Markov random fields for pattern extraction in analog wafer test data

In semiconductor industry it is of paramount importance to check whether a manufactured device fulfills all quality specifications and is therefore suitable for being sold to the customer. The occurrence of specific spatial patterns within the so-called wafer test data, i.e. analog electric measurements, might point out on production issues. However, the shape of these critical patterns is unknown. In this paper different kinds of process patterns are extracted from wafer test data by an image processing approach using Markov Random Field models for image restoration. The goal is to develop an automated procedure to identify visible patterns in wafer test data to improve pattern matching. This step is a necessary precondition for a subsequent root-cause analysis of these patterns. The developed pattern extraction algorithm yields a more accurate discrimination between distinct patterns, resulting in an improved pattern comparison than in the original dataset. In a next step pattern classification will be applied to improve the production process control.