Optimization of integrated circuit design with respect to yield

In general, product design can be viewed as an optimization problem, where the objective is some measure of performance or life cycle cost. An important feature of integrated circuit fabrication that has no apparent analog in other industries is the need to consider the net yield of the fabrication process during the design phase of product development. This paper discusses the problem of optimal circuit design with respect to yield, which has become an important application for nonlinear optimization techniques.