Transformer-based approach to optimal sensor placement for structural health monitoring of probe cards
摘要
This paper presents an innovative Transformer-based deep learning strategy for optimizing the placement of sensors aiming at structural health monitoring of critical mechanical failures in semiconductor probe cards. Failures in probe cards, including substrate cracks and loosened screws, critically affect semiconductor manufacturing yield and reliability. Sensors placement on the probe card enables early failure detection and preventive maintenance. However, traditional monitoring approaches are limited by the severe space constraints of the probe head, which prevent the installation of dense sensor arrays. To overcome this, we employ a Digital Shadow methodology to optimize sensor placement. Utilizing Finite Element simulations we generated a comprehensive dataset of vibration responses under various health states, specifically 125 physics-informed scenario variants encompassing material property variations, diverse environmental thermal states, and varying mechanical loading conditions. We propose TransformerSHM, a hybrid architecture that leverages multi-head attention mechanisms to not only classify failure modes but also automatically identify the most informative sensor locations. The methodology comprises: (1) physics-aware data augmentation with validated noise levels matching sensor specifications; (2) rigorous