DeCo: Defect-Aware Modeling with Contrasting Matching for Optimizing Task Assignment in Online IC Testing

In the semiconductor industry, integrated circuit (IC) processes play a vital role, as the rising complexity and market expectations necessitate improvements in yield. Identifying IC defects and assigning IC testing tasks to the right engineers improves efficiency and reduces losses. While current studies emphasize fault localization or defect classification, they overlook the integration of defect characteristics, historical failures, and the insights from engineer expertise, which restrains their effectiveness in improving IC handling. To leverage AI for these challenges, we propose DeCo, an innovative approach for optimizing task assignment in IC testing. DeCo constructs a novel defect-aware graph from IC testing reports, capturing co-failure relationships to enhance defect differentiation, even with scarce defect data. Additionally, it formulates defect-aware representations for engineers and tasks, reinforced by local and global structure modeling on the defect-aware graph. Finally, a contrasting-based assignment mechanism pairs testing tasks with QA engineers by considering their skill level and current workload, thus promoting an equitable and efficient job dispatch. Experiments on a real-world dataset demonstrate that DeCo achieves the highest task-handling success rates in different scenarios, exceeding 80%, while also maintaining balanced workloads on both scarce or expanded defect data. Moreover, case studies reveal that DeCo can assign tasks to potentially capable engineers, even for their unfamiliar defects, highlighting its potential as an AI-driven solution for the real-world IC failure analysis and task handling.