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AI Factory Glossary

9,967 technical terms and definitions

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Showing page 57 of 200 (9,967 entries)

equalized odds,false positive,rate

Equalized odds: equal error rates across groups. Balances false positives and negatives.

equation solving,reasoning

Find solutions to mathematical equations.

equipment acceptance, production

Formal acceptance of new tool.

equipment baseline, production

Reference performance level.

equipment capability, production

What tool can achieve.

equipment digital twin, digital manufacturing

Model individual tool behavior.

equipment effectiveness, manufacturing operations

Equipment effectiveness quantifies how well assets achieve intended function.

equipment energy efficiency, environmental & sustainability

Equipment energy efficiency standards specify maximum power consumption for process tools.

equipment failure, production

Breakdowns causing downtime.

equipment history, manufacturing operations

Equipment history records maintenance activities failures and performance enabling trend analysis.

equipment matching, manufacturing operations

Equipment matching assigns compatible tools to process steps ensuring consistency.

equipment reliability metrics, production

Measure tool performance.

equipment specifications, production

Performance requirements.

equipment utilization,production

Percentage of time tool is productive.

equipment-to-equipment variation, manufacturing

Differences between tools.

equivalency testing, quality

Verify alternate material performs same.

equivariance testing, explainable ai

Verify equivariance properties.

equivariant diffusion for molecules, chemistry ai

3D-aware molecular generation.

equivariant neural networks, scientific ml

Outputs transform correctly under symmetries.

erasure search, interpretability

Erasure search finds minimal input spans whose removal maximally changes predictions.

erosion,cmp

Thinning of dielectric in dense pattern areas.

erp system, erp, supply chain & logistics

Enterprise Resource Planning integrates business processes including procurement production inventory finance and human resources.

error budget,reliability,spend

Error budget = allowed failures. Spend on features when reliable. Slow down if budget exhausted.

error correction overhead, design

Cost of error detection/correction.

error detection, ai agents

Error detection identifies failures or suboptimal actions during execution.

error feedback in compressed communication, distributed training

Accumulate compression errors.

error handling,fallback,recover

Handle errors gracefully: API failures, invalid input, model confusion. Fallback responses.

error handling,software engineering

Manage failures and exceptions gracefully.

error propagation,uncertainty propagation,variance decomposition,yield mathematics,overlay error,EPE,process capability,monte carlo

