such as magnetic hard disk drive apparatuses, HGA (Head Gimbal Assembly) disposition in DET (Dynamic Electrical Testing) is performed mostly via wall specs of individual test parameters. To ensure outgoing HGA quality and HDD (hard disk drive as downstream product with multiple HGAs) yield, it is necessary to have a tight wall spec of individual test parameters using this approach, which leads to lower HGA component yield.
Efforts have been made to look into combining more than one DET parameters. There is, however, no systematic approach to address the interdependence of those spec parameters. As a result, the conventional approach of combining test parameters leads to undesired skew (weight) on some performance parameters over others.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONEmbodiments of the present invention provide methods for enhancing downstream product yield without significantly affecting yield of components from which downstream products are made or enhancing yield of the components without significantly affecting the downstream product yield and performance. The technique involves using weighted factors to balance the contribution to the yield from individual parameters for the current manufacturing process of a component, and optimizing the weighted factors based on correlation between the current manufacturing process and the downstream products. One example involves a product flow from a wafer to a slider to an HGA to an HDD. The methodology is applied to enhance the downstream HDD product yield without significantly affecting the yield of the HGA component or enhance HGA yield without compromising HDD performance and yield. In another example involving semiconductor manufacturing, the system level testing performance is optimized without significantly sacrificing the chip level testing performance.
One aspect of the present invention is directed to a manufacturing process flow involving a current manufacturing process of a component and a downstream product. A method of enhancing downstream product yield without significantly affecting yield of components from which downstream products are made or enhancing yield of the components without significantly affecting the downstream product yield and performance comprises obtaining a failure rate of the downstream manufacturing process as a function of each of a plurality of component performance parameters of the current manufacturing process of the component; optimizing weighted factors based on correlation between the current manufacturing process of the component and the downstream product, the weight factors each corresponding to one of the plurality of component performance parameters; and calculating figure of merits (FOM) with respect to the plurality of component performance parameters of the current manufacturing process of the component, the FOM including the weighted factors.
In some embodiments, obtaining the failure rate of the downstream product as a function of each of the plurality of component performance parameters of the current manufacturing process of the component comprises obtaining component level test data of the current manufacturing process of the component; obtaining downstream process data of the downstream product; linking the component level test data and the downstream process data using identification numbers; and generating a failure rate curve for a range of each of the component performance parameters.
In specific embodiments, optimizing the weighted factors comprises linearizing the FOM equation:
where FOM target for the linear fitting is 1 for Pass and 0 for Fail; wherein xi is the i-th component performance parameter, f(xi) is the failure rate of the downstream process for the i-th component performance parameter, and ki is the weighted factor for the i-th component performance parameter. Optimizing the weighted factors comprises applying a multiple variable linear fitting to the linearized FOM equation to determine the weighted factors. The method may further comprise identifying and omitting one or more component performance parameters which are less important than other component performance parameters. The FOM is calculated as follows:
FOM=[1−f(x1)]
In comparison, in a conventional approach, FOM is represented by an equation without weighted factor ki, or equivalently, all ki's are set to 1. In the event that two parameters representing the same performance characteristic correlate to each other, undesired skew (weight) is assigned to this performance area.
In some embodiments, [1−f(xi)] is a downstream product yield per component based on the performance parameter xi, and is determined by using a plurality of look-up plots of the downstream process yield as functions of the performance parameters xi. The look-up plots of the downstream process yield are generated by subtracting from 1 the failure rate of the downstream manufacturing process for each of the plurality of component performance parameters of the current manufacturing process of the component. If the downstream product contains N components, the overall product yield is [1−f(xi)]N. It is clear that the more components a downstream product contain, the lower the overall yield.
In specific embodiments, the failure rate of the downstream product continuously decreases as a function of the FOM with weighted factors. The method may further comprise setting a specification for the FOM based on a downstream yield target for the downstream product. The specification for the FOM is based on the downstream yield target. By definition, FOM covers the contribution of a plurality of component level performance parameters. The method may further comprise relaxing wall spec of individual component performance parameters by balancing contribution to the yield of the downstream product from the component performance parameters.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to a hard disk drive (HDD) manufacturing process flow involving a manufacturing process of a head gimbal assembly (HGA) component with dynamic electrical testing (DET). A method of enhancing HDD yield without significantly affecting HGA yield or enhancing the HGA yield without significantly affecting the HDD yield and performance comprises obtaining a failure rate of the HDD as a function of each of a plurality of DET parameters of the current manufacturing process of the HGA component; optimizing weighted factors based on correlation between the current manufacturing process of the HGA component with the DET parameters and the downstream yield of the HDD, the weight factors each corresponding to one of the plurality of component performance parameters; and calculating figure of merits (FOM) with respect to the plurality of DET parameters, the FOM including the weighted factors.
