Process equipment particle control with inline inspection

Particles from process equipment have serious effects on the yield and profitability of a manufacturing facility. With a more advanced inspection tool, more particles are detected, but it is too costly to try to eliminate them all. It is necessary to identify the sources of the highest yield-killing defects to prioritize the efforts for effective yield improvement. This paper reviews the causes of process equipment particle and discusses the strategies and methodologies to achieve the goal of particle reduction for effective yield improvement.