Micron® Quality Manual
The Quality Management System (QMS) is an integral component in allowing Micron to achieve the next level in Quality Control and in delivering Total Quality Excellence to our customers. By taking time to understand the following process, you enable us to work more effectively and efficiently as a Global team, consequently helping Micron and its partners succeed.
1. Manual Management
This Quality Manual is the document for defining and deploying the Quality Management System (QMS) within Micron.
The manual is used to apply quality standards deemed important to meet Micron’s Quality & business needs.
1.1. Purpose and Scope
This manual provides an overview of Micron’s organization, the main quality processes, how these processes are interconnected throughout the company, expectations of employees, and where to find additional details necessary to maintain and improve quality at Micron.
The Micron Quality Manual applies to Micron’s semiconductor business, including marketing, developing, manufacturing, electrical and environmental testing, and selling memory component, module, and system products.
Practices necessary for compliance to ISO/TS16949:2009 are followed for manufacturing and supporting functions.
The document may be revised periodically and/or on an as-needed basis: updates may result from
customers’ needs, changes in the standards, and continuous efforts to improve the quality System.
2. Company Overview
Micron Technology, Inc. is a global leader in the semiconductor industry. For more than 35 years, Micron has dedicated itself to collaborating with customers and partners to engineer technology that drives innovation and transforms what’s possible.
We offer the industry’s broadest portfolio of silicon-to-semiconductor solutions—starting with foundational DRAM, NAND, and NOR Flash memory, and extending to SSDs, modules, MCPs, HMCs, and other semiconductor systems. This best-in-class technology powers leading-edge computing, consumer, enterprise server and storage, networking, embedded, automotive, industrial, and mobile products. As the only U.S.-based DRAM manufacturer, Micron leverages an expansive global footprint and proven technology leadership to make it easier for customers to try new things and gain competitive advantages in their markets.
2.1. Quality Mission and Vision
Our Quality Mission Lead and inspire world class quality through effective and efficient quality systems and services that deliver industry leading products of choice.
Our Quality Vision Making Micron the customer’s first choice for quality
2.2. Quality Policy
Micron Technology provides best in class products and services that meet our customers’ needs and expectations. We strive for total quality excellence through these principles:
Quality First
We will be proactive, transparent and collaborative.
Deliver End-to-End Quality
We will continually improve standards, systems and business processes.
Exceptional Customer Experience
We strive to be the solution provider of choice.
3. Micron Organization and Quality Function
The Vice President of Quality reports directly to the President of Micron Technology, Inc. Specific quality reporting structures include functions as depicted in Figure 1. External and Internal quality facing organizations enable us to efficiently and effectively drive Total Quality Excellence throughout the organization.
Figure 1. Micron Organization.
3.1. Quality Specific Functions
3.1.1. Japan Quality
Main point of contact and interface for championing Total Quality Excellence within the Quality organization in Japan and ensure alignment at all levels of the Japan organization.
Likewise, this function serves as point of contact for all Quality-related activities in Japan.
3.1.2. Customer Quality Experience (CQE)
This role drives quality-related proactive and reactive communication on quality KPIs, incidents and change control events. Acknowledge and drive closure of quality-related customer issues and requests. Likewise this is a key support position for customer quality audits and surveys. Internally, they act as “voice of customers’ on quality at Micron.
3.1.3. Development and Design Quality Assurance (DDQA)
This quality role deploys and manages upstream quality in technology Development. Key activities include establishing business processes to embed quality in development, establish specs and relevant documentation. Dual responsibility exists in establishing and driving business processes to embed quality in design. A key activity is to ensure design for manufacturability and to prevent impact of live die degradation.
3.1.4. Product Quality and Reliability (PQRA)
Conducts qualification and ongoing reliability monitoring ensuring internal qualification criteria is aligned with customer requirements. Responsible for performing failure analysis and provides technical support to planned and unplanned non-conforming material disposition.
3.1.5. Front-End Manufacturing Quality (FEMQA)
Includes disposition of planned and unplanned material including overseeing and following through deviation, containment, and disposition. Promotes compliance to business process and standards including ensuring compliance to customer related standards/requirements such as GSPEC. Oversees closure of corrective actions for gaps identified during audit and oversees closure of customer incidents.
3.1.6. Back-End Manufacturing Quality (BEMQA)
Includes disposition of planned and unplanned material including overseeing and following
through deviation, containment, and disposition. Promotes compliance to business process
and standards including ensuring compliance to customer related standards/requirements
and subcon compliance to change control methodology. Oversees closure of corrective
actions for gaps identified during audit and oversees closure of customer incidents.