Another aspect of the invention relates to a computer readable storage medium storing a computer program for enhancing downstream product yield without significantly affecting yield of components from which downstream products are made or enhancing yield of the components without significantly affecting the downstream product yield and performance. The computer program comprises code for obtaining a failure rate of the downstream manufacturing process as a function of each of a plurality of component performance parameters of the current manufacturing process of the component; code for optimizing weighted factors based on correlation between the current manufacturing process of the component and the downstream product, the weight factors each corresponding to one of the plurality of component performance parameters; and code for calculating figure of merits (FOM) with respect to the plurality of component performance parameters of the current manufacturing process of the component, the FOM including the weighted factors. The computer program can be applied to, but not limited to, testing and yield optimization of data storage products and semiconductor devices.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In step 102, the downstream product failure rate FR(xi) is correlated with each individual current process performance parameter (or component performance parameter). The yield is equal to (1−FR). In the present example, the HDD failure rate is correlated with each individual DET parameter.
In step 104, the weighted factors ki in the figure of merits (FOM) equation are optimized based on the correlation between the downstream process and the current process (i.e., HDD/DET correlation). In the present embodiment, this involves linearizing the FOM equation and applying the multiple variable least-square linear fitting (without quadratic and cross-terms) or similar techniques:
where the FOM target for the linear fitting is 1 for Pass and 0 for Fail; and where xi is the i-th current process performance parameter, f(xi) is the failure rate for the i-th current process performance parameter, and ki is the weighted factor for the i-th current process performance parameter xi.
The FOM target for the linear fitting is 1 for HDD Pass and 0 for HDD Fail. The multiple variable linear fitting are known and hence will not be described. Based on the weighted factors ki from the calculation, some of the less important parameters may optionally be omitted while the more important parameters are selected. For example, the DET parameters with the best DET/HDD correlation or the parameters having the highest weighted factors are selected.
In step 106, the FOM incorporating weighted factors is calculated with respect to the plurality of current process performance parameters (i.e., the DET parameters) as follows:
FOM=[1−f(x1)]k
In step 108, the spec of the individual current process performance parameters may be relaxed and the focus is placed on the overall performance of the current process yield. In the HDD example, the wall spec of the individual DET parameters for the HGA can be relaxed and the focus is placed on the overall HGA performance with FOM in the HDD manufacturing flow.
An example involving the HDD manufacturing flow with the HGA component as the current manufacturing process will be described to illustrate the methodology.
The look-up plots in
Different systems may include different number of components. For example, one HDD may include 6 HGAs and another HDD may include 10 HGAs.
One benefit of using the weighted combination specs is the component yield gain that is achieved for a given system failure rate.
Another feature of using the weighted combination specs is the system yield gain that can be achieved by balancing the contribution from various parameters.
The yield enhancement scheme described above may be implemented in software or firmware and stored in a computer readable medium such as a memory or any suitable storage area. The computer program is executed by a computer processor to carry out the various process steps of manipulating data, optimizing factors, generating curves, setting specifications, and the like. In one embodiment, a computer readable storage medium stores a computer program for enhancing downstream product yield without significantly affecting yield of components from which downstream products are made or enhancing yield of the components without significantly affecting the downstream product yield and performance. The computer program comprises code for obtaining a failure rate of the downstream manufacturing process as a function of each of a plurality of component performance parameters of the current manufacturing process of the component; code for optimizing weighted factors based on correlation between the current manufacturing process of the component and the downstream product, the weight factors each corresponding to one of the plurality of component performance parameters; and code for calculating figure of merits (FOM) with respect to the plurality of component performance parameters of the current manufacturing process of the component, the FOM including the weighted factors. The computer program can be applied to, but not limited to, testing and yield optimization of data storage products and semiconductor devices.
It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The scope of the invention should, therefore, be determined not with reference to the above description, but instead should be determined with reference to the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents.
Claims
1. In a manufacturing process flow involving a current manufacturing process of a component and a downstream product containing multiple components of the same kind, a method of enhancing downstream product yield without significantly affecting yield of components from which downstream products are made or enhancing yield of the components without significantly affecting the downstream product yield and performance, the method comprising:
- obtaining a failure rate of the downstream manufacturing process as a function of each of a plurality of component performance parameters of the current manufacturing process of the component;
- optimizing weighted factors in a figure of merits (FOM) equation based on correlation between the current manufacturing process of the component and the downstream manufacturing process, the weighted factors each corresponding to one of the plurality of component performance parameters; and
- calculating the figure of merits (FOM) with respect to the plurality of component performance parameters of the current manufacturing process of the component, the FOM including the weighted factors.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein obtaining the failure rate of the downstream product as a function of each of the plurality of component performance parameters of the current manufacturing process of the component comprises:
- obtaining component level test data of the current manufacturing process of the component;
- obtaining downstream process data of the downstream product;
- linking the component level test data and the downstream process data using identification numbers; and
- generating a failure rate curve for a range of each of the component performance parameters.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein optimizing the weighted factors comprises linearizing the FOM equation: Ln ( FOM ) = ∑ i = 1 n { k i * ln [ 1 - f ( x i ) ] }
- where the FOM target for the linear fitting is 1 for Pass and 0 for Fail; and
- where xi is the i-th component performance parameter, f(xi) is the failure rate of the downstream process for the i-th component performance parameter, and ki is the weighted factor for the i-th component performance parameter.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein the FOM is calculated as follows: FOM=[1−f(xi)]k1* [1−f(x2)]k2*... * [1−f(xn)]kn.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein optimizing the weighted factors comprises applying a multiple variable linear fitting to the linearized FOM equation to determine the weighted factors.
