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Grain sizing: making an educated guess in a complex world
Author(s) -
Stravinski Jason A.,
Sype William R.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
quality and reliability engineering international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.913
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1099-1638
pISSN - 0748-8017
DOI - 10.1002/1099-1638(200009/10)16:5<391::aid-qre347>3.0.co;2-h
Subject(s) - sizing , computer science , engineering drawing , econometrics , engineering , mathematics , art , visual arts
Semiconductor manufacturing consists of depositing and patterning several intricate layers that demand precise measurement techniques to maintain consistent process control. Assessing the measurement capability of metrology equipment routinely used to monitor process and product health is a standard activity, and for most of this equipment measurement error is small relative to natural process variation. For specialized non‐routine measurement systems gauge studies are rarely undertaken, and the magnitude of measurement error relative to natural process variation is comparatively unknown. In response to customer requests to quantify the variation in a given grain‐size measurement, a study was undertaken to determine the components of variation in the measurement process used to determine grain size. A sequence of experiments was conducted, leading to a rule‐of‐thumb that provides an adequate representation of overall measurement error. This paper describes the first of this series of designed experiments in detail, with a brief discussion of follow‐up work and operational implications. Although the models and analyses presented in this paper are not new, the emphasis on tailoring the measurement capability study to meet the needs of the laboratory and process engineers involved is, as is the ‘rule‐of‐thumb’ approach to dealing with measurement assessment. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.