Is anyone doing single device tracking?

It turns out that that this question has two answers.

Single device tracking can mean a unique identifier burned into a device's memory at the wafer level. This interpretation of single device tracking has been in place for many years especially for CPUs and memories.

However, single device tracking for multi-chip packages in which the unique identifier marked on the package can be used to trace all the devices within the package back through the assembly process to the wafer (Id + XY) is new. To achieve this requires coherent data representation across multiple process steps such that that defined in the SEMI E142 standard. The first such system based on SEMI E142 went live in 2009. Several more are in various stages of development.

Full disclosure

It will come as no surprise that, in my day job, I am affiliated with solution providers for these SEMI Traceability standards. So, in the spirit of transparency and full disclosure, let me explain my affiliations. I am the founder and CEO of Kinesys Software and the CTO of the new joint venture Kinesys Test Advantage.

Why a blog about SEMI Traaceability Standards?

Once a standard is published there is always an awkward period during which potential beneficiaries of the standard are either unaware of the standard or unsure of how to deploy it. SEMI has educational programs to help with this, but sometimes people need just a few specific questions answered, not a full blown technical session with all the attendant cost and travel. Sometimes people want to know how other companies are deploying the standard. To answer this would be beyond the charter of SEMI. Of course, I am also constrained in what I can say by non-disclosure agreements. I can however provide general information about the industry trends as the standards become adopted without breaching those NDAs. Such trend information is often all that is needed for the reader to outline a strategy and go looking for an actual deployment solution.

What SEMI Traceability Standards?

I have been involved for many years in the development of standards for the Semiconductor industry mainly under the umbrella of SEMI, our industry's standards body. Most recently I have been involved with the SEMI E142 standard as chairman of the Sort Map Task Force and SEMI T20 as Technical Architect (well one of them) of the Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force. These standards, among other things, enable single device tracking through assembly and the detection and prevention of counterfeit devices entering the supply chain. These standards then are the initial topic of this blog although it may morph and extend over time.