Perspectives on artificial intelligence for plasma-assisted manufacturing in semiconductor industry

Modern semiconductor processes are estimated to generate about 1 TB/tool/day of data, including sensor data, event data, alarm data, and recipe information, amongst others. With the advent of advanced tool sensing capabilities and product metrology, smart manufacturing practices are poised to create unprecedented opportunities for the semiconductor industry. This chapter provides an overview of the applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in the lifecycle of plasma-assisted etch and deposition processes, which are central to the manufacture of semiconductor chips. AI applications are rapidly proliferating in the semiconductor industry with the goals of accelerating the time-to-market of new processes and products, as well as the relentless drive for greater productivity and yield.