"It is very rewarding. Some of the things I find in data can help Micron save a lot of money and become even more competitive in the memory industry." –Susan, SPC Coordinator
What do you do in your position?
I am the Statistical Process Control Coordinator for all of fab 1 here at Micron. Every Monday, I meet with engineers from the photo, etch, and diffusion processes to discuss their area's critical SPC charts and try to identify ways to make the process better. I organize the data, prepare the statistics and present them in an understandable, useful manner. Engineers take this information and make decisions based on it.
Currently I track about 120 charts from the photo process, about 50 charts from etch and maybe 30 really critical diffusion charts. The engineers in photo use SPC data to make sure that the steppers and scanners are at the right doses for their critical dimensions (CDs). A CD is a critical spot on the wafer that needs to be a certain size for the device/memory/semiconductor to work. If a CD measurement is too high or too low, we try to identify the source of the deviation or variation - whether it's man, machine, method, materials, metrology or Mother Nature - and make the necessary adjustments.
Generally any bad data we record is accompanied by a comment. If there is no comment, then we may have to contact the specific area for more information. Tracking CDs in the photo process improves the quality of our product and reduces scrap costs. We have similar charts for diffusion where we examine the amount of materials deposited on the wafers to make sure it's not too thick or too thin.
I am also part of the RDA group which reports defect contamination across all the tools in the fab and test. We try to identify which tools are causing the contamination and electrical defects. Sometimes, we find one tool is responsible for most of the defects. We try to identify this "lemon" so it gets the attention it deserves. Keeping track of all these tools takes a lot of programming and automation. To do it, we maintain over 1,200 graphs on the Web. It's not all about data analysis, though. A lot of our job involves ensuring the data we present is accurate. We work with multiple databases, platforms and programming languages.
How or why did you decide to enter a technical career?
I had originally considered being a math teacher but decided I wanted some real world experiences before entering that field. I have never regretted my decision to explore the more technical side of mathematics and engineering. It is very rewarding, and each day is filled with new challenges.
What do you like about your job?
Give an example of an interesting project or opportunity.
I like the fact that I get to do a lot of different things. Some days I am a computer programmer adding graphs and charts to our Web pages so that other engineers can evaluate their processes. Other times, I am a mathematician calculating statistics and comparing engineering tests. I am always helping others analyze their data and showing them how understanding statistics and mathematics can help them maximize their results. It is very rewarding. Some of the things I find in data can help Micron save a lot of money and become even more competitive in the memory industry.
What high school courses helped you prepare for your job or
college program?
In high school, I took as much math and science as I could. At the time, I didn't know what field I wanted to go into, but I wanted to make sure that I had every choice available. Mathematics became more interesting as a career choice after I started tutoring others.
What post high school education did you pursue?
From high school, I went directly on to college at the University of Idaho. Within four years, I had my B. S. in applied mathematics with a computer science minor. I didn't take too many theoretical classes but focused on the ones that had real-life applications like computer programming.
Sometimes, I wish I had considered engineering more thoroughly. Maybe eventually I will go back for a better engineering background or an advanced degree in C. S.
What advice would you give a student interested in pursuing a technical career?
Stick to the fundamentals. Math and the sciences are a good start. If you don't get the basics handled now, it may be harder after you have stopped learning on a daily basis in high school. Remember, everybody struggles. To do well, you need to enjoy a challenge and want to learn. Pursue an internship as soon as you can. They pay well and are an awesome experience.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I love working here at Micron. The foothills are a play area after a long day's work. I live 20-40 minutes from mountain biking and hiking in the summer and snowboarding in the winter. There are a lot of people here in Boise my age. We go out at least once a week to listen to bands downtown or catch movies and dinner.
Education: Statistical Process Control (SPC) Coordinator
Degrees typically sought for this position are Bachelor of Science in mathematics.
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