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SpringerBriefs in Applied Sciences and Technology

Tin-Chih Toly Chen

Production Planning and


Control in Semiconductor
Manufacturing
Big Data Analytics and
Industry 4.0 Applications
SpringerBriefs in Applied Sciences
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Indexed by EI-Compendex, SCOPUS and Springerlink.
Tin-Chih Toly Chen

Production Planning
and Control
in Semiconductor
Manufacturing
Big Data Analytics and Industry 4.0
Applications

123
Tin-Chih Toly Chen
Department of Industrial Engineering
and Management
National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University
Hsinchu, Taiwan

ISSN 2191-530X ISSN 2191-5318 (electronic)


SpringerBriefs in Applied Sciences and Technology
ISBN 978-3-031-14064-8 ISBN 978-3-031-14065-5 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14065-5
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether
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The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
Contents

1 Big Data Analytics for Semiconductor Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . 1


1.1 Big Data and Big Data Analytics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2 Big Data Analytics for Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.3 Classification of Big Data Analytics Techniques and Tools . . . . . . 5
1.4 Big Data Analytics for Semiconductor Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.5 Assessing the Benefits of Big Data Analytics
for Semiconductor Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1.6 Problems with Existing Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1.7 Organization of This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2 Industry 4.0 for Semiconductor Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
2.1 Industry 4.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
2.2 Industry 4.0 for Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
2.2.1 Cyber-Physical Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
2.2.2 Digital Twins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
2.2.3 Internet of Machines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
2.2.4 Cloud and Ubiquitous Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
2.3 Industry 4.0 for Semiconductor Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
2.3.1 Cyber-Physical System Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
2.3.2 Internet of Things Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
2.3.3 Problems with Existing Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
3 Cycle Time Prediction and Output Projection . . . . . . . . . . ....... 41
3.1 Cycle Time Prediction in Semiconductor Manufacturing . ....... 41
3.2 Industry 4.0 and Big Data Analytics for Cycle Time
Prediction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
3.3 Cycle Time Prediction Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
3.3.1 Production Simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
3.3.2 Principal Component Regression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
3.3.3 Parallel Radial Basis Function Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
3.3.4 Classifying Feedforward Neural Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

v
vi Contents

3.3.5 Fuzzy C-Means-Back Propagation Network Ensemble . . . . 56


3.3.6 Random Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
4 Defect Pattern Analysis, Yield Learning Modeling, and Yield
Prediction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
4.1 Defect Pattern Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
4.2 k-means Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
4.3 Parallel k-means Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
4.4 Applications of Other Machine Learning and Artificial
Intelligence Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... 69
4.5 Yield Learning Modeling and Yield Forecasting . . . . . . . . . ..... 72
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... 75
5 Job Sequencing and Scheduling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 77
5.1 Job Sequencing and Scheduling in Semiconductor
Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 77
5.2 Industry 4.0 Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 77
5.2.1 Cyber-Physical System and Internet of Things
Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 77
5.2.2 Radio Frequency Identification and Internet
of Machines Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
5.3 Big Data Analytics Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
5.3.1 Dispatching Rules Based on Big Data Analytics . . . . . . . . 83
5.3.2 Optimization Using Big Data Analytics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
5.3.3 Multiple-Criteria Job Dispatching Based on Big
Data Analytics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
5.3.4 Optimization Using Big Data Analytics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
5.3.5 Decomposition of a Big-Data Job Scheduling Problem . . . 92
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Big Data Analytics for Semiconductor
Manufacturing 1

1.1 Big Data and Big Data Analytics

Big data involves datasets of sizes that exceed the capabilities of typical database
software tools to capture, store, manage, and analyze [1]. The definition of big data
analytics can be viewed from various perspectives. According to the definition
given by SAS Institute, big data analytics is to examine large amounts of data to
uncover hidden patterns, correlations, and other insights [2]. Over traditional data
analysis methods, big data analytics may have the following advantages [2]:

• Big data analytics is much more efficient in processing large amounts of data.
• Big data analytics can support real-time applications.

This definition emphasizes the efficiency of big data analytics.


Another definition is given by Russom [3], which defined big data analytics as
the application of advanced analytic techniques to big datasets. The analysis tools
commonly used for big data analytics include SQL queries, data mining, statistical
analysis, fact clustering, data visualization, natural language processing, text ana-
lytics, and artificial intelligence (AI) [3–5]. In this definition, the huge amount of
data is the focus. The application of big data analytics may bring the following
benefits to enterprises: cost savings, faster and better decision-making, more cus-
tomized products and services, etc. [2]. However, the required costs and other
expenses are often unreported or ignored.
The two definitions are aggregated as in Fig. 1.1.

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 1


T.-C. T. Chen, Production Planning and Control in Semiconductor Manufacturing,
SpringerBriefs in Applied Sciences and Technology,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14065-5_1
2 1 Big Data Analytics for Semiconductor Manufacturing

Fig. 1.1 Defining big data


analytics from various Big Data
perspectives Analytics

Advanced Huge
Real-time Analytics Amount of
Applications Techniques Data

Efficiency Effectiveness

1.2 Big Data Analytics for Manufacturing

Among the various functions of a company, manufacturing is undoubtedly the


function that requires the assistance of big data analytics most, because the amount
of data generated is the largest, the capital invested is huge, and there are
time-sensitive requirements [6]. For example, applying big data analytics to com-
pare the waiting times of tens of thousands of jobs in a wafer fabrication plant
(wafer fab) and analyze the possible reasons for their delays makes sense, because
jobs with excessively long waiting times can be identified, and appropriate actions
can be developed and taken to expedite these jobs. In addition, the defect patterns
on tens of thousands of wafers can be compared [7]. Wafers with similar defect
patterns can be clustered, and for each cluster, the causes of defects are identified
and attempted to eliminate. In practice, big data analytics is applied to analyze all
manufacturing data that managers care about. Some examples of big data analytics
applications in manufacturing are given below.
Predictive maintenance is the use of sensors to monitor the conditions (such as
temperature, pressure, noise level, etc.) of a machine to estimate the time to the next
failure of the machine [8]. Predictive maintenance is an application of
cyber-physical systems in Industry 4.0. If the estimated time is earlier than
expected, the scheduled predictive maintenance of the machine can be brought
forward. The reason for this is that unexpected machine failures result in larger
losses than expected ones. However, continuous monitoring using sensors results in
a large amount of data that are difficult to analyze. Wan et al. [9] transmitted the
collected big data to a cloud-based data storage and analysis service for processing
(i.e., cloud computing). An artificial neural network (ANN) was constructed as the
estimation mechanism. Inputs to the ANN included the cutting speed, feed, and
cutting depth of a tool in a machining center. To reduce the amount of data, the
statistics (e.g., means, variances, peak values, etc.) rather than the raw data of these
production conditions were used (i.e., variable replacement). The output from the
ANN was the estimated lifetime of the tool.
1.2 Big Data Analytics for Manufacturing 3

Cycle time reduction is pursued by factories around the world. To achieve this,
the relationship between the features (or production conditions) and cycle times of
jobs is fitted. Based on the fitted relationship, these features (or production con-
ditions) can be adjusted to shorten the cycle times of jobs. However, there are many
possible production conditions that can affect the cycle time of a job. In addition, a
large, complex production system has thousands or even tens of thousands of jobs,
making cycle time prediction and reduction a complex big data analysis problem.
As a result, most past studies have failed to accurately estimate the cycle time of a
job. To address this problem, in Chen and Wang [10], a group of experts was
formed, each of which constructed a fuzzy deep neural network (FDNN) to estimate
the cycle time range of a job in a wafer fab instead. Then, the fuzzy weighted
intersection (FWI) [11] was applied to aggregate the cycle time ranges estimated by
all experts.
Deep learning usually means ANNs with multiple hidden layers. Some studies
have shown that an ANN with a single hidden layer may require a large number of
neurons to handle a big data problem, which is time-consuming. In contrast,
sometimes a deep neural network (DNN) can solve a big data problem quicker with
fewer neurons [12]. How to configure a DNN for a big data problem is a critical
issue. The effectiveness and efficiency can be further enhanced by parallel pro-
cessing. For example, Raina et al. [13] constructed stacked restricted Boltzmann
machines (RBMs) to solve a big data problem with multiple processing units in
parallel.
In Li et al. [14], 75 process parameters were considered to affect the formation of
eight kinds of defects in castings. The values of some process parameters could be
retrieved from the control system of a machine, while those of others were collected
through sensors connected to the machine. The collected data were transmitted to a
smart middleware through an intranet for preprocessing (including data structuring,
data formalization/standardization, redundancy removal, and data framing). The
processed data were then uploaded via the Internet to a cloud-based system, on
which an ANN was constructed to predict defect types based on relevant process
parameters.
Numerous frameworks or architectures have been established to give a roadmap
to applying big data analytics to manufacturing systems. However, although such
frameworks or architectures have attracted the attention of researchers and practi-
tioners in related fields, their practicability remains questionable. In Wang et al.
[15], software agents communicate with each other on behalf of machines and other
physical resources, forming an industrial network, i.e., Internet of machines
(IoM) or Internet of things (IoT). The big data collected from the industrial network
were then uploaded onto the cloud for access by statisticians and coordinators via
handheld devices.
The volume of big data leads to difficulties in data collection, storage, and
analysis. To overcome this difficulty, the collected big data can be analyzed to find
any correlation in the data. For example, future values can sometimes be estimated
from past data, or the values of some production conditions can be inferred from
those of others. In this way, data only need to be collected for part of the time or
4 1 Big Data Analytics for Semiconductor Manufacturing

production conditions, while other data are estimated or inferred. To this end, Chen
et al. [16] proposed the concept of big-data regression analysis. Being able to infer
future values from past data means that it is not necessary to collect big data all the
time. To this end, they applied a genetic algorithm (GA) to optimize the schedule
for collecting big data.
Job scheduling in large complex manufacturing systems such as wafer fabs is a
difficult task. Production controllers are sometimes forced to resort to
time-consuming production simulation, the effectiveness of which is highly
dependent on the timeliness of input data. For this, big data collected in real time is
helpful. From this viewpoint, Zhu et al. [17] established a big data-based scheduling
mechanism in which a cloud-based simulation service was applied. Simulation
software and hardware used by cloud-based simulation services are more powerful
and newer. In addition, the resources put into production simulation by a factory
can also be reduced.
Cloud-based production simulation services can be accelerated if multiple such
services are running simultaneously. However, due to the huge amount of pro-
duction simulation data, how to balance the loads on these cloud-based production
simulation services is a problem. From this point of view, to further improve the
efficiency of cloud-based factory simulation, Chen and Lin [18] applied fuzzy linear
regression (FLR) to estimate the time required for a production simulation task, i.e.,
workload. Then, production simulation tasks can be distributed among multiple
cloud-based production simulation services to speed up their completion times.
Moyne and Iskandar [19] mentioned two main applications of big data analytics
in semiconductor manufacturing, namely, fault detection and predictive mainte-
nance. For these applications, the quality of big data is paramount. In addition,
combining expert judgment is conducive to real-time analysis, judgment, and
decision-making. In the foreseeable future, it is a trend to further develop the digital
twin of equipment [20], which will also help the collection and analysis of related
big data.
Vindman et al. [21] discussed the application of big data analytics in three
industrial and agricultural processes, namely, large-scale distillation towers, agri-
cultural harvesting processes, and large-scale sorting plants, including big data
acquisition, process monitoring, and anomaly detection. Methods to detect
anomalies (outliers) fell into four categories: distance-based methods, regression,
self-organizing maps, and principal component analysis (PCA)-based methods.
Zhang et al. [22] embedded temperature sensors (and other smart devices) into
the blades and rotors of an axial compressor to monitor the temperature, pressure,
and other conditions of gas entering the axial compressor. Based on the collected
big data, when there will be abnormal changes in temperature or pressure, main-
tenance or repair can be carried out in advance, i.e., predictive maintenance.
From these cases, it is clear that the application of big data analytics in manu-
facturing can be supported by many techniques and tools, as shown in Fig. 1.2.
Figure 1.3 provides statistics on the popularity of big data analytics technology
applications in manufacturing.
1.3 Classification of Big Data Analytics Techniques and Tools 5

Fig. 1.2 Techniques and


tools that support the
application of big data AI
analytics in manufacturing

Deep Learning
Production
Simulation

Big Data
Analytics in
Cloud
Manufacturing Computing
Parallel
Processing

Industry
Data 4.0
Preprocessing

Fig. 1.3 Number of 80000


references about big data 70000
No. of references

analytics technology 60000


applications in manufacturing 50000
40000
from 2010 to 2022 (Data
30000
source Google Scholar)
20000
10000
0
Deep learning