3.1.7. System Quality and Reliability Assurance (SQRA)
Involvement includes owning system internal qualification criteria and ongoing reliability monitoring. Additional, there is responsibility for performing system failure analysis for Return Material Authorizations. And acting as technical expert and advisor.
3.1.8. Supplier Quality
Manages and deploys quality requirements including supplier quality governance for the supplier base. Manages all Supplier Quality Management activities globally and key supplier quality management processes across all Micron stakeholders. Responsibilities also include ensuring that customer requirements are appropriately considered in developing supplier quality agreements.
3.1.9. Quality Management Office (QMO)
Areas of focus includes assisting with the QMS deployment across the value chain, auditing internal/subcon/supplier quality business process/system and standards, driving global quality standards, performing and interfacing with respect to auditing (internal, external, customer, and sub-con), and design and improve business processes with inputs from content owners.
3.1.10. Quality Management Portfolio Office (QPMO)
Program manage and govern Global Quality’s (GQ) Key Initiatives portfolio along with execution of GQ focused software development/support, workforce development, and technical writing. This function also executes and maintains shipment restrictions also known as customer containment rules.
3.1.11. Subcon Quality
Defines subcon quality initial qualification criteria and execution of qualification. A key element also is to ensure change control compliance to quality processes ensure systematic continuous improvement at subcontractors aligned with overall QMS. When unplanned events occur, they oversee closure of 8D corrective actions on RMAs/incidents or to close gaps identified during audit.
4. Quality Management System
A system of processes has been identified to provide products and services that meet and exceed customers’ expectations and satisfy international standards for quality system management.
Key performance indicators (KPIs) monitor the efficiency and effectiveness of the overall quality
management system. With KPIs, process status can be measured objectively and a baseline established
to pursue continual improvement. In addition to KPIs, numerous process-specific metrics and monitors
are used by process owners to analyze aspects of performance that may contribute to these KPIs.
The sequence and interaction of these processes and the top-level interactions of Micron process categories are reported in the Micron Process Relationship Map.
Figure 2. Micron Process Relationship Map.
4.1. Management Oriented Processes
Management Oriented Processes (MOPs): are aimed at ensuring all processes are documented, measured, and reviewed by management teams to ensure alignment to Micron’s business objectives.
4.1.1. Management and Employees Responsibilities
Management is responsible for developing, implementing, and improving QMS. The Quality policy statement and objectives are established, documented, communicated, implemented, and maintained at all levels of the organization. The established objectives are communicated through individual performance and reviewed during employee performance reviews. The importance of meeting all applicable requirements (including customer, regulatory, and legal) through the continual improvement of processes, products, and services is recognized.
Management is responsible for ensuring customer requirements and expectations are fulfilled.
Employees are responsible for the quality of their work and the implementation of the policies and procedures applicable to their job function.
4.1.2. Quality Management Review
Reviews are conducted as part of Micron’s quality management system. Processes for achieving Micron’s strategic and quality objectives are reviewed for efficiency and effectiveness, identifying needed resources, and identifying further opportunities for improvements to the QMS.
Management also monitors the performance of quality objectives, and the evaluation of the cost of non-conformance.
Appropriate QMS resources are provided to maintain and update the QMS, including involvement in internal and external audits, revisions of Micron’s quality manual, improvements of the processes and procedures, and scheduling of team member training.
Reviews are conducted at the Make (manufacturing) site levels and at the Executive level for headquarters.
4.1.3. Continual Improvement
Business planning sets in place the infrastructure to ensure success of our Strategic Objectives and in turn the Micron Mission.
The accountability model includes:
Setting targets with competitive, usable metrics
Communicating objectives and progress consistently, company-wide
Support structure that enables success
Corporate level metrics, provide visibility to individual metric status and associated action plans.
4.1.3.1.
Strategic and Quality Objectives
Current Micron Strategic objectives are:
Industry’s Highest Value Bits Across the Portfolio
World Class Quality
Technology Leadership
Exceptional Customer Experience
Operational Efficiency
4.1.4. Business Planning
Aligns and tracks boundary conditions and assumption changes while addressing conflicts and risks in executing a strategy that creates a competitive advantage for Micron.
4.1.5. Quality Audit
Quality audit programs (internal, certification, customer, and sub-con audit) are performed to maintain QMS health and to assist certification programs.
