Bulletproofing new product fab implementation

A detailed procedural flow and checklist used in bringing new products into the United Technologies Microelectronics Center (UTMC) foundry fab are presented. Rigorous adherence to this standardized flow has been found critical to achieving first-pass success on new products not designed to fit within the existing manufacturing technology. The UTMC foundry frequently must run new products not originally designed for its specific manufacturing facilities and processes. This regular input of new products has required the UTMC foundry to implement rigorous processes and procedures to meet customer requirements and assure first pass success. This drove deployment of a checklist procedure to accommodate these needs. The lessons learned are applicable to any facility that must occasionally absorb a new product or nonstandard customer request, including requests from internal customers. The flow and checklists provide a `how to´ step-by-step approach for foundries to avoid the numerous potential pitfalls associated with a new product or customer design. Of several new products per quarter, none were identical in either technological or manufacturing flow. Development of the above checklist methodology allowed running these new products while avoiding technical and administrative problems or surprises