Industry 4.0

Artificial intelligence
Simulation

Principal component

Random forest
Parallel processing
Cloud computing

analysis

1.3 Classification of Big Data Analytics Techniques


and Tools

Gandomi and Haider divided big data analytics techniques into four categories:
pattern detection, correlation analysis, predictive analytics, and dashboard or report
generation [23]. In the view of Cemernek et al. [24], big data management methods
are used for data acquisition and recording, extraction, cleaning and annotation, and
integration, aggregation and representation, while big data analytics methods are
used for modeling and analysis, and interpretation.
Jan et al. [25] divided big data tools into three categories: batch processing tools,
stream processing tools (for real-time big data), and interactive analysis tools.
6 1 Big Data Analytics for Semiconductor Manufacturing

System
Category (Hardware and Methodology
Software)
Big Data
I II
Collection
Big Data
III IV
Analysis

Fig. 1.4 Categories of big data analytics techniques and tools

Big data analytics techniques and tools can be roughly divided into two cate-
gories for collecting and analyzing big data, respectively. In addition, big data
analytics techniques and tools can also be classified into systems (hardware and
software) and methodologies. Considering both divisions together results in four
categories, as shown in Fig. 1.4. Some examples of each category are given as
follows:

• Category I: The most famous big data analytics tool is Apache Hadoop, which is
a set of open-source software utilities that help solve problems involving large
amounts of data and computation using a network of multiple computers. It
provides a software framework for distributed storage and processing of big data
using the MapReduce programming model [26]. Similar software systems
include Dryad that uses a cluster of computers to solve large problems, Talend
Open Studio with a graphical interface to visualize data, Apache Mahout that
implements machine learning techniques, Pentaho that facilitates the access,
integration, visualization, and exploration of business big data, etc. [25]. Soft-
ware systems that handle streaming (i.e., real-time) big data include Storm,
Splunk, SQLstream, S4, Apache Kafka, etc. [25]. In addition, software systems
such as Google’s Dremel and Apache Drill provide interfaces for users to
analyze big data interactively [25]. Smart sensors and devices for monitoring
machine conditions, wireless communication infrastructures for transmitting big
data [27], data mining or optimization software for implementing big data
analytics [28], and cloud-based platforms [18, 29] also fall in this category [22].
In addition, some big data is not collected in real time, but retrieved from the
manufacturing execution system (MES) or production management information
system (PROMIS) of the factory. Such information systems also belong to this
category [18].
• Category II: For example, job cycle time forecasting is a big data analysis
problem that is often discussed [29–31]. The required data are usually extracted
from the MES or PROMIS system of a factory, preprocessed, dependencies
removed, and checked for the correlation with cycle time [15]. Related methods
for data preprocessing, dependency reduction, and correlation analysis all fall
into this category [16–18]. Also, to reduce the amount of big data detected by
sensors attached to machines or jobs, the statistics on such data (e.g., averages,
1.3 Classification of Big Data Analytics Techniques and Tools 7

standard deviations, time series (e.g., moving averages), etc.) can be collected.
Then, if the relationship between these statistics and the predicted (or identified)
target can be fitted, then from now on only these statistics are stored instead of
the raw data. By collecting big data in this way, the efficiency of data man-
agement and analysis will be greatly improved [32]. In addition, edge computing
is expected to facilitate the downsizing of big data by processing raw data at the
forefront of the information flow [33].
• Category III: In-memory analytics is a method of querying data as it resides in
the random access memory (RAM) of a computer, rather than querying data
stored on physical disks [34]. Apache Hadoop also supports this function. Data
visualization, natural language processing, AI, and production simulation can be
supported by specific hardware and/or software that also fall in this category [35,
36]. Further, distributed computing, parallel computing, cloud computing, and
edge computing systems also belong to this category of tools [37].
• Category IV: SQL queries, data mining, statistical analysis, fact clustering, data
visualization, natural language processing, text analytics, AI (including machine
learning), and production simulation are prevalent techniques for analyzing big
data [5–7]. Methods that support distributed or parallel computing, such as
(fuzzy) collaborative intelligence [38–40], classification before prediction (or
recognition) [41, 42], ANN or DNN ensembles [42–44], random forests [45],
etc. also fall into this category.

A summary of big data analytics techniques and tools in the four categories is
given in Table 1.1
A big-data-friendly solution is composed of the following parts [21]:

• Real-time collection and analytics;


• Apache Hadoop (for parallel processing);
• Hadoop distributed filing system (HDFS) (for distributed storage and
processing);

Table 1.1 Big data analytics techniques and tools in the four categories
Category Big data analytics techniques and tools
I Apache Hadoop, Talend Open Studio, Apache Mahout, Pentaho, Storm, Splunk,
SQLstream, S4, Apache Kafka, Google’s Dremel, Apache Drill, smart sensors or
devices, data mining or optimization software, cloud-based platforms, MES,
PROMIS, etc.
II Data preprocessing, dependency reduction, correlation analysis, statistical
analysis, time-series analysis, edge computing
III In-memory analytics, Apache Hadoop, data visualization, natural language
processing, AI, production simulation software and hardware, distributing
computing, parallel computing, cloud computing, edge computing systems
IV SQL queries, data mining, statistical analysis, fact clustering, data visualization,
natural language processing, text analytics, AI, production simulation
8 1 Big Data Analytics for Semiconductor Manufacturing

• MapReduce-type framework (for programming);


• Data warehousing;
• Analytics.

Production simulation is often used to analyze large and complex factory data
that are intractable to general data analysis or statistical software [2]. From this
definition, production simulation is indeed one of the tools of big data analytics [3].
It’s no wonder that after the advent of big data analytics, production simulation
software has become a hot commodity.

1.4 Big Data Analytics for Semiconductor Manufacturing

The semiconductor manufacturing industry is an industry that particularly needs big


data analytics [46]:

• In a wafer fab, there are thousands to tens of thousands of wafer lots being
produced or waiting to be produced at the same time. These wafer lots are
accompanied by a huge amount of time and quality-related data that must be
collected and analyzed. Hasserjian [47] provided an interesting statistic showing
that among wafer fabrication stages, deposition is the stage that generates the
most data, followed by etching and defect inspection. The number of data
generation points at each stage is in the trillions.
• A semiconductor manufacturer with abundant capital is more able to invest in
system software and hardware for big data analytics. In contrast, the applications
in many small factories focus on the methodology of analyzing huge amounts of
data.
• The integration of production equipment with computers or information systems
in semiconductor factories is relatively high, which is conducive to the real-time
collection and analysis of big data.

As a result, semiconductor manufacturing is also one of the industries that early


adopted big data analytics [24]. Big data analytics has been applied to assist virtual
metrology, predictive maintenance, job cycle time prediction, and predictive
scheduling in this industry [19]. The applications to equipment health monitoring
and defect pattern recognition and yield prediction are also prevalent, as shown in
Fig. 1.5.
According to International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS), a
big data problem in semiconductor manufacturing can be defined along five
dimensions, the so-called five Vs [48]:

• Volume: the magnitude (size) of data;


• Velocity: the speed at which the data is created and analyzed;
1.4 Big Data Analytics for Semiconductor Manufacturing 9

Big Data Analytics


Applications

Defect pattern Equipment


Job cycle time Predictive Predictive Virtual
recognition & health
prediction scheduling maintenance metrology
yield prediction monitoring

Semiconductor Manufacturing

Fig. 1.5 Applications of big data analytics to semiconductor manufacturing

• Variety: the types of data, such as structured data (e.g., tabular data),
semi-structured data (e.g., XML and its derivatives), and unstructured data (e.g.,
sensor data, social media data, etc.);
• Veracity: the unreliability inherent in some sources of data (e.g., imprecise and
uncertain data), the data quality;
• Value: the value of the information extracted using big data analytic.

In the view of Moyne and Iskandar [19], veracity (data quality) is the most
critical dimension. Common data quality issues include the lack of accuracy,
availability, and context awareness. Nevertheless, data quality in semiconductor
manufacturing is relatively good compared to other industries [19]. In addition, the
importance of expert judgment or subject matter expertise (SME) in data collection,
data processing, parameter selection, model building, model and limit optimization,
and solution deployment and maintenance is also emphasized [19].
In addition, Moyne and Iskandar [19] classified big data analytics methods for
semiconductor manufacturing along six dimensions:

• Learning type: A big data problem can be solved using supervised learning,
semi-supervised learning, or unsupervised learning methods.
• Timing of prediction: Predictions are made before or after the corresponding
event occurs. Depending on this time point, big data analytics methods can be
differentiated as predictive and reactive.
• Correlation among parameters: Methods are classified according to whether
or not correlations between parameters are considered.
• Dynamicity: Methods are classified according to whether the analysis results
can adapt to changes for the method to remain applicable over time.
• Fidelity: Methods are classified according to how similar the analysis model is
to the actual system, and how it evolves to maintain this similarity.
• Incorporation of expert judgment: Expert judgment can be superficially used
for model selection, result interpretation, etc. More in-depth expert judgment can
also support data preprocessing, model optimization, etc.
10 1 Big Data Analytics for Semiconductor Manufacturing

For example, principal component analysis (PCA) is a commonly used dimen-


sionality reduction big data analytics technique, which is unsupervised learning,
reactive, static, low-fidelity, and considers the correlation between parameters.
Moyne and Iskandar [19] also highlighted the transition to supervised, predictive,
dynamic, and high-fidelity big data analytics methods that take into account cor-
relations between parameters and incorporate expert judgments. However, such a
classification is not just for big data analytics methods, but also for general data
analysis methods.
In sum, the following attributes can be considered when classifying big data
analytics methods for semiconductor manufacturing, as illustrated in Fig. 1.6:

• Timeliness of the collected data: Traditional data analysis methods often use
historical data. In contrast, many Industry 4.0 applications embed sensors into
jobs or machines to collect relevant data in real time, which generates big data.
In other words, the more timely the data are collected, the more data will be
collected. For example, job cycle time forecasting is an important task for wafer
fabs. To accomplish this task, the relationship between the attributes of the job
and its cycle time is fitted, which is usually based on historical (big) data. In
contrast, to enable predictive maintenance, sensors are embedded into a machine
to monitor its real-time conditions. According to the collected big data, the time
of the next failure is predicted to decide whether to maintain early.
• Urgency of application: Some big data analytics applications, such as predic-
tive maintenance, have to analyze the collected big data very quickly and make
relevant decisions. Furthermore, subsequent actions such as job rescheduling
also need to be done very quickly. So is virtual metrology. After analyzing the

Fig. 1.6 Classification of big


data analytics methods for
semiconductor manufacturing Data
Timeliness

Electronic Application
Explainability Urgency
Business

Big Data
Analytics
Methods
Location of Way of
Data Data
Analysis Preprocessing

Degree of
Deep
Learning
1.4 Big Data Analytics for Semiconductor Manufacturing 11

data collected by sensors, if the quality of a wafer is likely to be poor, the


processing of the wafer should be terminated as soon as possible.
• Way of preprocessing big data: Handling big data directly is a difficult task.
Therefore, big data may be downsized, split, classified, or transformed during
preprocessing and then processed serially or in parallel.
• Degree of deep learning: Deep learning has shown its potential in parsing big
data in semiconductor manufacturing. Features of deep learning include multiple
hidden layers, recurrence of signals, ensembles of models, etc. Methods with
more such features are deeper.
• Location of data analysis: The collected big data can be analyzed where it is
generated (i.e., edge computing), on a backend server in a traditional, autono-
mous way, or on the cloud (i.e., cloud computing). Cloud computing can store
and manage big data more efficiently and analyze big data with more powerful
computing resources on the cloud.
• Explainability: Ensemble methods, random forests, decision trees, Bayesian
networks, sparse linear models, and others are highly explainable, while ANNs,
deep learning (e.g., deep neural networks, recurrent neural networks, etc.),
support vector machines, and others are less explainable [49].

The application of big data analytics in semiconductor manufacturing can be


viewed from various perspectives:

• By manufacturing stages of semiconductors: The manufacturing stages of


semiconductors can be divided into wafer fabrication, wafer sort, assembly, and
test [50]. Each stage is composed of a number of steps. The big data analytics
tools and methodologies applied at different stages or steps are not necessarily
the same.
• By applications in literature or reports: According to Moyne et al. [46], the
contribution of big data analytics to the semiconductor manufacturing industry is
primarily better and more efficient forecasting techniques such as predictive
maintenance, virtual metrology, and yield forecasting. In the beginning, big data
analytics was mainly applied to offline and on-time critical tasks. It can be
expected that big data analytics will be increasingly used for time-critical and
real-time tasks, such as fault detection and classification (FDC) and run-to-run
(R2R) control [51].
• For long-term planning or short-term operations (and control).
• From the perspectives of different disciplines (IT, mathematics, or manufacturing).

