System and method for estimating reliability of components for testing and quality optimization

• US 20030120457A1
• Filed: 10/18/2002
• Published: 06/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Auburn University
• Original Assignee: Auburn University
• Inventors: Barnett, Thomas S., Singh, Adit D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,194,366 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/181
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/287 Procedures; Software aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/20 Sequence of activities consisting of a plurality of measurements, corrections, marking or sorting steps

Abstract

A system and method for determining the early life reliability of an electronic component, including classifying the electronic component based on an initial determination of a number of fatal defects, and estimating a probability of latent defects present in the electronic component based on that classification with the aim of optimizing test costs and product quality.

Claims

1. A method of determining the reliability of a component, said method comprising:

classifying the component based on an initial determination of a number of fatal defects; and

estimating a probability of latent defects present in the component based on said classification, by integrating yield information based on the initial determination of a number of fatal defects using a statistical defect-clustering model.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of classifying the component based on an initial determination of a number of fatal defects comprises determining a number of neighboring components having fatal defects.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of estimating a probability of latent defects present in the component based on said classification comprises testing a sample of components from fewer than all of a plurality of classifications.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of estimating a probability of latent defects present in the component based on said classification comprises testing a sample of components from one of a plurality of classifications.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said one of a plurality of classifications from which a sample is tested is a classification corresponding to a maximum number of neighboring components having fatal defects.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein said number of neighboring components having fatal defects is determined from a neighborhood of immediately neighboring components.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the neighborhood of immediately neighboring components comprises eight neighboring components surrounding a subject component.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of classifying the component based on an initial determination of a number of fatal defects comprises determining a number of repairs carried out on a repairable electronic component.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of estimating a probability of latent defects present in the component based on said classification comprises testing a sample of components from fewer than all of a plurality of classifications.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of estimating a probability of latent defects present in the component based on said classification comprises testing a sample of components from one of a plurality of classifications.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said one of a plurality of classifications from which a sample is tested is a classification corresponding to a maximum number of repairs carried out on the component.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of classifying the component based on an initial determination of a number of fatal defects further comprises determining a number of repairs carried out on a neighboring component.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of estimating a probability of latent defects present in the component based on said classification comprises determining a ratio of fatal defects to latent defects.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising optimizing subsequent testing of the component based on an estimated reliability of the component.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising testing the component if an estimated a probability of latent defects present in the component exceeds a specified rate.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of classifying the component comprises separating a plurality of components into a plurality classifications.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising statistically predicting the reliability of components in each of said plurality of classifications by testing a sample of components from fewer than all of said plurality of classifications.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the component is a die for assembly into a multi-chip module, and wherein said method further comprises rejecting die determined to have a reliability below a specified rate.

19. A method of determining the reliability of a repairable component, said method comprising:

performing an initial test on the component to identify repairable defects in the component; and

classifying the component based on the number of repairable defects identified by the initial test.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of classifying the component based on the number of repairable defects identified by the initial test comprises testing a sample of components from fewer than all of a plurality of classifications.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of estimating the reliability of the component comprises testing a sample of components from one of a plurality of classifications.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said one of a plurality of classifications from which a sample is tested is a classification corresponding to a maximum number of repairable defects identified by the initial test.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of estimating the reliability of the component further comprises determining the number of repairs carried out on a neighboring component.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of estimating the reliability of the component comprises determining a ratio of repairable defects to latent defects in the component.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising testing the component if an estimated reliability of the component exceeds a specified rate.

26. The method of claim 19, further comprising segregating a plurality of components into a plurality of classifications.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising statistically predicting the reliability of components in each of said plurality of classifications by testing a sample of components from fewer than all of said plurality of classifications.

28. The method of claim 19, further comprising repairing any repairable defects in the component that are identified by the initial test.

29. The method of claim 19, wherein the component comprises a redundant memory array and the step of classifying the component is based on the number of repairable defects in the redundant memory array identified by the initial test.

30. The method of claim 19, further comprising optimizing subsequent testing of the component based on said classification of the component.

31. A method of determining the reliability of a component, said method comprising:

classifying the component based on an initial determination of a number of neighboring components having fatal defects; and

testing a sample of components from fewer than all of a plurality of classifications to estimate a probability of latent defects present in the component.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the step of testing a sample of components from fewer than all of a plurality of classifications comprises testing a sample of components from one of a plurality of classifications.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said one of a plurality of classifications from which a sample is tested is a classification corresponding to a maximum number of neighboring components having fatal defects.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein said number of neighboring components having fatal defects is determined from a neighborhood of immediately neighboring components.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the neighborhood of immediately neighboring components comprises eight neighboring components surrounding a subject component.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein the step of estimating a probability of latent defects present in the component based on said classification comprises determining a ratio of neighboring components having fatal defects to latent defects.

37. The method of claim 31, further comprising testing the component if an estimated a probability of latent defects present in the component exceeds a specified rate.

38. The method of claim 31, wherein the step of classifying the component comprises separating a plurality of components into a plurality of classifications.

39. The method of claim 38, further comprising statistically predicting the reliability of components in each of said plurality of classifications by testing a sample of components from fewer than all of said plurality of classifications.

40. The method of claim 31, wherein the component is a die for assembly into a multi-chip module, and wherein said method further comprises rejecting die determined to have a reliability below a specified rate.

41. The method of claim 31, wherein the estimation of a probability of latent defects present in the component includes statistically modeling a measure of defect clustering.

42. The method of claim 31, further comprising optimizing subsequent testing of the component based on an estimated reliability of the component.

43. A method for predicting the reliability of a component, said method comprising:

classifying a component into one of a plurality of classifications based on an initial test for killer defects; and

optimizing further testing of the component to identify the presence of latent defects, based on the classification thereof.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the step of optimizing further testing comprises subjecting the component to further testing of a duration dependent on the classification thereof.

45. The method of claim 43, wherein the step of optimizing further testing comprises subjecting fewer than all of said plurality of classifications to further testing.

46. The method of claim 43, further comprising predicting the reliability of the component based on the initial test and a statistical defect-clustering model.