CONCEPTS IN COMPETITIVE MICROELECTRONICS MANUFACTURING

While progress in the microelectronics industry is gated by the fronti ers of high technology and its underlying science, competitiveness in this industry is determined at least as much by how effectively the re levant science and engineering are integrated to address those issues central to manufacturing. Competitive manufacturing places a premium o n such factors as rapid learning in technology development and yield e nhancement, process and factory control, minimization of capital costs , and equipment and product reliability, all factors which synthesize the individual science and engineering elements associated with microe lectronics technology. This paper is a primer for research aimed at im pacting microelectronics manufacturing science and technology. After p resenting an over-view of competitiveness requirements for manufacturi ng, it focuses on strategic elements: advanced process equipment, proc ess/materials characterization and real time process control, defect i dentification/control and reliability, three-dimensional processing an d manufacturability, and process integration.