An important application of big data analytics in semiconductor manufacturing


is yield analysis. Yield is a key performance metric in semiconductor manufac-
turing. There are two main types of yields:

• Wafer yield: The percentage of wafers that are not scrapped due to excessive
defects.
• Die Yield: The percentage of dies on a wafer that are usable after final test.
12 1 Big Data Analytics for Semiconductor Manufacturing

Nakata et al. [52] discuss how big data analytics can be applied to yield analysis.
They focused on the clustering of defect patterns on wafers, the identification and
elimination of possible causes of such defect patterns, and monitoring to ensure that
the same defect patterns do not recur. Nakata et al. first applied scalable k-means+
+ to cluster defect patterns, while traditional k-means and k-means++ cannot effi-
ciently handle big data. Subsequently, they applied the frequent pattern (FP)-growth
algorithm to identify the relationship between production conditions and defect
patterns. Both FP-growth and Apriori are well-known data mining algorithms. The
runtime with FP-growth increases linearly with the number of transactions, while
that with Apriori increases exponentially. Therefore, FP growth is more suitable for
big data problems. In addition, Nakata et al. constructed a convolutional neural
network (CNN) to classify new wafers into existing defect patterns. CNNs are
well-known deep learning methods, and properly configured CNNs can learn big
data more efficiently than multi-layer perceptrons and long short-term memory
(LSTM) neural networks [53].
Hamed et al. [54] applied the maximum information-based nonparametric
exploration (MINE) method to identify the causes of semiconductor package cor-
rosions. The maximum information coefficient (MIC) is a measure of the strength of
the linear or nonlinear relationship between two variables, namely, causes and
semiconductor package corrosions in their study. MINE is inefficient when the
amount of data is not sufficient, and is more suitable for handling big data problems.
A batch in a wafer fab may be split into many parts to be processed on different
machines, which is called sub-batch processing. Since these sub-batches are pro-
cessed on different machines, they are subject to defects from different sources (or
causes). In other words, the difference in the machines used is also one of the
influencing factors, which considerably increases the dimensionality of the root
cause identification problem. To solve this problem, Chien and Chuang [55] applied
a random forest method. In past studies, the ability of random forest methods to
handle big data has been improved by subsampling, parallel processing, adaptive
bootstrapping, divide and conquer [56].
Chang et al. [57] applied the open source tools of Hadoop to build a distributed
web-based data storage and processing system on a server with 8 ten-core pro-
cessors and 512 Gbytes of memory for the big data collected in a wafer fab.
Extensive experiments have been conducted to evaluate the efficiency of the
web-based data distributed storage and processing system. Their study was still
experimental in nature. It was not clear which big data analysis applications were
supported by the web-based data distributed storage and processing system. In
addition, with the increase in the applications of big data analytics within the wafer
fab, whether such a system was sufficient remained to be analyzed.
Chien et al. [58] considered chiller machines that were one of the most
energy-consuming equipment in a wafer fab or a thin film transistor liquid crystal
display (TFT-LCD) factory. They tried to optimize the tuning of the chillers to
1.5 Assessing the Benefits of Big Data Analytics … 13

achieve the desired cooling effect while keeping electricity consumption to a


minimum. For this purpose, the performance of a chiller system, in terms of the part
load ratio (PLR), was observed for a period of time by changing the on–off states of
chillers, which generated a large amount of data. Then, a multivariate adaptive
regression splines (MARS) model was constructed to predict the PLR from the on–
off states, cooling load, and electricity consumption of chillers. MARS is a special
type of regression analysis to extend linear models to consider the nonlinearities of
variables and the interactions between them [59]. Regression analysis may not be
easy for big data problems, especially when there are many decision variables. For
example, Excel cannot fit a linear regression equation with more than 16 decision
variables. Other optimization software such as MATLAB and R may show error
messages or give unexpected results. This problem can be addressed by feature
selection using techniques such as stepwise regression, least angle regression
(LARS), least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) regression,
removing dependencies between features, or classification before prediction [18,
42, 43]. Although the problem discussed in Chien et al. [58] was a big data
problem, no specific big data analytics techniques were really applied in this study.
Predictive maintenance is a mainstream application of big data analytics. Pre-
dictive maintenance often starts with embedding sensors to monitor the condition of
machines in some aspects. Semiconductor manufacturing equipment has embedded
many sensors to detect the progress and quality of processing. Whether the infor-
mation gathered by existing sensors is sufficient to support predictive maintenance
needs to be explored. For example, Munirathinam and Ramadoss [60] adopted four
types of data to assist predictive maintenance: fault detection and classification data,
trace log data, equipment tracking data, and metrology/probe/param data. Based on
these data, the time to the next failure was predicted using a gradient boosting tree
(GBT). Otherwise, adding extra sensors to such equipment may hinder the stability
of processing and is questionable. This issue can be resolved by equipment sup-
pliers in response to semiconductor manufacturers’ requirements.

1.5 Assessing the Benefits of Big Data Analytics


for Semiconductor Manufacturing

ITRS defined the five Vs of a big data analytics problem in semiconductor man-
ufacturing [48]. An application of big data analytics can solve several V problems
to varying degrees [46]. Therefore, a radar chart can be used to compare the
changes in these five dimensions before and after the application of big data ana-
lytics to assess the benefits of the big data analytics application naturally, as
illustrated in Fig. 1.7.
14 1 Big Data Analytics for Semiconductor Manufacturing

Big Data
Analytics
Application

Fig. 1.7 Assessing the benefits of a big data analytics application for semiconductor
manufacturing

1.6 Problems with Existing Methods

According to Cemernek [24], the biggest challenge for semiconductor manufac-


turers when applying Industry 4.0 is the heterogeneity of data from different
partners and information systems. To address this challenge, several data exchange
standards have been proposed, e.g., object linking and embedding (OLE) for pro-
cess control (OPC) that allows the secure and reliable exchange of data between
Windows applications and industrial hardware devices [61], OPC unified archi-
tecture (OPC UA) [62], and semiconductor equipment communication standards
(SECS) by Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) such as
GEM (SEMI E30), SEMI PV02 [63], etc. Therefore, the software on the equipment
that semiconductor manufacturers will acquire should support these standards.

1.7 Organization of This Book

This book is intended to provide technical details on the applications of big data
analytics and Industry 4.0 to production planning and control in semiconductor
manufacturing, including methodologies, tools, system architectures, software and
hardware, examples, and applications. Both technologies are currently the hottest
topics. However, because of this, many studies or reports inevitably exaggerate the
benefits of big data analytics and Industry 4.0, while ignoring potential costs and
the root causes of problems. In addition to introducing the applications of the two
technologies to the production planning and control of a semiconductor manufac-
turing factory, this book also discusses the management implications of the related
applications. After all, innovative information, computer and computing tech-
nologies are constantly being introduced, not just for factory production planning
and control, while how to improve the efficiency and even the competitiveness of a
factory is still the most fundamental issue.
1.7 Organization of This Book 15

In specific, the outline of the present book is structured as follows.


In the current chapter, big data and big data analytics are first defined. Then,
through some cases in the literature, common applications of big data analytics in
the manufacturing field are mentioned, such as predictive maintenance, job cycle
time prediction, job sequencing and scheduling, defect pattern analysis, etc.
Commonly used methods and techniques are also introduced, including (produc-
tion) simulation, parallel processing, data preprocessing (such as dimensionality
reduction, variable replacement, and data segmentation), Industry 4.0 (including
cyber-physical systems, IoM, and IoT), deep learning, artificial intelligence (in-
cluding ANN, fuzzy logic, GA, SVM, etc.), cloud computing, etc. Subsequently,
existing big data analytics methods are divided into several categories. The char-
acteristics of big data analytics methods for semiconductor manufacturing are then
summarized, followed by the discussion on the problems with existing methods and
the benefits brought by these applications. Although the terms mentioned in this
chapter do not cover all big data analytics techniques, they are among the most
representative. In addition, these big data analytics techniques can be applied not
only in manufacturing but also in other industries such as education, healthcare,
services, medical, etc. The applications of big data analytics in semiconductor
manufacturing are then reviewed.
Chapter 2, Industry 4.0 for Semiconductor Manufacturing, provides an intro-
duction of some Industry 4.0 methods and their applications in semiconductor
manufacturing. This chapter begins by defining Industry 4.0. Then, existing
Industry 4.0 technologies are divided into several categories. Some representative
applications of Industry 4.0 technologies in each category are reviewed. Subse-
quently, the potential of Industry 4.0 technology applications for semiconductor
manufacturing is illustrated by referring to some instances retrieved from the lit-
erature and related reports. Some conclusions to date are reported. Problems with
existing Industry 4.0 methods are also highlighted.
Chapter 3, Cycle Time Prediction and Output Projection, focuses on an
important production planning and control activity in wafer fabs, namely, wafer lot
cycle time prediction. The predicted cycle times of wafer lots provide a reference
for many production planning and control activities, such as internal due date
assignment, wafer lot sequencing and scheduling, production control efficiency
measurement and improvement, and follow-up operation planning. This chapter
also introduces some applications of big data analytics and Industry 4.0 tech-
nologies on this topic. Each application is supplemented by simple examples and
corresponding MATLAB codes, allowing readers to learn quickly.
Chapter 4, Defect Pattern Analysis and Yield Learning Modeling and Yield
Prediction, first defines the basic concepts of defect pattern identification. Then, in
the first part, some basic methods of defect pattern identification are introduced,
using simple examples with program codes. Then, the combination of defect pattern
identification and big data analytics is described to improve the efficiency of defect
pattern identification. In the second part, the basic concept of yield learning
modeling is introduced. The relationship between defect pattern identification and
yield learning modeling is also described. Subsequently, some possible applications
16 1 Big Data Analytics for Semiconductor Manufacturing

of Industry 4.0 and big data analytics to defect pattern identification, yield learning
modeling, and yield prediction are discussed.
Chapter 5, Job Sequencing and Scheduling, discusses the application of big data
analytics and Industry 4.0 technologies to the sequencing and scheduling of wafer
lots. This is undoubtedly one of the most potential applications of big data analytics
and Industry 4.0 in the field of semiconductor manufacturing. This chapter first
highlights the biggest problem with existing wafer lot sequencing and scheduling
methods, namely data obsolescence. Then, this chapter describes how Industry 4.0
technologies can address this issue to move towards more real-time wafer lot
sequencing and scheduling. Subsequently, the chapter describes how big data
analytics techniques can be applied to optimize wafer lot sequencing and
scheduling methods. As in the previous chapters, some simple examples and codes
are provided to illustrate related applications.

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Industry 4.0 for Semiconductor
Manufacturing 2

2.1 Industry 4.0

The fourth industrial revolution, or Industry 4.0, was introduced by the German
government to build smart factories, which is viewed as the ultimate realization of
smart manufacturing [1]. For this reason, Industry 4.0 is often equated with smart
manufacturing [2]. Industry 4.0 has been considered as a bright prospect for
manufacturing. However, most of the relevant literature and reports are just ideas or
plans, and the possible benefits of Industry 4.0 are rarely verified. Nevertheless,
Industry 4.0 is expected to improve the productivity of a manufacturing system [3].
Industry 4.0 is deeply coupled with big data analytics, as illustrated by Fig. 1.2.
The functions of Industry 4.0 can be divided into the following categories:
assistance systems, networking and integration, decentralization and service-
orientation, self-organization and autonomy, and data collection and processing
[3], as shown in Fig. 2.1. To perform these functions, many concepts and tools have
been proposed, including cyber-physical systems (CPSs), digital twins, Internet of
things (IoT), massive data (enormous collections of simple-format records), big data
analytics, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and distributed intelligence [4], as shown
in Fig. 2.2. Big data analytics is considered as the enabler of Industry 4.0 [5].

2.2 Industry 4.0 for Manufacturing

2.2.1 Cyber-Physical Systems

Cyber-physical systems (CPSs) are the control of machines through sensors,


actuators, computers, and networks [5]. To this end, sensors for different purposes
that form a sensor assy are embedded in a machine. A cyber-physical production
system (CPPS) is formed by connecting multiple CPSs so that they cooperate
through a communication network [6].