4.2. Customer Oriented Processes
Customer Oriented Processes: Encompass product realization activities and are aimed at ensuring that customer requirements are captured, understood, and translated into product and services as needed by the customer.
4.2.1. Product Lifecycle Management
Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) is intended to manage an array of competitive products and technologies to enable customer solutions with a profitable portfolio.
The PLM Process is based on a phase-gate approach dividing the product lifecycle into
six phases separated by decision point gates. The PLM operating model assures the
management of the product portfolio and the performance of the process itself.
The specific activities and deliverables to enable the decision making are defined for each phase of the product's life cycle.
4.2.1.1.
Plan Phase : Finalizes the product plan, specifications, and business value to enable the informed decision to commit resources to product design.
4.2.1.2.
Design Phase : Leverages the outputs of Plan to define detailed product plans, drawings, descriptions and manufacturing/support capabilities necessary to build and evaluate the product.
4.2.1.3.
Develop Phase : Evaluates and refines the product and support capabilities to make ready for product qualification. Product is at a quality level to start qualification.
4.2.1.4.
Validate Phase : Performs exhaustive evaluation of product operation expected in the product's application. The product is verified against internal and external, requirements. In addition, low volume manufacturing activities are initiated.
4.2.1.5.
Produce and Service Phase : Leverages the outputs of Validate to manufacture, improve, service, and support the product.
4.2.1.6.
Ramp Down Phase : Ramp Down leverages the outputs of Produce & Service to transition a product, resources to build/support, and customers to an end-of- life state.
Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA) is started in the plan phase, tuned in the product and process development, and continued throughout the product lifecycle process.
FMEAs and Control Plans are identified as deliverables at stage gates of the development process and are incorporated into design and process reviews in order to ensure effective and efficient risk mitigation, prior to mass production.
4.2.1.7.
Develop Silicon Technology
A Stage-Gate methodology and business process used by R&D organizes technology development programs according to key points in time where decisions to invest additional resources are approved.
4.2.1.8.
Internal Validation and Qualification
Ensure that all form, fit, function, quality and reliability requirements are met for new or significantly changed processes and products.
4.2.1.9.
Customer and Enabler/Ecosystem Product Validation
External product validation ensures production volume ramp enablement through successful introduction of products to external customers and the timely resolution of customer prioritized issues.
Field applications engineers are the technical interface to the customer and
enabler to ensure that a qualification occurs. They also lead customer
qualification failure debug and resolution.
4.2.2. Plan Supply Chain
These processes describe the planning activities associated with operating a supply chain. Inclusive with this category are forecast demand planning, sales planning, customer support plans, allocation planning, demand planning, and developing the master production schedule.
Activities within these processes include gathering customer requirements, collecting information on available resources, and balancing requirements and resources to determine planned capabilities and resource gaps. This is followed by identifying the actions required to correct any gaps.
4.2.3. Make Products (manufacturing)
All products manufactured for sale are produced using qualified processes, approved equipment release, certified operators, and controlled specifications.
Methods such as failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA), feasibility reviews, or other risk assessment techniques are used to identify potential risks. Preventive actions designed to address critical risks are included as part of the product and process development plans and are integrated into manufacturing process control systems or into plant layout and construction plans.
Production and service processes are identified, planned, and carried out under controlled conditions to ensure the quality of the products and services.
4.2.3.1.
Introduce New Products
Supports the introduction of new products into the Fab, improving product yield, quality and reliability, in preparation for high volume manufacturing.
4.2.3.2.
Manage Change
Changes initiated within the manufacturing process are managed by leveraging effective and efficient change control principles which ensures the changes are verified and validated to achieve best possible results upon implementation.
4.2.3.3.
Schedule Site Production
An accurate master production schedule in order to meet our quality, output, and on-time delivery commitments to our customers is continually maintained.
We meet our customer needs in terms of quality, output, and on time delivery.
Forecast is accurate or we have sufficient time to react to forecast change.
4.2.3.4.
Execute Manufacturing
Move work-in-process (WIP) through production tools following the pre-
defined traveler-flow, conforming to production procedures, while meeting
manufacturing output and quality requirements.
4.2.3.5.
Control Manufacturing
Allows reaction to data to ensure that the process runs within specified output requirements and material disposition is according to specifications.
For a critical process, a supporting control plan is established. Process capability values (Cpk) and control limit values influencing the performance and reliability of a product are identified and statistically monitored.
4.2.3.6.
