- Author
-
Rawie, C. C.
- Title
- Benefits and Costs of Improved Measurements: The Case of Integrated-Circuit Photomask Linewidths. Final Report.
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Washington, DC
- Report
-
NBSIR 82-2458,
May 1982,
83 p.
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Keywords
-
product inspection
|
masking
|
semiconductor devices
|
dimensional
- Identifiers
- photomasks
- Abstract
- Accurate dimensional measurements are vital to quality control in the semiconductor industry. This paper presents a method for estimating the dollar cost-savings from improving integrated-circuit photomask linewidth measurements. The method is illustrated with a case study of a hypothetical semiconductor device manufacturer who uses a Standard Reference Material (SRM) developed at the National Bureau of Standards for optical microscope calibration. Benefits of investing in improved photomask linewidth measurements include reducing disputes between mask maker and mask customer, reducing waste of good photomasks, and increasing device yields. For the hypothetical manufacturer described in the study, these benefits were much greater than costs of implementing the new measurement procedures. While the model is tailored to photomask linewidth measurements, its concepts can be applied to many other types of measurements.