Antonelli, Terry, Stout & Kraus, LLP
System for quality control where inspection frequency of inspection apparatus is reset to minimize expected total loss based on derived frequency function and loss value
 Inspection apparatuses of an inspection apparatus group are connected to a network and transfer inspected result to a data collection system. The same wafer selected from a specific process is inspected by the different inspection apparatuses and the inspected data are collected and analyzed to calculate a correlation degree among the inspection apparatuses. On the other hand, the course of occurrence of failures in the same process can be analyzed to thereby calculate an average occurrence frequency of failures. An optimum inspection apparatus and inspection frequency are successively obtained on the basis of calculated results of an inter-apparatus correlation degree calculation process and a failure occurrence frequency calculation process, so that a feeding method of wafers to the inspection apparatus group is indicated through an inspection apparatus group management system. In the manufacturing of electronic components, complicated conditions such as the optimum inspection apparatus to be applied, the inspection frequency and the like can be set easily and the expected total loss value can be minimized to improve the economical efficiency of inspection remarkably. 
Hitachi, Ltd. Hitachi Electronics Engineering Co., Ltd.
H G Y H H
H01L G05B Y02P H01L H01L
additional inventional additional inventional additional
Naoki Tetsuya Masataka Toshimitsu Kenji Toshiaki Takahiro Seiji
Go Watanabe Shiba Hamada Watanabe Yachi Jingu Ishikawa