Field Manual
The Fab Data Scientist's Survival Guide
Seven layers from foundational constraints to production algorithms. The Introduction is free. Layers 1 through 7 require full access.
Note types used throughout
DS Translation
How this fab concept maps to a DS pattern you already know.
Bootcamp Trap
Where your existing intuition will actively mislead you.
Why It Matters
The financial or physical consequence of getting this wrong.
Good News
What transfers cleanly from your software background.
00
IntroductionFree
Silicon Is Not Software
The foundational constraints, the Rosetta Stone vocabulary, a physics primer, and the mindset shifts that separate software DS from fab DS.
Silicon Is Not SoftwareThe ConstraintsThe Fab Rosetta StonePre-Flight PhysicsDay 0: Your First QueryThe Mindset Shift
01
Layer 1: Wisdom
Eight failure modes from real fabs
Eight case studies. Each one is a real failure mode that recurs when competent engineers apply software intuitions without calibrating them to physical constraints.
The Averaged ArcThe Boiling FrogThe Daylight Saving DisasterThe Ghost ExcursionThe OFAT ExtinctionThe Frozen ThermocoupleThe Invisible Reticle KillerThe Life Safety Breach
02
Layer 2: Compliance
Safety standards and data integrity
ISO 26262, AEC-Q100, SEMI S2/S8 safety standards, and the traceability requirements of automotive and defense supply chains.
ISO 26262 and Functional SafetyAEC-Q100 and Zero-Defect ManufacturingSEMI S2/S8 Safety StandardsTraceability and Data Integrity
03
Layer 3: Systems
The data infrastructure
The ISA-95 network hierarchy, SECS/GEM protocols, Interface A high-frequency streams, and Advanced Process Control architecture.
ISA-95 and the Factory NetworkSECS/GEM and Equipment CommunicationInterface A and High-Frequency DataThe Great Fab JoinAPC Architecture
04
Layer 4: Physical
The processes that generate your data
Lithography, etch, CMP, implant, and deposition: the physics behind each process and how it appears in sensor telemetry.
Lithography and Pattern TransferEtch and Endpoint DetectionCMP and PlanarizationIon ImplantationDeposition
05
Layer 5: Economics
Yield, cost, and financial context
Yield models, WIP valuation, cost-of-quality accounting, and the financial framework that determines which predictions are worth making.
Yield ModelsWIP and Cost AccumulationCost of QualityROI Framing for ML Projects
06
Layer 6: ML Arsenal
Algorithms used in production
Virtual Metrology, FDC, Run-to-Run control, spatial defect analysis, edge deployment, drift monitoring, and the MLOps triad.
Virtual MetrologyFault Detection and ClassificationRun-to-Run ControlSpatial Defect AnalysisEdge DeploymentDrift and OOD Detection
07
Layer 7: Reference
Quick-reference tables and glossary
Unit conversion sheets, protocol reference tables, the complete 248-term Fab Lexicon, and the drift vs. shift diagnostic guide.
Unit ConversionsSECS/GEM Quick ReferenceDrift vs. Shift DiagnosticComplete Glossary
Unlock all 7 layers
Full access to the Field Manual, 70 missions, 5 capstones, and the Interview Arsenal.
Unlock full access: $149