dppm

**DPPM** (Defective Parts Per Million) is the **primary quality metric measuring the rate of defective devices shipped to customers** — calculated as $DPPM = frac{ ext{defective parts}}{ ext{total shipped}} imes 10^6$, representing the outgoing quality level of manufactured semiconductor products. **DPPM Context** - **Automotive**: Target <1 DPPM — extremely stringent, requiring multiple layers of screening and testing. - **Consumer**: Target <10-50 DPPM — less stringent than automotive but still demanding. - **Industrial**: Target <5-20 DPPM — varies by application criticality. - **Calculation Period**: Typically measured quarterly or annually — smooths statistical variation. **Why It Matters** - **Customer Expectation**: Customers specify maximum acceptable DPPM — failure to meet targets risks losing business. - **Cost of Quality**: Lower DPPM requires more testing, screening, and inspection — balance quality cost with target level. - **Improvement**: DPPM improvement requires systematic defect reduction, test coverage improvement, and burn-in optimization. **DPPM** is **the quality scorecard** — the universal metric for semiconductor outgoing quality measured in defective parts per million shipped.