Implementation of Trusted Manufacturing & AI-based process optimization into microelectronic manufacturing research environments

Digitization is one of the hot topics in all Industry 4.0 efforts that are currently discussed. Often the focus is on digitization of business processes with a financial/organizational perspective on manufacturing, so the tools are adapting to enterprise resource planning [ERP] and manufacturing execution system [MES] rather than on actual manufacturing issues on the shop floor. Within the SiEvEI 4.0 project, a research consortium from the area of electronics manufacturing is working on digitization for a manufacturing scenario where high value electronic goods are built in a distributed manufacturing environment. The key research topics addressed are the implementation of a Chain of Trust [CoT] for such a distributed manufacturing, i.e. and the application of artificial intelligence/machine learning to analyze and eventually optimize manufacturing processes. The paper will introduce the concept of both COT and AI-based process analysis that will later on transferred into a microelectronics production environment. Two reference processes are targeted, SMD assembly using fully automated manufacturing equipment and Solder Ball Application using a high-mix/low volume concept. As a result, the paper presents a concept of how to digitize manufacturing processes and use this digital description of a process combination to make a distributed manufacturing flow safe and increase product/process quality.