International Business Machines Corporation

Raymond Patrick Mallette

Albert John Wallash

Earl Albert Cunningham

Steven Harry Voss

David Malcolm Hannon

Jeffrey B Brown

Nickolas Christopher Apuzzo

Paul Sheldon Tyler

Samir Elias Abboud

James George Michael

Kathleen G Purdy

Benjamin R Bayat

A yield expectation determination is dynamically provided during manufacturing of a lot of integrated circuits. In one embodiment, the determination includes initially establishing a yield expectation for a lot, which can be based on a process grade, and adjusting the yield expectation during manufacturing based on test data from the kerf of a wafer. In addition, the yield expectation can be adjusted based on inspection data from optical and SEM inspection tools during manufacturing. Correlation coefficient models that correlate kerf data and inspection data to a yield expectation adjustment are used to dynamically adjust the yield expectation, resulting in a more accurate yield projection during manufacturing. The correlation coefficient models and/or process grade estimates are updated based on actual yield from a previous lot, thus further improving yield expectation accuracy.

Dynamically determining yield expectation

The magnetic states of MR reproducing heads are reinitialized during media drive manufacturing by applying initializing magnetic fields to the transducers after they have been manufactured and incorporated into media drive assemblies.

Magnetic reinitialization of thin film magnetoresistive reproducing

Growing community of inventors

Shelburne, VT, United States of America

Raymond Patrick Mallette