The Significant Role Of Semiconductor Testers Playing In Manufacturing And Production

The Significant Role Of Semiconductor Testers Playing In Manufacturing And Production
The semiconductor industry continues to grow increasingly competitive. Buyers expect the best quality and high reliability levels. All of this must be delivered at the lowest possible cost. As common products have become highly reliant on semiconductors, nano-scale devices are now expected to maintain precision accuracy in complex operating environments. To achieve this, semiconductor testing has become one of the most expensive factors in overall manufacturing cost. To ensure long produce lifespans, semiconductors are expected to last from 10 to 25 years which means there cannot be any reliability related defects.
It is the responsibility of semiconductor testers to identify potential problems in product designs before the manufacturing process begins. They are also used to double-check product quality and reliability after the end product is manufactured. For example, the average car is reliant on more than 100 microcontrollers and each much operate correctly in order to ensure a safe product. As a result, semiconductor testers must be able to determine reliability in harsh and variable environments. This is the only way to deliver quality and reliability to the end customer.
The defects in a semiconductor can be broken down into two categories - software and hardware. Software defects can result from a bad design, manufacturing errors, and external disturbances. Hardware defects result from incorrect specification, manufacturing errors, external disturbances, and low quality or ineffective materials and components. Regardless of whether the problem lies in the software, hardware, or combination of both the end result is an unacceptable fault in the semiconductor.
Semiconductor testers are used throughout the product life-cycle from prototyping to end-product maintenance. The first test that takes place is known as the prototype characterization test. This is used to identify any obvious flaws in the initial design. The reason the first test takes place so early is because of the 1:10:100 rule. This rule states that the cost to fix a defect increases exponentially the later in the development lifecycle it is found. This means a defect caught in the construction phase will cost 10 times as much as if it was found in the prototype phrase. If it is caught in the production phase, it will cost 100 times the amount it would if it was found in the prototype phase.
The second test takes place following the first production. It primarily identifies flaws in the manufacturing process. The next two tests are the intermediate and final production test. Both take place at different phases of the manufacturing and product process. The final two tests are the reception and maintenance test. The reception test takes place when the client receives the final product. The maintenance test will take place multiple times throughout the products life cycle.