6. The method of claim 5 further comprising identifying and omitting one or more component performance parameters which are less important than other component performance parameters.
7. The method of claim 3 wherein [1−f(xi)] is a downstream process yield per component based on the performance parameter xi, and is determined by using a plurality of look-up plots of the downstream process yield as functions of the performance parameters xi.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the look-up plots of the downstream process yield per component are generated by subtracting from 1 the failure rate of the downstream manufacturing process for each of the plurality of component performance parameters of the current manufacturing process of the component.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the failure rate of the downstream product per component continuously decreases as a function of the FOM with weighted factors.
10. The method of claim 9 further comprising setting a specification for the FOM based on a downstream yield target for the downstream product.
11. The method of claim 1 further comprising relaxing wall spec of individual component performance parameters by balancing contribution to the yield of the downstream process from the component performance parameters.
12. In a hard disk drive (HDD) manufacturing process flow involving a manufacturing process of a head gimbal assembly (HGA) component with dynamic electrical testing (DET), a method of enhancing HDD yield without significantly affecting HGA yield or enhancing the HGA yield without significantly affecting the HDD yield and performance, the method comprising:
- obtaining a failure rate of the HDD as a function of each of a plurality of DET parameters of the current manufacturing process of the HGA component;
- optimizing weighted factors in a figure of merits (FOM) equation based on correlation between the current manufacturing process of the HGA component with the DET parameters and the downstream yield of the HDD, the weighted factors each corresponding to one of the plurality of DET parameters; and
- calculating the figure of merits (FOM) with respect to the plurality of DET parameters, the FOM including the weighted factors.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein optimizing the weighted factors comprises linearizing the FOM equation: Ln ( FOM ) = ∑ i = 1 n { k i * ln [ 1 - f ( x i ) ] },
- where the FOM target for the linear fitting is 1 for Pass and 0 for Fail; and
- where xi is the i-th DET parameter, f(xi) is the failure rate of the downstream process for the i-th DET parameter, and ki is the weighted factor for the i-th DET parameter.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein the FOM is calculated as follows: FOM=[1−f(x1)]k1* [1−f(x2)]k2*... * [1−f(xn)]kn.
15. The method of claim 14 wherein optimizing the weighted factors comprises applying a multiple variable linear fitting to the linearized FOM equation to determine the weighted factors.
16. A computer readable storage medium storing a computer program for enhancing downstream product yield without significantly affecting yield of components from which downstream products are made or enhancing yield of the components without significantly affecting the downstream product yield and performance, the computer program comprising:
- code for obtaining a failure rate of the downstream manufacturing process as a function of each of a plurality of component performance parameters of the current manufacturing process of the component;
- code for optimizing weighted factors in a figure of merits (FOM) equation based on correlation between the current manufacturing process of the component and the downstream manufacturing process, the weighted factors each corresponding to one of the plurality of component performance parameters; and
- code for calculating the figure of merits (FOM) with respect to the plurality of component performance parameters of the current manufacturing process of the component, the FOM including the weighted factors.
17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the code for obtaining the failure rate of the downstream product as a function of each of the plurality of component performance parameters of the current manufacturing process of the component comprises:
- code for obtaining component level test data of the current manufacturing process of the component;
- code for obtaining downstream process data of the downstream manufacturing process;
- code for linking the component level test data and the downstream process data using identification numbers; and
- code for generating a failure rate curve for a range of each of the component performance parameters.
18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the code for optimizing the weighted factors comprises code for linearizing the FOM equation: Ln ( FOM ) = ∑ i = 1 n { k i * ln [ 1 - f ( x i ) ] }
- where the FOM target for the linear fitting is 1 for Pass and 0 for Fail; and
- where xi is the i-th component performance parameter, f(xi) is the failure rate of the downstream process for the i-th component performance parameter, and ki is the weighted factor for the i-th component performance parameter.
19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein the FOM is calculated as follows: FOM=[1−f(x1)]k1* [1−f(x2)]k2*... * [1−f(xn)]kn.
20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19 wherein the code for optimizing the weighted factors comprises code for applying a multiple variable linear fitting to the linearized FOM equation to determine the weighted factors.
21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16 further comprising code for relaxing wall spec of individual component performance parameters by balancing contribution to the yield of the downstream process from the component performance parameters.
22. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16 further comprising code for selecting most significant component performance parameters.
23. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the computer program is implemented in firmware or software and the downstream products include data storage products or semiconductor devices.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 24, 2004
Publication Date: May 25, 2006
Applicant: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands, B.V. (Amsterdam)
Inventors: Yong Shen (Saratoga, CA), Jing Zhang (San Jose, CA)
Application Number: 10/997,173
International Classification: G06F 17/18 (20060101); G06F 19/00 (20060101);