Articles on Six Sigma are often one in saying that there is no right or wrong model to adopt. The important consideration is deciding which model works for your kind of organization.
For Samsung Electronics Company’s semiconductor business, it initially chose the DMAIC model to prevent anticipated problems and gather feedback data for mass production. However, as the market began to require more LCD color, shorter response time, and lower cost, the company needed to develop a new semiconductor process. The define, measure, analyze, design and verify (DMADV) data driven quality strategy of design for Six Sigma (DFSS) subsequently became its method of choice.
DEFINE: Launch color LDI in a changing market and downsize the product?s chip size.
MEASURE: Determined the CTQs of the new process development project to focus on:
? on-time delivery
? low power consumption
? high electrical performance
? a highly reliable processANALYZE: Analyzed data to extract critical to processes (CTPs or the vital few X?s) from potential X?s, and eventually defined 11 items as CTPs (the vital few X?s)
DESIGN: Concentrated on the optimization of process and reviewed weak points. Took into account that semiconductors are not assembled the same way as refrigerators, TV and microwave ovens, which are made up of many component parts. In manufacturing a semiconductor product, a number of photos, etches, and deposition processes are carried out onto a silicon wafer. Therefore, the process greatly depends on a combination of individual procedure capabilities rather than the quality of the components.
VERIFY: Drew up the optimized control plan, including a mistake proofing method, and executed the plan systematically.
Samsung was able to prove that Six Sigma can improve semiconductor processes, and show the adaptability of DFSS methodology in a semiconductor process.
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