Stephen Pateras and Jaffer Hussain
LogicVision

The viability of the semiconductor IC industry is based on a continued decrease in the average cost per transistor. The largest factor affecting transistor costs moving forward relates to semiconductor yield. Both the attainable volume yield level and the time to achieve this level (time-to-yield) have significant effects on the cost of a semiconductor product. There is growing acceptance that the current shift to 90nm process nodes will have a significant effect on both nominal yield levels as well as time-to-yield numbers. To ensure that the average cost per transistor keeps declining, new and more evolved yield management approaches are needed. This paper demonstrates that LogicVision's products and technologies deliver unique advanced yield learning capabilities that provide multiple benefits to users.