Tighter process control and reduced cycle times using off-line recipe setup

To reduce work-in-process cycle time, engineering support time, and any measurement error in its process, Analog Devices has begun to implement off-line recipe creation. This allows the process engineers to create recipes long before the first lot of a new device gets to the factory floor, thus reducing "hot lot" cycle time, and improving process control through better recipe management. Now, all recipes for a given layer can be generated from the same template, eliminating differences caused by engineer-to-engineer variations in recipe set up. Engineering support time has been reduced and system availability has increased for recipes created in this manner, leaving more time for process engineers to pursue other projects. An added benefit is that process engineers are now able to schedule the time that they use to create recipes rather than being called to the metrology tool at random times to move a "hot lot".