Cross-Border Compliance and Quality Assurance in Semiconductor Manufacturing

Abstract

The study discusses the operationalization of cross-border compliance in enhancing quality in semiconductor production. It describes a compliance-by-design architecture integrated into a Unified Control Plan (UCP), a digital compliance stack that features residency-aware analytics and SPC. It measures its effect in a three-site stepped-wedge rollout across wafer fabrication, bumping, and OSAT. They can be ECCN/HS version of classification gates in ERP/MES, ROHS/REACH version of surveillance with risk-based sampling (AQL 0.065- 0.25), e-signatures on both ends (dual), audit trails, genealogy ( lot )-wafer- die, and sanctions screening fronted on a ROC version. Measures include defects per million (DPPM), FPY, Cp/Cpk, days to SCAR closure, customs-clearance hours, paperwork per 10k, and Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ). Findings are DPPM -35-40% (250-150 at OSAT), FPY +3-4 percentage points, customs clearance -25% (3627 hours), exceptions -41% (7.8-4.6/ 10k), SCAR median-32% ( 2819 days), and capability uplift (Cp 1.281.42; Cpk 1.451.62). A mediation analysis allocates almost half of DPPM change to Cpk associated with more crucial CTQs; the rest comes as a result of meeting faster containment through genealogy and license-consciousness gates. The reduction in COPQ is 1.1 percentage points, with a payback period of approximately 10 to 14 months. The study’s findings aim to align export, product-substance, and data-residency commitments and control schemes with flow acceleration, minimize regulatory change implementation time (≤72 hours), efficiently propagate passports, and incorporate sustainability measurements into the same evidence system.