The demand for the company’s semiconductor chips increased because increased requirements for laptops, mobile devices, and gaming consoles used in remote work, education, and entertainment had increased. It has been a battle for semiconductor companies to satisfy variety demands, such as automotive, consumer electronics, cryptocurrency mining, and energy needs. Let’s understand the game of semiconductor yield.
What is Yield?
Production yield is the one parameter in wafer processing cost control that matters most.1 It affects output per input resource unit, waste generation, environmental and financial sustainability, time to market, and costs. Therefore, yield improvements give a significant competitive edge, which is crucial in today’s uncertain economy.
The factors influencing the yield:
Cost
Yield is simply the fraction of working devices on a silicon wafer. Thus, the yield rate is a critical parameter in an industry characterized by exorbitant production costs. High yields mean more functional chips per wafer and a lower cost per chip. It applies aptly in relation to the fixed and high expenditures involved in setting up and running semiconductor fabrication plants (FABs). On the other hand, low yields cause a drastic increase in the cost per working chip and hit the business badly.
Supply and Demand
Yield rates have a far-reaching impact on cost-effectiveness and form the pool of chips injected into the market. In boom times, such as during technological explosions and shortages, the ability to produce high yields can be economically game changing. Poor yields may compromise any existing supply shortages and create much greater market imbalances.
Quality
High-magnitude investments into quality control and process optimization yield high and constant yield. In the short time, these high investments may not be economically attractive, but in the long run, they yield high economic benefits. To yield few defects and high yields, investments in quality control can bring better returns on investments. The continuous cycle of investment and improvement characterizes SEMI as an efficiency-oriented industry.
Developments
The driving force underlining research and development in the semiconductor industry is the quest for improved yield-which has kept going about the development of technologies and processes that will improve yield. Research work on improving yields involves more than a continuing incremental improvement to existing processes. It also encompasses radical innovations in new manufacturing technologies and materials. This aspect of the economics of yield accounts for a large share of the industry’s investment in their future capabilities.
Highly Advanced Nodes
This trend towards the ultra-advanced technology nodes (smaller feature sizes in semiconductors) further complicates the maintenance of high yields. The economic stakes are also high in these advanced nodes, where even a small number of defects or low yield can have an adverse effect.
Though the semiconductor industry continues to have tempestuous changes both technologically and with respect to market demand, it is clear that understanding and optimizing semiconductor yield will be key to economic success and sustainability within the industry. This shows a metric that may seem technical at first, but can have a very real and profound potential impact on the broader economy and environment in which semiconductor manufacturing happens. Henceforth, it opens up avenues for future students and professionals to learn and research careers around them.