# Semiconductor Manufacturing Error Propagation Mathematics ## 1. Fundamental Error Propagation Theory For a function $f(x_1, x_2, \ldots, x_n)$ where each variable $x_i$ has uncertainty $\sigma_i$, the propagated uncertainty follows: $$ \sigma_f^2 = \sum_{i=1}^{n} \left( \frac{\partial f}{\partial x_i} \right)^2 \sigma_i^2 + 2 \sum_{i < j} \frac{\partial f}{\partial x_i} \frac{\partial f}{\partial x_j} \, \text{cov}(x_i, x_j) $$ For **uncorrelated errors**, this simplifies to the **Root-Sum-of-Squares (RSS)** formula: $$ \sigma_f = \sqrt{\sum_{i=1}^{n} \left( \frac{\partial f}{\partial x_i} \right)^2 \sigma_i^2} $$ ### Applications in Semiconductor Manufacturing - **Critical Dimension (CD) variations**: Feature size deviations from target - **Overlay errors**: Misalignment between lithography layers - **Film thickness variations**: Deposition uniformity issues - **Doping concentration variations**: Implant dose and energy fluctuations ## 2. Process Chain Error Accumulation Semiconductor manufacturing involves hundreds of sequential process steps. Errors propagate through the chain in different modes: ### 2.1 Additive Error Accumulation Used for overlay alignment between layers: $$ E_{\text{total}} = \sum_{i=1}^{n} \varepsilon_i $$ $$ \sigma_{\text{total}}^2 = \sum_{i=1}^{n} \sigma_i^2 \quad \text{(if uncorrelated)} $$ ### 2.2 Multiplicative Error Accumulation Used for etch selectivity, deposition rates, and gain factors: $$ G_{\text{total}} = \prod_{i=1}^{n} G_i $$ $$ \frac{\sigma_G}{G} \approx \sqrt{\sum_{i=1}^{n} \left( \frac{\sigma_{G_i}}{G_i} \right)^2} $$ ### 2.3 Error Accumulation Modes - **Additive**: Errors sum directly (overlay, thickness) - **Multiplicative**: Errors compound through products (gain, selectivity) - **Compensating**: Rare cases where errors cancel - **Nonlinear interactions**: Complex dependencies requiring simulation ## 3. Hierarchical Variance Decomposition Total variation decomposes across spatial and temporal hierarchies: $$ \sigma_{\text{total}}^2 = \sigma_{\text{lot}}^2 + \sigma_{\text{wafer}}^2 + \sigma_{\text{die}}^2 + \sigma_{\text{within-die}}^2 $$ ### Variance Sources by Level | Level | Sources | |-------|---------| | **Lot-to-lot** | Incoming material, chamber conditioning, recipe drift | | **Wafer-to-wafer** | Slot position, thermal gradients, handling | | **Die-to-die** | Across-wafer uniformity, lens field distortion | | **Within-die** | Pattern density, microloading, proximity effects | ### Variance Component Analysis For $N$ measurements $y_{ijk}$ (lot $i$, wafer $j$, site $k$): $$ y_{ijk} = \mu + L_i + W_{ij} + \varepsilon_{ijk} $$ Where: - $\mu$ = grand mean - $L_i \sim N(0, \sigma_L^2)$ = lot effect - $W_{ij} \sim N(0, \sigma_W^2)$ = wafer effect - $\varepsilon_{ijk} \sim N(0, \sigma_\varepsilon^2)$ = residual ## 4. Yield Mathematics ### 4.1 Poisson Defect Model (Random Defects) $$ Y = e^{-D_0 A} $$ Where: - $D_0$ = defect density (defects/cm²) - $A$ = die area (cm²) ### 4.2 Negative Binomial Model (Clustered Defects) More realistic for actual manufacturing: $$ Y = \left( 1 + \frac{D_0 A}{\alpha} \right)^{-\alpha} $$ Where: - $\alpha$ = clustering parameter - $\alpha \to \infty$ recovers Poisson model - Smaller $\alpha$ = more clustering ### 4.3 Total Yield $$ Y_{\text{total}} = Y_{\text{defect}} \times Y_{\text{parametric}} $$ ### 4.4 Parametric Yield Integration over the multi-dimensional acceptable parameter space: $$ Y_{\text{parametric}} = \int \int \cdots \int_{\text{spec}} f(p_1, p_2, \ldots, p_n) \, dp_1 \, dp_2 \cdots dp_n $$ For Gaussian parameters with specs at $\pm k\sigma$: $$ Y_{\text{parametric}} \approx \left[ \text{erf}\left( \frac{k}{\sqrt{2}} \right) \right]^n $$ ## 5. Edge Placement Error (EPE) Critical metric at advanced nodes combining multiple error sources: $$ EPE^2 = \left( \frac{\Delta CD}{2} \right)^2 + OVL^2 + \left( \frac{LER}{2} \right)^2 $$ ### EPE Components - $\Delta CD$ = Critical dimension error - $OVL$ = Overlay error - $LER$ = Line edge roughness ### Extended EPE Model Including additional terms: $$ EPE^2 = \left( \frac{\Delta CD}{2} \right)^2 + OVL^2 + \left( \frac{LER}{2} \right)^2 + \sigma_{\text{mask}}^2 + \sigma_{\text{etch}}^2 $$ ## 6. Overlay Error Modeling Overlay at any point $(x, y)$ is modeled as: $$ OVL(x, y) = \vec{T} + R\theta + M \cdot \vec{r} + \text{HOT} $$ ### Overlay Components - $\vec{T} = (T_x, T_y)$ = Translation - $R\theta$ = Rotation - $M$ = Magnification - $\text{HOT}$ = Higher-Order Terms (lens distortions, wafer non-flatness) ### Overlay Budget (RSS) $$ OVL_{\text{budget}}^2 = OVL_{\text{tool}}^2 + OVL_{\text{process}}^2 + OVL_{\text{wafer}}^2 + OVL_{\text{mask}}^2 $$ ### 10-Parameter Overlay Model $$ \begin{aligned} dx &= T_x + R_x \cdot y + M_x \cdot x + N_x \cdot x \cdot y + \ldots \\ dy &= T_y + R_y \cdot x + M_y \cdot y + N_y \cdot x \cdot y + \ldots \end{aligned} $$ ## 7. Stochastic Effects in EUV Lithography At EUV wavelengths (13.5 nm), photon shot noise becomes fundamental. ### Photon Statistics Photons per pixel follow Poisson distribution: $$ N \sim \text{Poisson}(\bar{N}) $$ $$ \sigma_N = \sqrt{\bar{N}} $$ ### Relative Dose Fluctuation $$ \frac{\sigma_N}{\bar{N}} = \frac{1}{\sqrt{\bar{N}}} $$ ### Stochastic Failure Probability $$ P_{\text{fail}} \propto \exp\left( -\frac{E}{E_{\text{threshold}}} \right) $$ ### RLS Triangle Trade-off - **R**esolution - **L**ine