Intelligent Outlier Removal [whitepaper]

Intelligent outlier removal; a cost effective way to improve device quality (and yield).

Outlier removal techniques such as Parts Average Testing (PAT) are growing in popularity as a means to improve the quality and reliability of semiconductors used in automotive and high-volume applications like mobile handsets. The goal of PAT is to remove “outliers”, that is, otherwise goodparts that exhibit characteristics that are atypical when compared to parts from the same wafer or lot. However, there is a danger that if PAT limits are set incorrectly, the net result will be unacceptable yield-loss, and hence significantly higher device cost. This paper will describe an intelligent approach to PAT and other DPM-reduction techniques that improve device quality while minimizing unnecessary yield loss, and can even lead to reduced cost.