Method and apparatus for RFID tag testing

• US 10,031,161 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2016
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Li, Tsung-Hsiung, Yen, Kuang-Kai, Liu, Yi-Hsuan, Hsieh, Hsieh-Hung, Jou, Chewn-Pu, Hsueh, Fu-Lung
• Primary Examiner(s): Hollington, Jermele M
• Application Number:
  US15/065,530
• Publication Number:
  US 20160187380A1
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/06711 Probe needles; Cantilever beams; "Bump" contacts; Replaceable probe pins
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2607 Circuits therefor G01R31/2642 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/28 Testing of electronic circuits, e.g. by signal tracer EMC, EMP or similar testing of electronic circuits G01R31/002; testing for short-circuits, discontinuities, leakage or incorrect line connection G01R31/50; checking computers or computer components G06F11/00; checking static stores for correct operation G11C29/00 ; testing receivers or transmitters of transmission systems H04B17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3025 Wireless interface with the DUT
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/318511 Wafer Test

Abstract

A semiconductor wafer includes a plurality of dies and at least one test probe. Each of the plurality of dies includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag circuit. The at least one test probe includes a plurality of probe pads. The plurality of probe pads is configured to transmit power signals and data to each of the plurality of dies, and to receive test results from each of the plurality of dies. The data are transmitted to each of the plurality of dies in a serial manner. The test results of each of the plurality of dies are also transmitted to the plurality of probe pads in a serial manner.

Claims

1. A semiconductor wafer comprising:

a plurality of dies, each of the plurality of dies comprising a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag circuit; and

at least one test probe comprising a plurality of probe pads, the plurality of probe pads being configured to transmit power signals, data signals and control signals to each of the plurality of dies, and to receive test results from each of the plurality of dies, the data signals, the control signals and the test results being transmitted serially from one individual die of the plurality of dies to another individual die of the plurality of dies through a conductive line.

2. The semiconductor wafer of claim 1, wherein the power signals, the data signals, the control signals, and the test results are transmitted through conductive lines in scribe regions of the semiconductor wafer between adjacent RFID tag circuits.

3. The semiconductor wafer of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of dies and the test probe include power planes to transmit power signals between adjacent dies.

4. The semiconductor wafer of claim 3, wherein the power planes in each of the plurality of dies and the test probe include at least one VDD plane and at least one ground plane.

5. The semiconductor wafer of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of dies includes control signal shift registers and data signal shift registers to store control and data signals, respectively, that are configured to test a corresponding RFID tag circuit.

6. The semiconductor wafer of claim 5, wherein an input of control signal shift registers and an input of data signal shift registers of a first die of the plurality of dies are electrically connected to an output of control signal shift registers and an output of data signal shift registers, respectively, of a previous die in a same die chain, and wherein an output of the control signal shift registers and an output of the data signal shift registers of the first die of the plurality of dies are electrically connected to an input of control signal shift registers and an input of the data signal shift registers, respectively, of a following die in the same die chain.

7. The semiconductor wafer of claim 1, wherein the test results are generated by comparing execution results of each of the plurality of dies with expected results in data signal shift registers of corresponding dies.

8. A semiconductor wafer comprising:

a plurality of dies, each of the plurality of dies comprising a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag circuit, the plurality of dies being serially and non-parallelly connected to each other to form a die chain;

a plurality of scribe regions, each of the plurality of scribe regions being interposed between corresponding adjacent dies;

a plurality of conductive lines disposed in the scribe regions, adjacent dies in the die chain being electrically coupled using at least one of the plurality of conductive lines; and

a test probe electrically coupled to the die chain using at least one of the plurality of conductive lines, the test probe comprising a plurality of probe pads, the plurality of probe pads being configured to transmit data signals and control signals through the die chain.

9. The semiconductor wafer of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of dies further comprises a plurality of power planes configured to receive power signals from a previous die in the die chain and to transmit the power signals to a following die in the die chain, the plurality of power planes comprising at least one VDD plane and at least one ground plane.

10. The semiconductor wafer of claim 8, wherein the test probe further comprises a plurality of power planes configured to transmit power signals to the die chain, the plurality of power planes comprising at least one VDD plane and at least one ground plane.

11. The semiconductor wafer of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of dies further comprises:

control signal shift registers configured to store the control signals; and

data signal shift registers configured to store the data signals.

12. The semiconductor wafer of claim 11, wherein the control signal shift registers are further configured to receive the control signals from a previous die in the die chain and transmit the control signals to a following die in the die chain.

13. The semiconductor wafer of claim 11, wherein the data signal shift registers are further configured to receive the data signals from a previous die in the die chain and transmit the data signals to a following die in the die chain.

14. The semiconductor wafer of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of dies further comprises a comparator coupled to the control signal shift registers, the data signal shift registers and the RFID tag circuit, the comparator being configured to receive a comparison start signal from the control signal shift registers, test results from the RFID tag circuit and expected results from the data signal shift registers, and to transmit comparison results to the data signal shift registers.

15. A semiconductor wafer comprising:

a plurality of dies, each of the plurality of dies comprising a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag circuit, the plurality of dies being coupled to form a plurality of die chains; and

a test probe electrically coupled to the plurality of the die chains, the test probe being directly coupled to an individual die of the plurality of dies, the test probe being indirectly coupled to another individual die of the plurality of dies through the individual die, and the test probe comprising;

first probe pads, the first probe pads being configured to transmit data signals and control signals through the plurality of die chains; and

second probe pads, the second probe pads being configured to transmit power signals through the plurality of die chains.

16. The semiconductor wafer of claim 15, further comprising:

a plurality of scribe regions, each of the plurality of scribe regions being interposed between corresponding adjacent dies; and

a plurality of conductive lines disposed in the scribe regions, adjacent dies of each of the die chains being electrically coupled using at least one of the plurality of conductive lines.

17. The semiconductor wafer of claim 15, wherein the test probe further comprises a plurality of power planes coupled to the second probe pads, the plurality of power planes comprising at least one VDD plane and at least one ground plane.

18. The semiconductor wafer of claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of dies further comprises:

control signal shift registers coupled to the RFID tag, the control signal shift registers being configured to store the control signals transmitted through the first probe pads; and

data signal shift registers coupled to the RFID tag, the data signal shift registers being configured to store the data signals transmitted through the first probe pad.

19. The semiconductor wafer of claim 18, wherein each of the plurality of dies further comprises a comparator coupled to the control signal shift registers, the data signal shift registers and the RFID tag circuit, the comparator being configured to receive a comparison start signal from the control signal shift registers, test results from the RFID tag circuit and expected results from the data signal shift registers, and to transmit comparison results to the data signal shift registers.

20. The semiconductor wafer of claim 15, wherein the test probe further comprises third probe pads, the third probe pads being configured to transmit clock signals through the plurality of die chains.