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 21


T.-C. T. Chen, Production Planning and Control in Semiconductor Manufacturing,
SpringerBriefs in Applied Sciences and Technology,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14065-5_2
22 2 Industry 4.0 for Semiconductor Manufacturing

Assistance
Systems

Data Collection Networking


& Processing & Integration

Industry 4.0
Self
-organization & Decentralization
Autonomy

Service-
orientation

Fig. 2.1 Functions of Industry 4.0

Cyber-physical
Big data analytics
systems

Digital twins Cloud computing


Industry
4.0
Internet of things Cybersecurity

Massive data Distributed intelligence

Fig. 2.2 Tools for Industry 4.0

Machines that are controlled by computers, such as computer numerical con-


trolled (CNC) machine tools, 3D printers, semiconductor manufacturing equipment,
etc. are already CPSs. Some of these machines have sensors embedded. Still,
attempts are being made to add more sensors and other smart devices to them to
support more capabilities of Industry 4.0 [7, 8]. However, a prerequisite for this
treatment is that additionally added sensors should not interfere with the operations
of the equipment.
In the view of Lee et al. [5], the migration of traditional machines to CPSs can be
distinguished into five levels, as summarized in Table 2.1. These levels differ in the
actions taken: data collection, analysis, and/or implementation/control. An example
is given to illustrate the migration procedure.
2.2 Industry 4.0 for Manufacturing 23

Table 2.1 Five levels of migrating to CPSs


Level Meaning Category
Smart connection level (the Collecting machine data using sensors Data collection
lowest level)
Data-to-information level Extracting information from the Analysis
collected data
Cyber level Predicting the future statuses of Analysis
machines
Cognition level Comparing the situations of machines Analysis
Configuration level (the Taking actions on machines based on Implementation/control
highest level) the analysis results

Example 2.1
Predictive maintenance is an important application of Industry 4.0, which reduces
the huge costs of a factory owing to unexpected machine downs. To this end, the
migration of traditional machines to CPSs is distinguished into the following levels:

• Level I: Embedding sensors to monitor the temperature, pressure, and noise level
of each machine.
• Level II: Mining fuzzy association rules [9] from the collected data. For machine
M1, the following rules are extracted:

Rule 1 If machine temperature is “very high” And noise level is “high” Then time
to the next failure is “very short”.
Rule 2 If machine temperature is “low” Or noise level is “low” Then time to the
next failure is “medium”.
Rule 3 If noise level is “very high” Then time to the next failure is “short”.
The membership functions of the linguistic terms in these rules are shown in
Fig. 2.3. These rules form a Mamdani fuzzy inference system (FIS) [10].

• Level III: The Mamdani FIS is applied to predict the time to the next failure of
M1. According to the monitoring result, the (average) machine temperature of
M1 is 93 °C, and the (average) noise level is 67 dB. After applying the FIS, the
predicted time to the next failure is 220 h, as illustrated in Fig. 2.4.
• Level IV: The times to the next failure of two machines M1 and M2 have been
predicted. The results are 220 and 213 h, respectively. After a comparison, the
results are close, but performing preventive maintenance on both machines at the
same time results in a huge loss of capacity. Therefore, the utilizations of the two
machines are compared. The utilization of M2 is much higher than that of M1,
indicating that the former is more like a bottleneck than the latter. Therefore, it is
decided to perform the predictive maintenance of M2 first.
• Level V: A predictive maintenance is performed on machine M2.
24 2 Industry 4.0 for Semiconductor Manufacturing

Fig. 2.3 Membership functions of linguistic terms


2.2 Industry 4.0 for Manufacturing 25

Fig. 2.4 Prediction result using the Mamdani FIS

Therefore, level II migration is not possible if those involved do not know how
to analyze the data collected by sensors. If the analysis method cannot effectively
predict the future status of the machine [11], the migration cannot proceed to the
third level. If only a few machines have embedded sensors, the migration cannot
proceed to the fourth level. The migration cannot proceed to the last level if
appropriate actions cannot be formulated based on the analysis or comparison
results.
Cemernek et al. [12] discuss how to migrate the photo printing process of printed
circuit boards (PCBs). They suggested replacing traditional relational database
management systems with Hadoop distributed file systems (HDFSs) to efficiently
manage big data.

2.2.2 Digital Twins

A digital twin is a virtual representation of an object or system that spans its


lifecycle, and uses simulation, machine learning, and inference to aid
decision-making, as illustrated in Fig. 2.5 [13]. In addition to software and
methodologies, hardware or systems can also be used to build digital twins. For
example, smartphones or tablets have been used to simulate and connect the control
panels of machines for the remote control of these machines. A digital twin sim-
ulates the part, mechanism or whole of a machine. In sum, there are eight types of
digital twins, as illustrated in Fig. 2.6. In any type, localized, low-energy data
sensing and transmission, fast and low-cost computing power, and high data storage
capacity are critical. Nieminen et al. [14] listed some of the existing low-power
technologies for connecting machines to the Internet. However, unlike the Internet
of machines (IoM), it is not necessary to connect the digital twin of a machine to the
26 2 Industry 4.0 for Semiconductor Manufacturing

Fig. 2.5 Digital twin of a Simulation


machine
Inference

Decision making Application


Digital
Machine
Twin

Machine learning

Smart phone, tablets

Fig. 2.6 Eight types of Tool to build digital


digital twins twin
Software Hardware
Part,
Digitalized

I II
mechanism
part

Control
Whole III IV
Purpose

Part,
Digitalized

V VI
Decision mechanism
part

making
Whole VII VIII

Internet. In addition, a digital twin is also a CPS due to the large number of
computer and computing technologies used in it [12]. The difference between them
is that the physical and cyber parts of a digital twin are as similar as possible, while
those of a CPS may be not. Nevertheless, in the view of Cemernek et al. [12], the
vision of Industry 4.0 is to create the digital twin of a manufacturing system.
Prevalent tools that support the creation of digital twins are summarized in
Fig. 2.7. The applications of some tools are mentioned as follows.
Haag and Anderl [15] constructed the digital twin of a bending beam test bench
(i.e., the physical twin) as a 3D computer-aided design (CAD) model. Then, an IoT
interface with a software agent (called the broker) was established between the
digital and physical twins, so that the physical twin published some of its opera-
tional data at the interface, and the digital twin accessed (or subscribed to) such
data, similar to an electronic business mechanism. The data were then fed to a finite
element analysis (FEA) model that simulated the behavior of the bending beam test
bench. The simulation result was transmitted through the interface to be compared
with the actual result shared by the physical twin, similar to the treatment taken in
computer-aided manufacturing (CAM).
2.2 Industry 4.0 for Manufacturing 27

Fig. 2.7 Prevalent tools


supporting the creation of
digital twins Production
Simulation

ANN, FIS,
Electronic Machine
Business Learning

Digital
Twin
Creation
IoT CAD/CAM

Finite
Element
Analysis

However, this application reveals some problems when creating digital twins:

• Unintegrated functions: Sometimes the shape and operation of a machine are


digitalized using different tools without being integrated. To solve this problem,
the CAD model of a machine needs to be operable. In the past, only a few
machines, like CNC machine tools and 3D printers meet this requirement. In the
future, this may become the responsibility of machine vendors.
• Time lag, speed difference: The machine and its digital twin communicate but
have not been synchronized. When the machine is running, its CAD model or
FEA model does not follow. In addition, the former takes a while, while the
latter can be done almost instantaneously. In other words, a lot of problems may
occur in performing an operation on a machine. In contrast, its digital twin will
complete the operation instantly without any problem.

Response surface methodology (RSM) fits the relationships between several


explanatory variables and one or more response variables [16]. RSM is a prevalent
tool for building the digital twin of a machine by simulating and illustrating its
processing mechanism. In theory, there are different choices for explanatory vari-
ables and response variables, taking defect pattern analysis as an example. Some
possible explanatory variables and response variables are presented in Table 2.2.
The corresponding Industry 4.0 technologies are also listed in this table. The
resulting response surfaces can support various applications.
The production simulation model of a factory is the most common and widely
used digital twin [17–20]. A factory simulation model can aid many
decision-making purposes, such as job scheduling, operation improvement, job
cycle time forecasting, and others.
28 2 Industry 4.0 for Semiconductor Manufacturing

Table 2.2 Choices of explanatory variables and response variables in defect pattern analysis
Explanatory variables Response variables Applicable Industry
4.0 Technologies
Production conditions Number, types, positions, Machine learning
frequencies of defects
Machine conditions Number, types, positions, CPS, IoT, big data
frequencies of defects analytics
Number, types, positions, Number, types, positions, Big data analytics
frequencies of some defects frequencies of other defects

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have been constructed and trained in many
studies to predict the cycle time of a job [21–23], which is also a digital twin. ANNs
are well-known machine learning techniques [24, 25]. The predicted job cycle time
serves as valuable information in determining the internal due date [26]. Likewise,
the FIS established in Example 2.1 is also a digital twin that predicts when the next
machine failure will occur so that predictive maintenance can be arranged. Other
machine intelligence techniques are also applicable.
However, compared to the traditional system simulation, other types of digital
twins have received more attention in recent years. One of the reasons is the
application of CPS technologies (especially sensing technologies). In the past, the
simulation model of a manufacturing system is usually based on historical data, and
simulation is done offline. Therefore, the conclusions reached are somewhat out-
dated. In Industry 4.0, sensors are used to collect the real-time data of machines that
are fed to the digital twin (simulation model) to overwrite historical data. For
example, in a production simulation model, the processing time of a job on a
machine usually follows a distribution and is indeterminate. A sensor embedded in
the machine can be used to monitor the progress of the job and estimate the
completion time, which is entered into the simulation model, bringing the simu-
lation results closer to the real state. In this way, the digital twin (simulation model)
quickly analyzes different scenarios and then advises (or controls) the machine to
execute. In short, digital twins bring real-time analysis capabilities to manufacturing
systems that traditional production simulation cannot.
According to some reports in the literature, the benefits of creating digital twins
include more accurate forecasts, more rational decision-making, and more informed
planning results [27]. However, the cost to achieve these benefits is less mentioned.
Whether building the digital twins of machines in a factory can actually improve its
operational performance or competitiveness needs to be investigated.
Zheng et al. [28] built the digital twin of a virtual welding production line. The
digital twin was composed of three parts: the 3D geometric model, the physical
model, and the kinematic model. The geometric model was a visualized repre-
sentation of the production line. The physical model monitored the mechanical and
thermodynamic states of an industrial robot. The kinematics model described the
relative motions of the parts of the industrial robot. Sensors were used to collect the
2.2 Industry 4.0 for Manufacturing 29

physical (such as temperature, pressure, noise level, etc.) and motion data of the
parts of the industrial robot, which were transmitted through a wireless network to a
server. The collected data were used not only to modify the geometric model but
also to analytically detect possible anomalies in the states of the parts of the
industrial robot, thereby issuing warnings. The application of Zhang et al. was a
typical one-way communication: the state of the production line was reflected on
the digital twin. Although the digital twin helped analyze possible problems with
the industrial robot, it could not directly control the industrial robot. For this
application, a CPS that uses sensors to collect data for analysis and early warning
may be sufficient without the need to build a digital twin of the production line.
Vachálek et al. [29] built the digital twin of an experimental pneumatic cylinder
production line composed of seven stations. Three types of cylinders with different
sizes of the drilled hole between pistons were produced. The digital twin was built
using simulation. Although the simulation model also provided a visual represen-
tation of the production line, the processing mechanism of the production line,
rather than the appearance, was actually digitalized. The digital twin (simulation
model) was applied to evaluate the effects of several possible plans aimed to
optimize the performance of the production line.
Bao et al. [30] applied the digital twin technology to a structural part machining
cell, in which the digital twins of jobs (i.e. structural parts), machines (i.e., machine
tools), and tools were constructed. The digital twin of a job included its 3D CAD
model, radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, bill of materials (BOM), and
production conditions that were inputted into the computer-aided process planning
(CAPP) system. The work-in-process (WIP) level could also be easily monitored by
detecting the RFID tag. A machine tool is inherently computer-controlled, so
developing its digital twin is straightforward. The digital twin (computer) controlled
the machine tool, monitored the production process, and detected any anomaly.
In the view of Söderberg et al. [31], the digital twin of a manufacturing system
can be built by enhancing the capability of a simulation system toward the real-time
control and optimization of jobs and the manufacturing system. From this point of
view, they built the digital twin of a sheet metal assembly, which was also an
application of simulation. The dimensional deviation of a workpiece at the initial
stage of assembly was measured and then analyzed using a simulation model to
correct the machine settings to reduce the deviation later. Such applications can be
enhanced by using sensors to detect any deviation from the nominal value during
assembly. In this way, machine settings can be adjusted in real time to improve
product quality.
Zhuang et al. [32] applied the visual reality (VR) technology to build the digital
twin of a structural plate production system. They constructed a Markov chain
instead of production simulation to predict the production progress of jobs on
machines. In addition, RFID was also employed to track the movement of a job.
The production system involved a lot of manual operations with high uncertainty,
and it was difficult to reflect this in real time on the digital twin.
30 2 Industry 4.0 for Semiconductor Manufacturing

