Test Structures For Variability

In order to arrive at the quantitative understanding of most of the variability mechanisms discussed in Chapters 2 and 3, they need to be characterized empirically for a specific semiconductor process. A large number of features of a semiconductor process influence the magnitude and the specific behavior of variability mechanisms, making it impossible to predict them from first principles. The growing number and complexity of variability mechanisms increase the importance of methods for their empirical characterization. In this chapter, we study the measurement techniques for characterization of variability. This is followed by the discussion of statistical analysis and modeling methods crucial for properly interpreting the results of the measurements.