edge roughness (LER) - **S**ensitivity (dose) $$ LER \propto \frac{1}{\sqrt{\text{Dose}}} \propto \frac{1}{\sqrt{N_{\text{photons}}}} $$ ## 8. Spatial Correlation Modeling Errors are spatially correlated. Modeled using variograms or correlation functions. ### Variogram $$ \gamma(h) = \frac{1}{2} E\left[ (Z(x+h) - Z(x))^2 \right] $$ ### Correlation Function $$ \rho(h) = \frac{\text{cov}(Z(x+h), Z(x))}{\text{var}(Z(x))} $$ ### Common Correlation Models | Model | Formula | |-------|---------| | **Exponential** | $\rho(h) = \exp\left( -\frac{h}{\lambda} \right)$ | | **Gaussian** | $\rho(h) = \exp\left( -\left( \frac{h}{\lambda} \right)^2 \right)$ | | **Spherical** | $\rho(h) = 1 - \frac{3h}{2\lambda} + \frac{h^3}{2\lambda^3}$ for $h \leq \lambda$ | ### Implications - Nearby devices are more correlated → better matching for analog - Correlation length $\lambda$ determines effective samples per die - Extreme values are less severe than independent variation suggests ## 9. Process Capability and Tail Statistics ### Process Capability Index $$ C_{pk} = \min \left[ \frac{USL - \mu}{3\sigma}, \frac{\mu - LSL}{3\sigma} \right] $$ ### Defect Rates vs. Cpk (Gaussian) | $C_{pk}$ | PPM Outside Spec | Sigma Level | |----------|------------------|-------------| | 1.00 | ~2,700 | 3σ | | 1.33 | ~63 | 4σ | | 1.67 | ~0.6 | 5σ | | 2.00 | ~0.002 | 6σ | ### Extreme Value Statistics For $n$ independent samples from distribution $F(x)$, the maximum follows: $$ P(M_n \leq x) = [F(x)]^n $$ For large $n$, converges to Generalized Extreme Value (GEV): $$ G(x) = \exp\left\{ -\left[ 1 + \xi \left( \frac{x - \mu}{\sigma} \right) \right]^{-1/\xi} \right\} $$ ### Critical Insight For a chip with $10^{10}$ transistors: $$ P_{\text{chip fail}} = 1 - (1 - P_{\text{transistor fail}})^{10^{10}} \approx 10^{10} \cdot P_{\text{transistor fail}} $$ Even $P_{\text{transistor fail}} = 10^{-11}$ matters! ## 10. Sensitivity Analysis and Error Attribution ### Sensitivity Coefficient $$ S_i = \frac{\partial Y}{\partial \sigma_i} \times \frac{\sigma_i}{Y} $$ ### Variance Contribution $$ \text{Contribution}_i = \frac{\left( \frac{\partial f}{\partial x_i} \right)^2 \sigma_i^2}{\sigma_f^2} \times 100\% $$ ### Bayesian Root Cause Attribution $$ P(\text{cause} \mid \text{observation}) = \frac{P(\text{observation} \mid \text{cause}) \cdot P(\text{cause})}{P(\text{observation})} $$ ### Pareto Analysis Steps 1. Compute variance contribution from each source 2. Rank sources by contribution 3. Focus improvement on top contributors 4. Verify improvement with updated measurements ## 11. Monte Carlo Simulation Methods Due to complexity and nonlinearity, Monte Carlo methods are essential. ### Algorithm ``` FOR i = 1 to N_samples: 1. Sample process parameters: p_i ~ distributions 2. Simulate device/circuit: y_i = f(p_i) 3. Store result: Y[i] = y_i END FOR Compute statistics from Y[] ``` ### Key Advantages - Captures non-Gaussian behavior - Handles nonlinear transfer functions - Reveals correlations between outputs - Provides full distribution, not just moments ### Sample Size Requirements For estimating probability $p$ of rare events: $$ N \geq \frac{1 - p}{p \cdot \varepsilon^2} $$ Where $\varepsilon$ is the desired relative error. For $p = 10^{-6}$ with 10% error: $N \approx 10^8$ samples ## 12. Design-Technology Co-Optimization (DTCO) Error propagation feeds back into design rules: $$ \text{Design Margin} = k \times \sigma_{\text{total}} $$ Where $k$ depends on required yield and number of instances. ### Margin Calculation For yield $Y$ over $N$ instances: $$ k = \Phi^{-1}\left( Y^{1/N} \right) $$ Where $\Phi^{-1}$ is the inverse normal CDF. ### Example - Target yield: 99% - Number of gates: $10^9$ - Required: $k \approx 7\sigma$ per gate ## 13. Key Mathematical Insights ### Insight 1: RSS Dominates Budgets Uncorrelated errors add in quadrature: $$ \sigma_{\text{total}} = \sqrt{\sigma_1^2 + \sigma_2^2 + \cdots + \sigma_n^2} $$ **Implication**: Reducing the largest contributor gives the most improvement. ### Insight 2: Tails Matter More Than Means High-volume manufacturing lives in the $6\sigma$ tails where: - Gaussian assumptions break down - Extreme value statistics become essential - Rare events dominate yield loss ### Insight 3: Nonlinearity Creates Surprises Even Gaussian inputs produce non-Gaussian outputs: $$ Y = f(X) \quad \text{where } X \sim N(\mu, \sigma^2) $$ If $f$ is nonlinear, $Y$ is not Gaussian. ### Insight 4: Correlations Can Help or Hurt - **Positive correlations**: Worsen tail probabilities - **Negative correlations**: Can provide compensation - **Designed-in correlations**: Can dramatically improve yield ### Insight 5: Scaling Amplifies Relative Error $$ \text{Relative Error} = \frac{\sigma}{\text{Feature Size}} $$ A 1 nm variation: - 5% of 20 nm feature - 10% of 10 nm feature - 20% of 5 nm feature ## 14. Summary Equations ### Core Error Propagation $$ \sigma_f^2 = \sum_i \left( \frac{\partial f}{\partial x_i} \right)^2 \sigma_i^2 $$ ### Yield (Negative Binomial) $$ Y = \left( 1 + \frac{D_0 A}{\alpha} \right)^{-\alpha} $$ ### Edge Placement Error $$ EPE = \sqrt{\left( \frac{\Delta CD}{2} \right)^2 + OVL^2 + \left( \frac{LER}{2} \right)^2} $$ ### Process Capability $$ C_{pk} = \min \left[ \frac{USL - \mu}{3\sigma}, \frac{\mu - LSL}{3\sigma} \right] $$ ### Stochastic LER $$ LER \propto \frac{1}{\sqrt{N_{\text{photons}}}} $$

