August_EDFA_Digital

edfas.org ELECTRONIC DEV ICE FA I LURE ANALYSIS | VOLUME 24 NO . 3 56 if they don’t, possibly don’t know any better, or there’s simply no other choice. Can any of these selections be successfully re-engineered to meet the needs of sensi- tive tools? I took a break from the lab about 20 years ago in favor of a special assignment when my company was build- ing its first 300 mm fab line. Working with the metrology and defect detection sectors on tool selection, I quickly developed an appreciation of the team approach used to specify, buy, install, and maintain large imaging and measurement tools. There was a technical expert for all aspects of the process. The glaring faults in our labora- tory selection/purchase/install process became obvious. Comparing notes with fellowanalysts at other companies seemed to generally yield a similar story. As a community we tend to be excellent at our core job of being analysts and solving semiconductor problems. But we are not necessarily the best tool buyers, facilities engineers, or installers. We were never trained to fill those shoes. Yet too often we must figure out how to make it work. We do sowithout the skills inour toolbox, guidance, or resources. Upon return to the lab, I adopted the use of the speci- fications template and installation aids fromthe fab asmy new guide. I became more proactive in working with the suppliers and in-house experts to ensure that the stated tool specifications were correct and optimized, and we worked to exceed them in our lab build where there were concerns. Providing individual rooms for major tools customized to maintain compliance was expensive, but paid dividends in tool performance. It wasn’t uncommon for facilities build budgets to exceed $300k on $2M tools, but we became pretty successful at justifying the expen- diture and obtaining the funding. It is a hard sell the first time around. But labs that perform well and solve major problems get noticed for their accomplishments. The cost of not getting it right is equally high. When management isn’t happywith the final outcome, it only serves to harden their opposition to new tool purchases on the next cycle. Accelerated Analysis. ............................................ 56 Allied High Tech. ..............................................28-29 ASM International. ....................... Inside back cover Checkpoint Technologies................................18-19 Quantum Focus....................................................... 3 SEMICAPS.........................................................38-39 Ted Pella................................................................ 11 TESCAN USA Inc........................... Inside front cover ULTRA TEC...............................................Back cover For advertising information and rates , contact: Kelly Johanns, Business Development Manager 440.318.4702, kelly.johanns@asminternational.org Current rate card may be viewed online at asminternational.org/mediakit. INDEX OF ADVERTISERS A RESOURCE FOR TECHNICAL INFORMATION AND INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS ELECTRONIC DEVICE FAILURE ANALYSIS GUEST COLUMN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 55