2.2.3 Internet of Machines

An IoM or manufacturing IoT is an environment in which physical objects (such as


machines, robots, and tools) in a manufacturing system are connected to a global
information infrastructure running on the Internet [33].
An IoM is composed of four main parts: information protocols and middleware,
sensors, actuators, information services (including artificial intelligence (AI) and
big data analytics) [34].
Sensors have been used to monitor the conditions of industrial products such as
wind turbines and railways. Whether the same treatment should be done to
machines in manufacturing systems remains to be verified. Also, whether data
collected from multiple machines or the digital twins of those machines should be
shared or communicated is another question [35].
Sensors are used to collect real-time data from machines in both CPSs (including
digital twins) and IoMs. The difference between them is that the latter share online
rather than just store and process the collected data by computers. In this way,
machines can communicate with each other, which is useful for production control.
IoT can be applied to mobile health care, in which a user’s smartphone serves as
a gateway to provide Internet connectivity to surrounding Bluetooth low energy
(LE)-enabled sensors. In this application, the data collected by sensors are trans-
mitted to a remote backend server for analysis and diagnosis. Machines in a factory
can communicate with each other similarly through a computer connected to the
Internet [14]. The benefits of this treatment include the maturity of the Bluetooth
technology and low energy consumption. In this application, the data collected by
sensors can also be transmitted to a server for centralized processing. But it would
be valuable if machines could share data with each other. For example, in lean
manufacturing, kanbans are used to establish the connection between machines by
controlling the production of an upstream machine based on the status of the
downstream machine [36]. IoM facilitates the wireless exchange of such informa-
tion, and plays an important role in the digitization of production kanbans [37].
Another possible tool for the same purpose is RFID [9]. By attaching RFID tags to
jobs, their locations as well as movements can be tracked and controlled. The
information of a job (such as product type, release time, job size, priority, due date,
etc.) can also be carried by the attached RFID. In this way, RFID helps to digitalize
withdrawal kanbans, as illustrated in Fig. 2.8.
However, the role of kanbans is not only to control work-in-process (WIP) in-
ventory and production progress but also to allow operators to understand and do
these by themselves, which is of great value in management but may be overlooked
in the implementation of Industry 4.0.
Chen and Lin [38] established an IoM service system called the digital device
identifier (DEI) system. The DEI system is a new identification scheme that assigns
each device (i.e., job or machine) a unique identity, on which various applications
can be practiced. When a user applies the DEI system to access the data of a certain
device through DEI, he/she is directly guided to the latest information of the device.
DEI is also useful for building facility layouts online, as the picture and other basic
2.2 Industry 4.0 for Manufacturing 31

Fig. 2.8 IoM and RFID for RFID


kanban digitalization
Digital
Withdrawal Withdrawal
Kanbans Kanbans

Kanbans
IoM

Digital
Production Production
Kanbans Kanbans

data of each machine in the facility layout can be referenced through the DEI
system. In this way, a virtual capacity network that includes the possible suppliers
and users (i.e., factories) of a piece of equipment can be constructed based on the
DEI of the equipment.

2.2.4 Cloud and Ubiquitous Manufacturing

Cloud manufacturing or ubiquitous manufacturing is another situation where


IoM helps, where the unused capacity of a manufacturing system is shared online
as cloud-based capacity [39–41]. Therefore, another manufacturer that does not
have enough capacity can move the required production to where there is cloud
capacity for production. However, the recipes used to make the product in the two
manufacturing systems may be different and need to be converted, i.e., the con-
version between manufacturing execution systems (MESs). Therefore, this
approach is particularly effective when the machines used by different manufac-
turing systems are sufficiently homogeneous, e.g., 3D printers, CNC machine tools,
etc. It is also easier to promote in industries with relevant standards, such as
semiconductor manufacturing.
Research fields critical to the development of cloud-based manufacturing sys-
tems include automation, industrial control systems, service composition, flexibil-
ity, business models, implementation models, and architectures. However, there are
questions about whether cloud-based manufacturing systems are only suitable for
small and medium-sized businesses. Capital-intensive businesses, such as semi-
conductor manufacturing factories, are not reluctant to buy all the necessary sys-
tems or equipment, making some cost-saving incentives paltry. Additionally,
manufacturing operation managers are especially hesitant to move systems to the
cloud. Furthermore, most of the existing cloud manufacturing techniques empha-
size information and communication technologies rather than manufacturing.
32 2 Industry 4.0 for Semiconductor Manufacturing

Cloud manufacturing can show sustainable and robust manufacturing routes to a


factory, which reveals the importance of cloud manufacturing to
cross-organizational collaboration. In addition, the benefits of CMfg include effi-
ciency, cost-effectiveness, additional data analysis capabilities and flexibility, and a
closer partnership. In addition, the application of CMfg has recently expanded to
the entire industry chain ecosystem [42–44].
Chen et al. [45] studied the predictive teleoperation of CNC machines virtually
controlled with hand gestures. Similar previous studies have only involved robotic
arms. Using hand gestures is a critical step toward full internet- or cloud-based
manufacturing. In the proposed methodology, meaningful gestures corresponding
to eight common CNC operations are established. The skeletal information of the
operator is then tracked using Kinect, and based on this information, his/her joint
angles are derived using the space vector method. Four rules are proposed by them
to predict the hand gesture of the operator based on the changes in joint angles
when making hand gestures to control the CNC machine. An experimental system
was established to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed methodology.
According to the experimental results, the recognition accuracy of the eight gestures
was very high. In addition, the results of an analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed
that the performance of the proposed methodology was robust to the differences in
operators, which is especially valuable to practical applications.
Some large manufacturing systems, such as wafer fabs, have hundreds of
machines, and each job consists of hundreds of steps. Simulating such a manu-
facturing system is laborious and time-consuming. However, in order to gain
effective problem-solving and system analysis capabilities, it is necessary to build
an efficient and effective production simulation system. Production simulation
usually includes the following steps: factory and job data collection, model
building, model verification and validation, running and replication, performance
reporting, and scenario comparison (optimization). Most of these steps can be
placed on the cloud, and the factory is only responsible for collecting factory and
job data and planning scenarios for comparison (Fig. 2.9). Such an application is
the combination of CPS (i.e., simulation) and cloud computing. Possible benefits
include reduced simulation time and investment in purchasing and maintaining
simulation software and hardware.

2.3 Industry 4.0 for Semiconductor Manufacturing

Some scholars believed that the background of introducing Industry 4.0 by Ger-
many is its high wage level. In order to be cost competitive, the further automation
and stabilization of production through Industry 4.0 is considered a feasible solu-
tion [34]. This view seems to imply that Industry 4.0 is less urgent for countries or
industries with lower wage levels. The wage level in the semiconductor industry is
higher than those in other industries. Further production automation and stabi-
lization is also the evolution direction of this industry. However, once industries in
2.3 Industry 4.0 for Semiconductor Manufacturing 33

Fig. 2.9 Combination of


Collect factory and job
CPS (simulation) and cloud data
manufacturing

Build the simulation Build the


model simulation model

Validate and
Validate and verify the verify the
simulation model simulation model

Run simulation
Run simulation

Generate
Generate performance performance
reports reports

Compare scenarios

other countries also see Industry 4.0 as the direction of research and development,
Germany, which has invested many resources in Industry 4.0, will become the
leader [12]. No wonder other countries have come up with similar advanced
manufacturing concepts, e.g., “smart manufacturing” by the United States, “man-
ufacturing innovation 3.0” by South Korea, “made in China 2025” and “Internet
plus” by China, etc. [3, 12].
Waschneck et al. [3] listed four directions for realizing Industry 4.0 in semi-
conductor manufacturing, namely, decentralization and autonomous decision-
making, flexibility and adaptability, integration and networking, and human
interaction with complex environments.

2.3.1 Cyber-Physical System Applications

Many types of machines used in semiconductor manufacturing have sensors and


PCs embedded, and therefore can be considered as CPSs [14], for example,
chemical delivery systems, cleaning equipment, chemical vapor deposition
(CVD) and physical vapor deposition (PVD) equipment, diffusion furnaces, gas
scrubbers, ion implant systems, recirculators, vacuum pumps, wafer dry and wet
etch equipment, and wafer preparation equipment (e.g., chemical mechanical pol-
ishing, CMP) [46]. The data collected by a sensor is called a status variable
identification (SVID) [11]. However, for specific purposes such as predictive
34 2 Industry 4.0 for Semiconductor Manufacturing

maintenance, additional sensors still need to be installed. In addition, algorithms for


analyzing the collected data are also required. Nevertheless, it is quite natural to
implement Industry 4.0 in a semiconductor manufacturing environment. In addi-
tion, semiconductor manufacturing is also one of the few industries where Industry
4.0 applications have been seriously studied. Therefore, the experience of applying
Industry 4.0 in the semiconductor industry can provide a reference for other
industries [12].
The integration of CPSs can be achieved through the communication among the
agents on them. From this perspective, Keil [47] applied agent technologies in
establishing CPSs for a semiconductor manufacturing factory. They started by
attaching a microcomputer with network connectivity, sensors, and a power supply
to a wafer carrier to form a cyber-physical production lot. In the past, radio fre-
quency identification (RFID) tags have been attached to wafer carriers for similar
purposes [9]. Forked light barriers attached to a carrier, controlled by an ATMega32
microcontroller, detected the presence of a wafer that has finished fabrication and
was ejected by the equipment. In this way, the start and finish production times of
each wafer on a particular machine can be instantly known. Such a function is very
helpful for some production planning and control tasks, such as wafer lot
rescheduling, production progress tracking, logistics control, etc.
A similar idea was proposed by Zheng and Wu [48] to track the inventory level
of spare parts in a semiconductor manufacturing factory by converting these spare
parts into CPSs. In this way, the suppliers of spare parts can be notified in real time
if the inventory level falls below a certain threshold.
Chang et al. [49] aimed to optimize the energy efficiency of chiller systems in a
wafer fab. First, sensors were used to monitor the conditions of chill systems, such
as the operating frequency of pumps and the cooling tower, and the load rate,
number of open chillers, condenser saturation temperature and cooling water input
temperature of the chiller, which resulted in a big data analytics problem. However,
these data were not used in real time but was stored and analyzed later. Therefore,
this is not a predictive action. Four types of energy consumption were estimated
based on these monitored conditions: chiller energy consumption, cooling tower
energy consumption, cooling water pump energy consumption, and chilled-water
pump energy consumption. Chang et al. applied the partial least squares regression
(PLSR) method to reduce the dimensionality of the big data problem.
The most common application of CPS is predictive maintenance. Predictive
maintenance reduces repair expenses by avoiding unanticipated machine failures
and can eliminate the resulting poor product quality. According to Micron Tech-
nology [50], detecting possible anomalies in the machines of semiconductor
manufacturing factories based on data collected by sensors embedded in these
machines can reduce product quality issues by 35%, increase capacity by 10%, and
quicken yield learning by 25%, as illustrated in Fig. 2.10. The last two benefits
result in more monthly outputs, and therefore also increase productivity:
2.3 Industry 4.0 for Semiconductor Manufacturing 35

Reduced
Increased
Repair
Capacity
Expenses

Increased Predictive
Productivity Maintenance
Quickened
Reduced
Yield
Quality Issues
Learning

Cyber-physical Systems

Fig. 2.10 Benefits of predictive maintenance for a semiconductor manufacturing factory

Output Wafers  Yield


Productivity ¼ ¼ ð2:1Þ
Input Capacity, Raw Materials, Operators, etc:

which was seen by many studies as one of the main benefits of Industry 4.0 [3].
Although theoretically, predictive maintenance can bring these benefits, it is
difficult to assess how much the benefits are. After all, it is unlikely to conduct
contrasting experiments in a semiconductor manufacturing factory. In addition,
Chen et al. [11] pointed out that it is difficult to perform pervasive predictive
maintenance and anomaly detection in semiconductor fabrication plants due to the
complexity of manufacturing processes and the variety of equipment. Many wafer
fabs still rely on the trial production of control wafers to fulfill similar purposes,
which is costly and cannot obtain information in real time.
Although a CPS does not need to be connected to any network, forming a CPS
network can realize many benefits, such as the distribution of production planning
and control, promoting the cooperation between machines, and equalizing the
progress of jobs of the same order, etc. However, CPS networks are also vulnerable
to cyber-attacks. Some examples are given below:

• The conditions of a machine detected by sensors may be modified by hackers


during transmission, leading to errors in analysis. As a result, a periodic main-
tenance is forwarded, resulting in loss of production capacity.
• The conditions of a wafer lot detected by sensors may be modified by hackers
during the transmission process, misjudging the poor quality of the wafer lot. As
a result, the processing of the wafer lot is terminated early, resulting in unnec-
essary losses.
Tackle these problems, Cayetano et al. [51] discuss how factories can prevent
cyber-attacks on the CPS network. Treatments that can be taken include
• Continuous modification of database passwords;
• Protecting FTP account information;
36 2 Industry 4.0 for Semiconductor Manufacturing

• Limited sharing of accounts and emails;


• IT software version control;
• Data backup strategies;
• Retiring old operating systems and protecting system hardware;
• Choosing reputable internet service providers;
• Regular data center audits;
• Other network security measures.

