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COPY EXACTLY!What is it all about and how is it used for

Technology Transfers?

Presented by:Steve Greathouse

(Intel - Retired)President, Greathouse Solutions

Component and Electronic Packaging ConsultingHillsboro, Oregon 97123

Email: swgreath@comcast.net

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“Copy Exactly”

From Wikipedia, the web’s free encyclopediaThe ultimate acknowledgement of being adapted.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copy_Exactly

Copy Exactly is a factory strategy model developed by the computer chip manufacturer, Intel, to build new manufacturing facilities with high capacity practices already in place.

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Copy Exactly Definition:

Copy Exactly! (CE!) methodology is a process of technology development and transfer, into high volume production, which seeks to eliminate any changes or variables that impact the product output or quality.

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Copy Exactly!Intel introduced the “Copy Exactly!” strategy in the mid 1980’s. There were rapid productivity and financial gains.

Productivity increased dramatically:Estimated revenue per manufacturing employee:

- $114,000 in 1985- $461,000 in 1995

Company review increased 3x while # of factory workers decreased by 30 percent.

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Copy Exactly - CE!CE! - Copy Exactly!

A process…not an end result…that facilitates quick deployment of product or system to completion.

A historical process driven by start-ups of new processes from TD-to-Fab-to-Assembly production.

A set of organizational tools proven to produce good results.

CE! eliminates much duplication and waste.

However, it is an ongoing Management challenge.

TechCopyingMachine

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Copy Exactly!Fab, Sort, Assembly, & Test all follow a Copy Exactly philosophy. Enables delivery of identical products from multiple sites which operate as a “Virtual Factory”.

Product can be partially completed at one factory and transferred to another for completion.

Faster production ramps improve product availably, consistency, and quality.

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Philosophy… Why CE!Identical inputs to identical equipment will produce identical results

Physics Works the same anywhere in the world!

Non-identical input and equipment are unlikely to produce identical resultsEven if we achieve matching on gross measurements.

Small differences can cause BIG problems later on.

“We don’t know what we don’t know” – when we change something.

By copying inputs & equipment exactly from existing facilities to new factories, we are guaranteed identical output.

We knowingly surrender upside (“innovation”) to avoid downside.History shows downside, not upside, results from deviation.We are not technically smart enough to make changes during a transfer without unplanned negative consequences.

Protects against “losing the recipe” for a technology or process.

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Matching at Four Levels First: The physical inputs must be matched.

The energies and materials supplied to the process:ie, gas flows, temperatures, pressures, RF power, etc.

Second: data is collected at the process step outputlevel on parameters such as film thickness, resistance,composition, etc., and they are compared to results atthe R&D site.

Third: a comparison is made at the module level, using test structures such as oxide capacitors and metal serpentine patterns for Fab, bond pull, ball shear for pkgs.

Fourth: the actual product characteristics are measured and matched.

Formal statistical tests are used at each level.

Process:-Etch/Dep Rates -Thicknesses-Particles -Film Comp

Physical Inputs:-Recipes -Chemicals - Temperature-Facilities -Gases -Equipment

Module:-SEM - Die Bond-Visual -Electrical

Product:-Yield-Reliability

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Copy Exactly! : History

History of four major (Fab) process transfers spanning over 10 years

shows that CE! works(and non-CE! doesn’t!)

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Learning From Past Process Ramps

The wrong “Engineering Judgment” when deviating from the development process during transfer will collapse die yield and output and impact competitiveness.

Seemingly unimportant differences in equipment inputs can result in yield, reliability and/or performance differences.

Process technologies are so complex that traditional “Engineering Judgement” is not sufficient to prevent problems.

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“CE” Transfer Results

Traditional Transfer method for 1.0 um Using “Copy Exactly transfer method for 0.5 um

Development worked on YieldsFabs worked on output. It is now routine for new Intel factories or new technologies

to obtain equivalent yield starting with the first check-out wafer. Production quantities of products are started immediately since there is such confidence the product will be good.

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Copy Exactly! ResultsDie Yield Comparison - With/Without

CE!0 10 20 30 40 50 60

# of Months

Log

(Die

Yie

ld)

With Copy Exactly!Intel 0.5µm; P852

Without Copy Exactly!Intel 1µm; P648

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Copy Exactly!New Equipment Differences:Each new piece of equipment in the factory is treated as a change, and is subject to change control.Audits are conducted and an Equipment Difference Form is prepared for each. This form documents the actual difference, what risks it might pose, and the corrective action plan. This is formally reviewed by management in the JET meetings.