error rate tracking,monitoring

Monitor frequency and types of errors.

error-resilient systems, design

Systems tolerating occasional errors.

escalation procedure, quality & reliability

Escalation procedures define authority levels and timing for issue resolution.

escape,quality

Defective part that passes testing.

esd (electrostatic discharge),esd,electrostatic discharge,reliability

Sudden voltage spike that can damage chips.

esd audit, esd, quality

Verify ESD controls are effective.

esd awareness training, esd, quality

Educate personnel about ESD.

esd clamp, esd, design

Circuit clamping voltage during ESD.

esd footwear, esd, facility

Conductive shoes for grounding.

esd mats, esd, facility

Grounded work surfaces.

esd packaging, esd, packaging

Protect devices during transport.

esd protection network, esd, design

On-chip ESD protection circuits.

esd protection, esd, manufacturing operations

ESD protection uses grounded wrist straps mats and ionizers preventing discharge.

esd protection,design

On-chip structures to shunt ESD current safely.

esd testing (electrostatic discharge),esd testing,electrostatic discharge,reliability

Simulate electrostatic discharge events.

esd window, esd, design

Operating range for ESD protection.

esd wrist straps, esd, facility

Personal grounding for workers.

esd-safe environment, facility

Facility design minimizing ESD.

esl, esl, signal & power integrity

Equivalent Series Inductance in capacitors and interconnects increases impedance at high frequencies limiting decoupling effectiveness.

esr, esr, signal & power integrity

Equivalent Series Resistance of capacitors limits their effectiveness at high frequencies determining impedance and damping characteristics.

esrgan, esrgan, computer vision

GAN-based upscaling.