2.3.2 Internet of Things Applications

Each machine in a semiconductor manufacturing factory generates a massive


amount of data that is difficult to analyze centrally. Therefore, a machine should
make its own decision and share only some data (or information) with the outside.
For example, the scheduling of jobs on all machines in a semiconductor factory is
usually planned centrally, which involves a large amount of data and computation.
As a result, it is difficult to apply various types of scheduling methods (such as
dispatching rules, mathematical programming + heuristics, simulation, etc.) to
different machines. The frequencies of rescheduling on different machines have to
be identical, as illustrated in Table 2.3. In Industry 4.0, each machine schedules its
own jobs and only retrieves relevant information when necessary from the Pro-
duction Management Information System (PROMIS), upstream machine, or
downstream machine, as illustrated in Table 2.4. The biggest benefit of this is
flexibility. Although local optimization (scheduling by machine) does not neces-
sarily lead to the global optimal solution, the flexibility of applying various
scheduling methods is conducive to the scheduling performance.
Figure 2.11 provides statistics on the popularity of Industry 4.0 technology
applications in semiconductor manufacturing.

Table 2.3 Conventional job scheduling in semiconductor manufacturing factory


Machine Job scheduling method Planned by Rescheduling
frequency
M001 First-in-first-out (FIFO) (dispatching rule) Job scheduling Every day
system
M002 Shortest remaining processing time Job scheduling Every day
(SRPT) (dispatching rule) system
M003 Critical ratio (CR) (dispatching rule) Job scheduling Every day
system

2.3 Industry 4.0 for Semiconductor Manufacturing 37

Table 2.4 Job scheduling in semiconductor manufacturing factory in Industry 4.0


Machine Job scheduling method Planned Rescheduling
by frequency
M001 First-in-first-out (FIFO) (dispatching M001 Every day
rule)
M002 Mathematical programing + heuristics M002 Every two hours
M003 Simulation M003 Every thirty minutes

Fig. 2.11 Number of 140000


references about Industry 4.0 120000
No. of references

technology applications in 100000


manufacturing from 2010 to 80000
2022 (Data source Google 60000
Scholar) 40000
20000
0

Cyber physical

Digital twin

Big data analytics


Internet of things

Cybersecurity
Cloud coomputing

Distributive
Production simulation

Intelligence
systems

2.3.3 Problems with Existing Methods

Obviously, the infrastructure required for Industry 4.0 is more complete in the
semiconductor industry than in other industries. However, it is still unknown how
much Industry 4.0 can enhance the competitiveness of the semiconductor industry.
The difficulties faced by the semiconductor industry include: the overcapacity of
low-end product lines, unstable raw material supply, price competition, the low
yield of high-end products, increasing product diversification, and customer
requirements for shorter delivery times, as illustrated in Fig. 2.12:

• How these difficulties can be solved by Industry 4.0 is still unclear.


• Whether Industry 4.0 is more efficient, cost-effective, or sustainable than other
measures needs to be compared.
38 2 Industry 4.0 for Semiconductor Manufacturing

Overcapacity of low-
end product lines

Unstable raw material


supply

Price competition
Difficulties in Enhancing
the Competitiveness Industry 4.0
Low yield of high-end
products

Increasing product
diversification

Shorter delivery times

Fig. 2.12 Difficulties in enhancing the competitiveness of the semiconductor industry

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Ehkä hänen hellää huolehtimistaan värähti hänen äänessään
enemmän kuin oli hänen tarkoituksensa. Herra Corbal pysähtyi
hänen eteensä ja katseli häntä tummilla, vakavilla silmillään. Hänen
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»Niin, minä olen ajatellut. Ja kolmas vaihtoehto tarjoutuu.


Mutta…»
Hän keskeytti puheensa pienellä epätoivon eleellä.

»Mutta mitä, monsieur? Lausukaa se avoimesti. Sillä tavoin


ajatusta koetellaan.»

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Neitonen melkein hymyili vilkaistessaan häneen. »Mitäpä teidän


tapauksessanne merkitsisi miehelle väärinymmärrys?
Väärinymmärrys kenen taholta? Minunko? Mitä voi minun
mielipiteeni tässä merkitä?»

»Kaikkea», vastasi varakreivi ja saattoi neitosen tuijottamaan


melkein henkeään pidätellen, jonkin määrittelemättömän tunteen
liikuttamana.

Varakreivi kääntyi äkkiä pois vieraastansa, asteli kirjahyllyseinälle


ja takaisin jälleen, pysähtyen taaskin neitosen eteen, pää
kumarassa.
»Voitaisiin arvella, etten ole löytänyt täältä muita kuin jonkun
hätävaran. Se on minun suuri pelkoni. Tahdotteko uskoa minua,
mademoiselle, jos vannon, etten lausu sanaakaan, joka ei ole totta?
Minä olen mies, joka elää viimeisiä hetkiään. Ei minussa paljoa
kuntoa liene, mutta valheellisuudella en ole itseäni ikinä tahrannut.»

»Niin minä teitä arvioisinkin, monsieur. Puhukaa siis vapaasti.»

Hän puhui, mutta ei vapaasti. Hän hapuili ja änkytti kömpelösti,


mikä oli täysin vierasta hänelle, jonka lauseet tavallisesti olivat
täsmälliset ja oppineesti punnitut.

»Älkää nähkö, mademoiselle, rukoilen, mitään… kunnioituksen


puutetta sanoissani. Toisissa olosuhteissa… Mutta nyt aika kiirehtii.
Minä olen mies, joka olen paljon elänyt yksinäni. Kirjani ja tilukseni
ovat olleet ainoat harrastukseni ja pieni perheeni melkein ainoa
seurani vuosikausiin. Tämä eristäytyminen maailmasta onkin tehnyt
mahdolliseksi, että nyt vielä elän. Monet asiat, jotka kuuluvat
minunsäätyisteni elämään, ovat menneet minulta ohi. Minä en ole
niitä kaivannut, koska en ole niitä halunnut. Ei kukaan nainen…
Pyydän, että uskotte minua… Ei kukaan nainen ole milloinkaan
koskettanut elämääni. Ei tätä ennen.»

Mademoiselle de Montsorbier jäykistyi. Hän oli kovin kalpea, ja


harmaa villamekko liikahteli hänen hentojen rintojensa
kuohahtelusta. Varakreivi vaikeni siihen, ja hän, joka niin tyynesti oli
katsellut kuolemaa, tarkkasi neitosta melkein pelokkaasti. Hän pani
hermostuneesti kätensä ristiin ja havaitsi ne kosteiksi.

»Minä… minä olen tietysti lukenut runoilijoita. Mutta kuitenkaan en


tiedä, kuinka nämä tunteet miehessä heräävät. Minä tiedän vain, että
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minua, mademoiselle, vaikka saatan teistä näyttää yltiöpäältä.
Epäilkää mitä tahdotte, mutta älkää minun sanojeni totuutta ja
vilpittömyyttäni.»

Taaskin hän vaikeni. Mutta tyttö ei vieläkään virkkanut mitään.


Olisi ollut vaikea sanoa, kumpi heistä oli suuremman pelon vallassa.

»Kun ensi kertaa näin teidät valossa eilen illalla, tuntui minusta…
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ehkä karkeuksia. Minä en kykene esittämään sitä muulla tavalla.
Mutta niin omaehtoista, niin… niin välttämätöntä se oli, että minusta
on näyttänyt… Tämä ei ole pöyhkeilyä, mademoiselle. Se on kai
vaistomaista. Minusta on tuntunut kuin jotakin molemminpuolista,
vastavuoroista on täytynyt tapahtua. Minusta näytti mahdottomalta,
että miehen sielu voisi… kokea niin paljon… tukemattomana. —
Mademoiselle, minä häpeän typeriä sanojani. Ne eivät…»

Neitonen keskeytti hänet vihdoinkin. Hän oli noussut, ja


uskomattomana ihmeenä varakreivin silmissä hänen rintansa nojasi
hänen omaansa vasten, ja hänen kasvonsa, kauttaaltaan vaaleat ja
säälistä surkeat, olivat kohotetut häntä kohti.

»Häpeättekö?» huudahti hän. »Häpeätte!» Neitosen äänessä oli


hellyyden musiikkia, joka huumasi miehen aisteja. »Teidän sananne
eivät jätä mitään lausumatta. Ette ainakaan lausu mitään, mikä ei ole
totta. Vaistosi eivät ole pettäneet, rakkaani.»

Corbalin käsivarret kietoutuivat hänen ympärilleen. Hänen


äänensä oli kärsivän miehen ääni.

»Rakkaus on jokaiselle olennolle elämän täyttymys, ja minä olisin


ehkä kuollut epätäydellisenä, jollet sinä olisi saapunut
yhdennellätoista hetkellä.»

Neitosta puistatti. »Oi, rakkaani!» Hän lepäsi raukeana varakreivin


rintaa vasten.

»Ah! Mutta kaikki se on nyt muuttunut!» huudahti Corbal


rohkaistakseen tyttöä. »Sinä teet elämän mahdolliseksi. Jos olisin
erehtynyt, jos et olisi minusta välittänyt, niin kaikki muu olisi ollut
samantekevää. Mutta sittenkin olisin kuollut rikkaampana, jalompana
sinun tuliaistesi vuoksi. Mutta koska sinä välität… Kuuntelehan,
rakkaani. Vallankumoustuomioistuimen päätös käskee minut
ainoastaan menemään naimisiin. Kunhan siis vain menen naimisiin
kolmen päivän kuluessa, niin täytän tämän heidän laiksi
nimittämänsä törkeän ilveilyn vaatimukset. Filomène ehdotettiin
minulle, koska en tahtonut itse tehdä valintaa. Mutta Filomène tai
joku toinen, samahan se heille on. Jos siis tulet minun kanssani
tuomioistuimen eteen talonpoikaisessa puvussa — se on
varmempaa — tyttönä, jonka minä otan mieluummin, jonka olen
itselleni valinnut… Me voimme keksiä sinulle kotipaikan. Se ei käy
vaikeaksi. Jos siis…»

Tyttö irtausi hänestä ja astahti taaksepäin.

»Oi, sinä et tiedä, mitä puhut!» huudahti hän syvässä tuskassa.

Toinen seisoi nolostuneena, kaikki hänen leijailevat toiveensa


ehkäistyinä.

»Mutta jos… jos… me rakastamme toisiamme?» änkytti hän.


»Mitä vaikeutta siinä sitten on? Tarvitseeko sen ajatuksen, että
vihkiäiset pidetään heti, olla niin vastenmielinen?»
»En minä sitä tarkoita, en minä sitä tarkoita!»

»Mitä sitten?»

Neitonen nauroi ilottomasti. Tilanteessa oli sittenkin jotakin ilotonta


huumoria. »Chauvinière!» virkkoi hän merkitsevästi.

»Chauvinière?» toisti Corbal, tietenkin käsittäen hänet väärin.


»Mitä hänestä sitten? Chauvinièrekin vaiennetaan, kun täytetään
hänen vaatimuksensa, että minä menen naimisiin. Hän mainitsi
Filomènen ainoana käsillä olevana morsiamena. Mutta toinen nainen
kelpaa hänestä yhtä hyvin kuin toinenkin, tai jollei hänestä, niin
ainakin tuomioistuimesta. Jos siis tottelen päätöstä, eivät he voine
pakottaa minua valinnassani. Se olisi liian vaarallinen
ennakkomenetelmä.»

»Se, mitä sanot, olisi totta jokaiseen muuhun naiseen, mutta ei


minuun nähden.»

»Ei sinuun nähden?» Mies tuijotti hämmästyneenä.

»Koska minä olen se nainen, jota Chauvinière ei salli sinun valita.


Se on surullisen, julman iroonista, ystäväni. Jos paljastat minut, niin
sillä vain saatat turmioon sekä minut että itsesi.»

»Jos paljastan sinut mademoiselle de Montsorbierena. Mutta se ei


olekaan tarkoitus. Maalaistyttönä, rahvaan tyttärenä…»

Neitonen keskeytti hänet selittääkseen vihdoinkin kaikki.

»Se saattaisi kelvata muille, mutta ei Chauvinièrelle. Chauvinière


on se edusmies, joka salaa kuljetti minut pois Pariisista.»
Kului pitkä tovi, ennenkuin toinen täydellisesti ymmärsi, ja se
ymmärtäminen herätti hänessä kummallista kauhua. »Se oli hän? Se
oli hän…?»

Neitonen nyökkäsi, ja hänen kasvonpiirteensä vääntyivät


katkeraan hymyyn.

Corbalia puistatti, ja hän peitti kasvot käsillään, sulkeakseen pois


kuvan, jonka tytön näkeminen nyt herätti. Hän astui taaksepäin ja
istahti äkkiä tuolille. Hän voihki siinä istuessaan, ja aluksi tyttö
ymmärsi väärin hänen tuskansa syyn, kuvitellen sen olevan hänen
paljastuksensa tuottamassa tappion tunteessa. Mutta Corbalin sanat
valaisivat hänelle asian.