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Copy Exactly!Audits:An audit is a formal procedure whereby engineers from R&D and from production, audit both lines.These audits are required and scheduled as part of

the technology transfer and are ongoing for a lengthy period thereafter.A report is written for each audit, detailing plans

to correct all differences found.

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Copy Exactly! - DocumentationUniversal specifications:Since the equipment, process recipes, and procedures are all the same at all factories, the documents used for training and manufacturing operations will be the same.No duplication of training groups writing separate documentation.All operators & engineers worldwide are members of the same virtual factory with same training. If problems arise, a worldwide group of experts can address the problem (on a 24 hr per day basis) until resolved.

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Copy Exactly! Technology Transfers

TD Dev Site

Factory #1 Factory

#2

Factory #3 TD Dev

Site

HubFactory

Factory #1

Factory #2

Factory #3

Model for bringing up several factories on same process at same time.

Model for bringing up several factories on same process at different or staggered times. Allows TD site to move onto next generation products.

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Copy Exactly!-- An Ongoing Management Challenge-

Employees give“Reasons We Can’t do CE!”Whenever CE! is tried with new people in a new factory, we hear:

“We don’t need to copy this because we understand the impact of deviations.”(or...”because this is obviously trivial.”)“We can’t copy this because it will require too much money/time/effort.”“We agreed to not copy this item by mutual agreement.”“We shouldn’t copy because it reduces innovation.”“We shouldn’t copy because we have a much better idea here.”“We are used to bringing our product up from scratch”

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Management Challenge -Reasons We Can’t CE!

Experience has shown that:These issues can all be overcome.We are not smart enough to pick and choose what to copy without making mistakes.Constant Management vigilance and reassurance is required to overcome these objections and ensure CE!

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Innovation and Copy Exactly!

Copy Exactly! is meant to control, not stifle, change.Copy Exactly! means change must happen for the process as a whole, not the individual or group or system.A well-defined process exists for affecting changes:

Site originator proposes changes to Joint Engineering Team (JET)management & working group (WG).WG decides whether to proceed, based on VF, process, or product requirements.Originator collects data from several sites and other process owners to validate change. Originator prepares White Paper.White Paper is approved by Change Control Board managers and process engineers.Change is implemented simultaneously in all plantsResults are tracked and results reported via SPC monitoring to .

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Copy Exactly!Management Issues

The system has many steps and requires negotiation skills by the originator.The system can seem overwhelming, that it discourages innovation, or encourages undercover changes.While issues directly impacting factory indicators get addressed quickly, other types of issues may be deprioritized.Rapid yield improvement in CE! virtual factories proves the system can and does work, but it may need adjustment from time to time.

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Copy EXACTLY!Work Around

Simply stated: Everything which might affectthe process, or how it is run. is to be copied down to thefinest detail, unless it is physically impossible to do.

Sometimes there are issues that prevent an exact copy being made:

For example, in Europe the supply voltage and frequency can be different than the U.S. Some countries do not allow the some chemical types to be imported.

In these cases, specific DOE’s are run to correlate the impact and thoroughly evaluate what this input has on the resulted product.

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Copy Exactly! Suppliers

Getting “designed in” to a new process can be an overwhelming and very long ordeal. However, the outcome is that all new product will be built using the same materials and with the same equipment worldwide.Therefore, worldwide support is a requirement to be considered as a potential supplier. Potential downside:

A bad batch of chemicals distributed worldwide can shut the whole company down – manufacturer is libel.

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Copy Exactly - ConclusionConclusionThe Copy EXACTLY! method has proven itself as an extremely effective technique for semiconductor technology and process transfers. New process flow and products can be introduced to production inminimum time with equivalent yields and with minimal product-quality issues.Both manufacturer and customers can reduce their time to market.

This approach could equally be employed in other industries where the technology is complex and has many interacting variables affecting the end result.

The concept can be successfully expanded to cover all systems used in manufacturing or almost any product.

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SummaryCopy Exactly! :

Higher yields immediately. Product delivered to market faster. Lower training and engineering costs.

Larger worldwide group of trained engineers available quickly. Reduced implementation costs

Streamlined equipment purchase process.

Resulting in: More profit for company & lower cost to consumer.

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Further References

Intel Quality System Handbookhttp://www.intel.com/intel/quality/isyh.htm

“The Evolution of Intel's Copy EXACTLY! Technology Transfer Method”, Chris J. McDonald, Intel SEMATECHSeveral articles on the www.Intel.com web site on Copy Exactly!.

Duplicate a masterpiece