Generative AI-Driven Data Augmentation for Robust Virtual Metrology: GANs, VAEs, and Diffusion Models

Abstract

Advanced semiconductor manufacturing increasingly depends on Virtual Metrology (VM) for real-time quality monitoring, yet conventional data-driven models rarely capture the scarce or extreme process conditions critical for robust predictions. We propose a Multi-Stage Constrained Data Generative Augmentation (MSC-DGA) framework that integrates Variational Autoencoders (VAE), Normalizing Flows, and Constrained Diffusion to systematically expand coverage of seldom-seen regimes. By embedding strict engineering constraints during generation and applying a two-stage quality filter, MSC-DGA ensures physically plausible synthetic samples. We further present theoretical proofs showing that multi-stage generation can approximate complex sensor distributions while enforcing domain validity, thereby improving coverage and preserving essential process physics. Empirically, we demonstrate the approach on real WBG SiC data, incorporating these curated samples into a Generative Foundation Model (GFA-VM) with few-shot fine-tuning and uncertainty-based active sampling, yielding significant accuracy gains for rarely observed conditions. Experiments confirm notable performance improvements over single-stage augmentation and naive oversampling. By rigorously balancing distribution realism with engineering feasibility, MSC-DGA offers a practical and theoretically grounded advancement for VM, enhancing adaptive control and product quality in next-generation power semiconductor manufacturing.