»Chauvinière!» jupisi hän. »Se viheliäinen eläin! Hänen saastaiset


silmänsä ovat ryömineet sinun puhtaudessasi ja suloissasi.» Hän
puri hammasta. »Että hän uskalsikin! Että hän katseellaan tohti sinut
tahrata!»

»Rakkaani, maksaako vaivaa ajatella sitä — tällaisella hetkellä?»

»Mitäpä tässä muuta ajatella? Mitäpä mikään muu tähän


verrattuna merkitsee? Elämänikö!» nauroi Corbal. »Minä antaisin
sen kernaasti, jos olisin voinut sinut säästää!»

Ovelta kuului kolkutus. Filomène astui huoneeseen säikähtynein


kasvoin. »Siellä on kansalainen edusmies», ilmoitti hän. »Hän on
täällä ja pyytää saada teitä tavata.»

Mademoiselle de Montsorbier säpsähti.

Corbal paljasti kasvonsa ja nousi hitaasti seisaalleen.


»Kansalainen edusmies?» kysyi hän käheästi. »Chauvinièreko?»
Sitten hän äkkiä ponnistausi reippaaksi. Hän suoristi olkapäänsä ja
seisoi jäykkänä ja ryhdikkäänä, kasvot kirkkaina jostakin
mielijohteesta. Häntä tarkatessaan mademoiselle de Montsorbier
havaitsi hänessä hätääntymisen asemesta ainoastaan yliluonnollista
tyyneyttä, ja kun hän sitten jälleen puhui, ei hänen äänensä ollut
saanut takaisin luontaista tasaista sävyään, vaan siinä värähti
heikosti melkein ivallinen sävel.

»Kansalaisedusmies Chauvinière, niinkö? Onko hän yksin?»

»On, monsieur. Minä en nähnyt ketään muuta.»

Varakreivi nyökkäsi. Hän hymyili. »Kuinka erinomaisen


ystävällistä, kuinka herttaisen alentuvaista kansalaisedusmieheltä
kunnioittaa taloani jälleen! Ja näin perin sopivaan aikaan! Ikäänkuin
hän olisi arvannut, kuinka välttämättä tahdoin häntä tavata, ja
halunnut säästää minulta vaivan lähteä häntä etsimään. Odotuta
häntä tuokion verran eteisessä, Filomène. Viivytä häntä siellä, jos
voit, ja tuo sitten sisälle.»

Ihmetellen ja keventyneenä varakreivin sävystä Filomène lähti.

Ennenkuin tyttö oli poistunut huoneesta, oli Corbal astunut


korkean seinän vieressä olevan kiilloitetun silkkiäispuisen kaapin luo.
Hän tunsi mademoiselle de Montsorbieren tarttuvan
kyynärpäähänsä.

»Tahdotko kätkeä minut sinne?» Corbal tuhlasi hetkisen häneen


tuijottamalla. Sitten hän hymyili ja pudisti päätänsä. »Minä en
suinkaan aio kätkeä sinua.» Hän otti mahonkisen lippaan erään
kaapin hyllyltä.
»Mutta jos hän tapaa minut täällä?»

»Sitä minä haluankin.» Hän otti ruutisarven ja pienen


liinakankaisen pussin ja sulki kaapin oven. »Se uskalikko, se
röyhkeä hupsu!»

Hän astui kirjoituspöytänsä luo ja avasi lippaan. Siinä oli pari


kaksintaistelupistooleja samettikotelossa.
YHDEKSÄS LUKU

Filomènella oli viehätyksensä, ja luonteeltaan niin yritteliäs mies kuin


kansalaisedustaja ei päästä naisellisia viehätyksiä huomaamattaan
ohitse.

Kun tyttö palasi eteisessä odottavan luo, otti tämä hänen


pehmeästi pyöristyneen leukansa laihaan käteensä ja tarkkasi häntä
hyväksyvästi. Hänen sanansa kuitenkin ilmaisivat, että hän teki sen
intohimottomasti, arvostelevan viileässä mielessä.

»Joko hän havaitsee sinun sulosi, rakas tyttöseni, se nirso entinen


ylimys? Hänen asemessaan en minä totisesti kahta käskyä odottaisi.
Minä teen sinusta vielä entisen varakreivin puolison», lupasi hän ja
suuteli häntä sinetöidäkseen kaupan. Intohimottomuus voi sittenkin
joskus mennä liian pitkälle, ja kansalaisedusmies Chauvinièrella oli
omat tapansa.

Hän päästi tytön leuan ja käski opastamaan vastahakoisen


sulhasen luo. Mutta Filomène muisti käskyn, että piti viivytellä, ja
edusmies itse oli tarjonnut hänelle siihen verukkeen. Vieläpä
enemmänkin, — hänelle selvisi äkkiä, kuinka hän ehkä voisi
pelastaakin varakreivin, kun hänen kiintymyksensä isäntää kohtaan
oli sitä haltioitunutta lajia, joka haluaa ilmaantua vain palveluksessa.

»Ei ainoastaan sulhanen ole vastahakoinen», sanoi hän, ja


viehättävät kasvot olivat käyneet nyrpeiksi. »Te pitelette kovin
vapaasti köyhää tyttörukkaa, te vallankumoustuomioistuimen herrat.
Te käskette miehen naida minut, pyytämättä minulta siihen edes
suostumusta. Pidätte itsestään selvänä, ettei minulla ole siinä
asiassa mitään mielipidettä. 'Naikaa Filomène torstaina, muutoin
mestaamme teidät perjantaina'.» Hän tuhautti nenäänsä vihaisen
halveksivasti. »Te luulette, että siinä on kaikki. Mutta entä jos
Filomène ei halua miestä, jonka te määräätte hänen puolisokseen?»

Chauvinière rypisti hänelle otsaansa. Hän muisti ne lempeät


katseet, jotka oli nähnyt tytön luovan Corbaliin ja jotka ensiksi olivat
hänelle vihjaisseet tämän juonen. Hänen nyrpistyksensä muuttui
pilkalliseksi hymyksi.

»Mitä leikkiä sinä minun kanssani leikit, tyttöseni?»

»En mitään leikkiä, kansalainen edusmies. Se on verisen vakavaa,


kuten te ja teidän tuomioistuimenne saavat havaita. Minä en ole
annettavissa kuin lehmä tai lammas, enkä minä kuulu teille, jotta te
voisitte minut lahjoittaa. Vapautta, hah? Se on kai teidän
käsityksenne vapaudesta? Kah, aristokraatit eivät olisi koskaan niin
paljoa uskaltaneet, ettekä tekään uskalla, kun minusta on puhe!»

»No, emme tietenkään, jos sinä niin sanot.»

»Minä sanon niin.» Hänen äänensä kävi kimeäksi. Hän oli


kiihoittunut, oli kiihoittuvinaan intohimoisen vihaiseksi. »Teidän,
herrojen, on parasta ymmärtää minut selvästi ja säästää itseltänne
vaiva ajaa tätä järjetöntä asiaa edemmäksi. Minä en ota itselleni
miestä teidän käskystänne enkä suinkaan kansalaista Corbalia. Minä
kieltäydyn avioliitosta.»

Chauvinière hymyili kärsivällisesti tytön rajuudelle.

»Niinkö?» virkkoi hän.

»Ihan kerrassaan», julisti tyttö, ja hänen poskilleen karahti melkein


riemun puna hänen käsittäessään, että hän täten oli nolannut
Chauvinièren ja pelastanut rakastamansa varakreivin tätä
uhkaavasta vaarasta.

Chauvinière hymyili yhä ja huoahti. »Ikävä juttu», sanoi hän.


»Perin ikävä ja säälittävä juttu! Hänen on nyt, jos hän mielii elää,
etsittävä itselleen joku toinen, enkä minä rohkene toivoa, että hän
löytää puoleksikaan niin viehättävän.»

Hän huokasi jälleen, sisimmässään nauttien leikistään. »Viehän


nyt minut hänen luokseen, ole hyvä.»

Filomène hätkähti kauhuissaan, kun huomasi, että hänen aseensa


näin helposti särjettiin. Hän nieli kiukkunsa kyyneleet, silmäillen
kansalaisedusmiestä pahansuovasti, mikä vain lisäsi tämän salaista
hilpeyttä.

Kun ei enää ollut mitään muuta tehtävää, saattoi tyttö ääneti


edusmiestä ja ilmoitti hänet odottavalle varakreiville. Joustavana ja
vikkelänä pitkässä harmaassa takissaan, kolmivärisessä
vyöhikössään, josta nyt riippui sapeli, ja kokardilla koristetussa
töyhtöhatussaan, jota hän ei viitsinyt ottaa päästänsä, Chauvinière
tepsutti kirjastoon. Kynnyksen yli astuttuaan hän pysähtyi, salaista
ivaa joka piirteessään, silmäilemään varakreiviä, joka seisoi kädet
selän takana levollisena tyhjän takan ääressä. Hän viittasi
peukalollaan poistuvaa Filomènea kohti.

»Mehevä tipu, ystäväni; häntä ei tulisi hylkiä miehen, jolla on hyvä


maku.»

»Ehkei minulla ole hyvä maku — vallankumouksellisen mittapuun


mukaan.»

»Teidän itsenne tähden toivoisin, että teillä olisi. Te olette


loukannut lasta vastahakoisuudellanne, ja hän selittää, ettei hän
suostu teidän aviosiipaksenne, vaikka tahtoisittekin. Mutta hänen
vastustelunsa on voitettavissa pienellä suostuttelevalla kosiskelulla.
Teidän asemassanne minä yrittäisin häntä suostutella. Joutuisitte
huomaamaan, että hänen käsivartensa syleilisivät teitä
lämpimämmin kuin giljotiinin kaulus. Mutta itsehän te saatte valita
immen ja lesken välillä.»

»Te toistatte sananne, kansalainen. Onko se käyntinne ainoa


tarkoitus?»

Chauvinièren vaaleat silmät kapenivat. Tässä oli mies, joka käytti


murhaavampaa ivaa kuin hänen omansa ja ihan yhtä liukasta.

»Te ymmärrätte minut väärin.» Hänen äänensävynsä oli kuiva ja


terävä. »Ymmärryksen puute on teidän säätynne vikoja.
Ylimyksellisten päiden tyhjyys onkin niin monet niistä pudottanut
vasuun. Minä olen täällä, rakas entinen aatelismies, veljellisessä
mielessä teitä kehoittamassa…» Hän keskeytti lauseensa. Pieni
liikahdus hänen oikealla puolellaan sai hänen katseensa
kääntymään sivulle, ja hän huomasi hoikan nuorukaisen, jolla oli
maalaisen mekko ja housut.

»Mitä? Ken tuo on…?» Jälleen hän vaikeni ja katse kävi äkkiä
eloisammaksi. Hän kumartui eteenpäin tuijottaen tarkkaan, astahti ja
seisahti jälleen. Sitten pääsi häneltä hämmästyksen kirous ja sen
jälkeen äänekäs ja mielihyvää todistava nauru. »Kah, tämäpä on
kohtaus!» Hän sieppasi hatun päästänsä. »Käy välttämättömäksi
paljastaa päänsä.» Hän kumarsi. »Ja kuinka kauan olette ollutkaan
Corbalissa, rakas kirjurini?»

Mademoiselle de Montsorbier astahti hiukan eteenpäin,


ihmeellisesti säilyttäen mielenmalttinsa.

»Eilisestä illasta asti, kansalainen», vastasi hän koruttomasti, niin


koruttomasti ja levollisesti, että mies vavahti ja nolostui.

»Vai eilisestä illasta asti, kaunis kansalainen!» matki hän tyttöä.


»Eilisestäkö illasta asti? Hyväinen aika! Tapaan Corbalissa
enemmän kuin olisin voinut uneksia tai aavistaakaan. Elämä on
täynnä yllätyksiä. Mutta harvoin ne ovat näin hauskoja.» Hän liikahti
lähestyäkseen neitosta.

»Pysykää paikallanne!»

Ääni oli Corbalin, joka puhui niin kylmään ja terävään sävyyn, että
se tosiaan pysähdytti edusmiehen. Tämä jäykistyi katsellessaan
varakreiviä huoneen lattian poikki.

»Elämä on täynnä yllätyksiä, kuten sanotte, kansalainen


edusmies. Tämä yllätys ei kuitenkaan osoittautune niin hauskaksi
kuin luulette.»
Varakreivin asennossa, jopa hänen levollisuudessaankin oli jotakin
kamalaa ja uhkaavaa.

Chauvinière vainusi heti vaaraa ja olisi yhtä nopeasti asettunut sitä


torjumaan; mutta hänelle oli haitaksi ja turmioksi se iva, jota hän niin
tuhlaavasti viljeli. Hänen ilkkuvan kunnioituksensa järjetön ele oli
kuormittanut hänen oikean kätensä päästä siepatulla hatulla.
Ennenkuin hän ehti pistää sen käden poveensa ottaakseen sieltä
pistoolin, joka hänellä oli juuri tällaisten odottamattomien tapausten
varalta, oli hänen vapauduttava hatusta. Hän siirsi sen nopeasti
vasempaan kainaloonsa. Mutta hän ei ehtinyt sen pitemmälle.

