Showing papers on "Process corners published in 1992"

Built-in test circuit connection for wafer level burnin and testing of individual dies

Abstract: Integrated circuit devices are fabricated with an additional conductive layer deposited on a semiconductor wafer onto which the semiconductor devices have been formed. The additional layer provides a conductive path to power the test circuits and allows the use of very few electrical connections in order to permit testing of the devices while still on the wafer. The ability to test the devices while still on the wafer facilitates burning in the wafer prior to singulating the parts, since it is not necessary to establish electrical connections at contact points on the individual integrated circuit devices. In one embodiment of the invention, the additional conductive layer is a metal mask and in a further aspect of that embodiment permits external connections to be accomplished at locations outside the die areas, thereby avoiding damage to the integrated circuit devices. Subsequent to testing of the die in wafer form, the metal mask is stripped and the die may be singulated.

Method of burning in a semiconductor device

Abstract: Since the power-supply and/or signal-transmission wiring layers connected to the semiconductor chip regions are formed, each individual integrated circuit can be burned in on the semiconductor wafer and, in other words, an integrated circuit can be burned in on a wafer level. The integrated circuit can thus be burned in at the end of a wafer process. An assembled semiconductor device is subjected to a high temperature or a high humidity, for checking the reliability of the assembled device.

Test wafer for diagnosing flaws in an integrated circuit fabrication process that cause A-C defects

Abstract: An integrated circuit test wafer quickly detects A-C defects in any process by which the wafer is fabricated. This test wafer includes a semiconductor substrate having a major surface, and a diagnostic circuit that is repeatedly integrated over most of the wafer's surface. Each diagnostic circuit includes: a) a plurality of ring oscillators which generate respective cyclic output signals; b) an addressing circuit that receives external input signals and in response selects an output signal from any particular ring oscillator of the plurality; c) a timing circuit that generates a timing signal with a certain time period; and, d) a counting circuit that counts the number of cycles that occur in the selected output signal during the time period and provides that number as an output. By comparing the relative or absolute speeds of all of the ring oscillators, a ring oscillator with an A-C defect is detected; and, a defective ring oscillator can then be analyzed under an E-beam microscope to determine the defects cause. Preferably, the ring oscillators occupy at least 90% of the test wafers surface so that A-C defects are detected even when they are sparsely distributed on the test wafer.