Hänen liikkeensä oli vaaranmerkki Corbalille, ja tämä ojensi nyt


häntä kohti raskaan kaksintaistelupistoolin, jota hän tuki vasemmalla
kyynärvarrellaan.

»Jos liikautatte vain sormeannekin, kansalainen edusmies, niin


minä lähetän teidät helvettiin.»

Chauvinière totteli, mutta ei ihan kirjaimellisesti. Hän levitti


jalkansa ja pani kätensä ristiin selän taakse. Sitten hän nauroi. Hän
näytti järkkymättömältä, salaten huolettomalla ryhdillään vaaleiden
silmiensä valppauden.

»Vielä uusi yllätys!» virkkoi hän. »Ja tämä teidän taholtanne, rakas
aatelissyntyinen! Minä en suinkaan sitä teiltä odottanut. Tähän asti te
olette ollut niin herttainen ja poikkeuksettoman kohtelias, etten olisi
suinkaan luullut teidän kykenevän tällaiseen karkeuteen. Miksi te
haluatte minua peloittaa?»

»Te käsitätte minut väärin. En minä aio teitä peloittaa!»


»No, mitä sitten?»

»Tappaa teidät.»

Chauvinière nauroi taaskin, vaikka hän hiukan kalpeni parkitun


nahkansa alla.

»Mitä te puhuttekaan! Kah, kansalainen, olkaamme käytännöllisiä.


Mitä hyötyä teillä olisi minun kuolemastani? Luuletteko, että se
pelastaisi teidät noudattamasta vallankumoustuomioistuimen
päätöstä tai muussa tapauksessa uhraamasta päätänne giljotiinille?
Kunhan hiukan mietitte, ystäväni, niin huomaatte, että se vain
kiirehtisi teidän tuomiotanne.»

Varakreivi ei järkkynyt. »Ja kunhan hiukan tekin puolestanne


mietitte, niin huomaatte, että minä, jonka elämä jo on hukassa, en
voi menettää mitään tappaessani teidät.»

»Mutta sellainen poikamainen ja hyödytön kostotyö!» Chauvinière


näytti tyrmistyneeltä ja loukkaantuneelta. »Sitäpaitsi, ystäväni, on
minulla kaksi miestä tuolla ulkona. Jos luulottelette, että minut
ampumalla saatte tilaisuuden paeta, niin erehdytte. Pistoolinne
pamahduksen kuultuaan rientäisivät mieheni sisälle, ja se olisi teidän
loppunne.»

»Jos tuo olisi totta — mutta minä tiedän sen valheeksi —


tapahtuisi väliintulo kuitenkin liian myöhään ehkäistäkseen teidän
loppunne. Ja ainakin mademoiselle de Montsorbier olisi turvattu.
Myöskin on teidän sovitettava se anteeksiantamaton röyhkeys, joka
sai teidät kohottamaan konnansilmänne häneen. Te nartunpenikka!
Te katuojassa syntynyt roisto! Pelkkä katseennekin on häntä
tahrannut. Etana on ryöminyt valkoisen puhtaan liljan kukkalehdillä.»
»Käymmepä jo lyyrillisiksi!» sanoi Chauvinière, mutta hänen
äänessään oli kiukkuinen sävy, sillä sielussaan hän kiemurteli
aatelismiehen halveksivien herjausten ruoskimana. »Luulen
ymmärtäväni. No niin, te olette minut tavannut minulle
epäedullisessa asemassa. Kai minun täytyy suostua ehtoihin.»

»Tässä eivät tule mitkään ehdot kysymykseen. Teidän on vain


maksettava se ainoa korvaus, jonka kykenette suorittamaan.»

»Tarkoitatte, että aiotte kylmäverisesti murhata minut! Se on


käsittämätöntä. Olettehan te toki herrasmies ettekä salamurhaaja.»
Tällä kertaa ei Chauvinièren äänessä ollut ivaa. Se oli hartaan
vakava. »Vaihtakaamme edes laukauksia, täällä, tässä huoneessa
— kymmenen askeleen päässä tai miltä matkalta suvaitsette missä
vain. Siitä ette toki voi kieltäytyä.»

Monsieur de Corbalin sävy muuttui jälleen kohteliaaksi. »Olen


pahoillani, että minun täytyy kieltää teiltä sekin. Jos olisi puhe vain
itsestäni, omasta hengestäni ja vapaudestani, niin suostuisin
kernaasti. Tuskinpa niiden säilyttämiseksi vaivautuisin edes niin
paljoa. Mutta tässä on mademoiselle de Montsorbier. Minä en voi
sallia hänen kohtalonsa enkä rangaistuksen siitä loukkauksesta, jota
teidän huomaavaisuutenne on hänelle merkinnyt, riippua onnesta tai
ampumataidosta.»

Chauvinièren kasvot olivat muuttuneet harmaiksi. »Minut siis


murhataan?»

»Ei murhata. Teloitetaan.»

»Hieno erotus!»
»Te olette itse käsitellyt hienoja erotuksia jokseenkin vapaasti, kun
asia koski muiden tuskaa. Onpa oikein että mies joskus tyhjentää
maljan, jonka on täyttänyt.» Varakreivin kylmä jäykkyys ei juuri
jättänyt epäilystä hänen päätöksensä lujuudesta. Kääntämättä
katsettaan Chauvinièresta hän puhui mademoiselle de
Montsorbierelle. »Arvoisa neiti, saanko pyytää teitä poistumaan?»

»Hyvä Jumala!» kuului voihkinana edusmiehen verettömiltä


huulilta, hänen korskean mielensä ollessa nyt täydellisesti taltutettu.
Ainoastaan varakreivin jäykkä tuijotus ja varma tieto siitä, että hänen
pieninkin liikahduksensa kiirehtisi lähenevää tuomiota, esti hänet
uskaltamasta tavoittaa pistoolia povestaan. Vaikka pelko nyt kai
puristikin häntä jäisillä kynsillään, säilytti hän kuitenkin järkensä
kirkkauden. Viimeiseen silmänräpäykseen asti hän tahtoi vaania
tilaisuuttansa. Senvuoksi hän yhä varoi tekemästä mitään, mikä
kiirehtisi vielä mahdollisesti vältettävää loppua.

»Olkaa hyvä, mademoiselle!» toisti varakreivi pyyntönsä melkein


käskevästi, sillä mademoiselle ei ollut hievahtanutkaan häntä
totellakseen.

Neitonen liikahti vihdoin, mutta ei lähteäkseen.

»Hetkinen, pyydän», virkkoi hän. Hän ponnisteli liikutuksessaan.


»Olkaamme käytännöllisiä, kuten kansalainen edusmies itse alussa
ehdotti.»

Niin liikutettu kuin neitonen saattoi ollakin varakreivin kiintymyksen


sanelemista kamalista ja tinkimättömistä vaatimuksista, käsitti hän,
kuinka joutavaa oli uhrata hänen silmissään hämärästi häämöittävä
paon ja turvallisuuden mahdollisuus romantillisen kostontuuman
täytäntöönpanolle. Hän näki selvemmin ja kauemmaksi kuin
varakreivi. Häntä ei ollut yhtä suuri närkästys sokaisemassa. Olla
jonkun miehen, vaikkapa kuinka arvottoman, haluama ei voi naisesta
koskaan olla yhtä anteeksiantamaton loukkaus kuin se on hänen
hyväksytyn rakastajansa mielestä. Senvuoksi hän ei himoinnutkaan
Chauvinièren verta yhtä hurjasti kuin varakreivi. Se voisi jäädä
vuodattamatta, koska hänen elämänsä saattoi tehdä heille
paremman palveluksen kuin hänen kuolemansa.

Hän esitti nyt tyynesti ehdotuksensa.

»Kansalainen edusmies mainitsi äsken ehdoista. Kirjoittakoon hän


kolme riviä ilmoittaakseen Poussignotin
vallankumoustuomioistuimelle, että hän on äkkiä havainnut
välttämättömäksi käväistä Neversissä, minkä vuoksi hän viipyy
poissa huomiseen asti. Sallikoon hän senjälkeen teljetä itsensä
tänne vuorokauden ajaksi, jotta saamme sen verran etumatkaa
pakotiellämme. Näillä ehdoilla ei varakreivi suinkaan kieltäytyne
säästämästä hänen henkeään.»

Varakreivin kasvot synkistyivät. »Minä olisin mieluummin…»

Neitonen keskeytti hänet, ja hänen äänensävynsä oli hartaan


suostutteleva. »Olen sanonut sinulle, ystäväni, mitä haluan. Siten,
usko minua, on parempi, turvallisempikin; enkä minä soisi sinun
tarpeettomasti tahraavan käsiäsi.»

Jos varakreivi taipuikin vastahakoisesti, ei hän ainakaan tuhlannut


sanoja.

»Sinä saat käskeä. Olkoon niin! Olette kuullut mademoisellen


ehdotuksen, kansalainen. Mitä siihen sanotte?»
Chauvinière hengitti vapaammin. Hänen rohkeutensa virkosi
jälleen ja palautti heti hänen tavallisen sävynsä. Jos hän suostui
ottamaan vastaan tämän mahdollisuuden, ei suinkaan saattaisi
epäillä hänen tarttuneen siihen kuin hukkuva oljenkorteen.

Hän viivytteli vastaustaan, jotta nähtäisiin hänen miettivän


ehdotusta arvokkaan tyynesti.

»Kuten jo mainitsin, olette tavannut minut olosuhteissa, jotka ovat


minulle epäedulliset.» Hän kohautti olkapäitään. »Minun täytyy siis
antautua teidän tarjoamillanne ehdoilla. Mutta minä tahdon ensin
jonkun takuun, että sitten kun minä olen puolestani täyttänyt
sopimuksen, ette te laiminlyö sen täyttämistä.»

»Sanani on teille takuuna», vastasi Corbal kuivasti.

Chauvinière nyrpisti huuliansa. »Hiukan laihaa», huomautti hän.

»Minun sanaani ei ole vielä koskaan keveäksi katsottu. Ja


ainoastaan teidänlaisenne halpasäätyinen mies, joka ei tunne
kunnianmiesten tapoja, saattaa sellaista luulotella.»

Chauvinière vilkaisi häneen ja irvisti. »Ilmeisesti kuuluu


kunnianmiesten tapoihin herjata henkilöä, jonka otsaan heillä on
pistooli tähdättynä. Se on ylevää. Se herättää luottamusta. Se saa
ihmisen kuvittelemaan, että sellaisen miehen sana on riittävä takuu
mistä tahansa!» Hän oli katkeran ivallinen. »Mutta minun on pakko
jättäytyä teidän sananne varaan. Näen sen selvästi. Sanokaa
minulle sentään vastaus seuraavaan kysymykseen: Kun te olette
lähteneet ja vuorokausi on kulunut umpeen, kuka minut päästää
jälleen vapauteen?»
»Minä järjestän sen.»

»Suonette anteeksi, että kaikin mokomin haluaisin tietää niistä


järjestelyistä, ennenkuin täydellisesti alistun toivomuksiinne.
Käsittänette, että minusta olisi perin vastenmielistä jäädä
nääntymään nälkään siihen kellariin, johon te minut lukitsette, jos
sattuisitte unohtamaan tai teille kävisi vaikeaksi ryhtyä minun
vapauttamisekseni välttämättömiin toimenpiteisiin.»

Nyt vastasi hänelle mademoiselle. »Tällä hetkellä huomenna


jätetään vankikoppinne avain vallankumouskomitean esimiehelle
sekä kirjelappu teidän vapauttamiseksenne tarpeellisine
tiedoituksineen.»

Edusmies kumarsi. »Se sopii mainiosti kylläkin. Mutta ken vie


avaimen ja kirjelapun?»

»Voitte luottaa siihen, että löydämme viestinviejän, olemmepa


missä tahansa. Siinä ei ole mitään vaikeutta.»

»Mutta viestinviejät ovat toisinaan epäluotettavia. Entä jos tämä


vitkastelisi tai kokonaan laiminlöisi tehtävänsä?»

»Me teemme parhaamme hankkiaksemme täydellisesti


luotettavan sanansaattajan ja takaamme hänelle sievoisen palkkion
teiltä kannustaaksemme hänen intoaan. Sen enempää emme voi
tehdä. Loppu jää teidän vaaraksenne.»

Chauvinière kohautti olkapäitänsä ja levitti käsiänsä. »Kai minun


täytyy suostua. Te jätätte minulle vähän valinnan varaa.»

»Asiaan sitten», komensi Corbal. »Kyhätkää kirjelappunne täällä.


Tuolla pöydällä on sulkakyniä, mustetta ja paperia.»

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