SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND OPERATING METHOD OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE

• US 20150061721A1
• Filed: 12/15/2013
• Published: 03/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SK Hynix Inc.
• Original Assignee: SK Hynix Inc.
• Inventors: JEONG, Chun-Seok
• Granted Patent: US 9,208,898 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/762.01
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/318513 Test of Multi-Chip-Moduls
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/025 in signal lines

Abstract

A semiconductor device includes a plurality of stacked chips, a reference through silicon via (TSV) set passing through the plurality of stacked chips, a plurality of TSVs passing through the plurality of stacked chips, a reference delay information generation unit suitable for generating a reference delay information indicating an amount of delay of the reference TSV set and a determination unit suitable for determining abnormality of the plurality of TSVs by comparing a first test signal with each of a plurality of second test signals, wherein the first test signal is an initial test signal delayed by an amount of delay corresponding to the reference delay information, and wherein each of the plurality of second test signals is the initial test signal delayed by corresponding one of the plurality of TSVs.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device, comprising:

a plurality of stacked chips;

a reference through silicon via (TSV) set passing through the plurality of stacked chips;

a plurality of TSVs passing through the plurality of stacked chips;

a reference delay information generation unit suitable for generating a reference delay information indicating an amount of delay of the reference TSV set; and

a determination unit suitable for determining abnormality of the plurality of TSVs by comparing a first test signal with each of a plurality of second test signals,

wherein the first test signal is an initial test signal delayed by an amount of delay corresponding to the reference delay information, and

wherein each of the plurality of second test signals is the initial test signal delayed by corresponding one of the plurality of TSVs.

2. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the reference TSV set comprises:

a first and second reference TSVs, through which a test clock signal passes; and

a third reference TSV, through which the initial test signal passes, and

wherein the amount of delay of the reference TSV set is measured with the test clock signal.

3. The semiconductor device of claim 2, wherein the first to the third reference TSVs have an identical amount of delay.

4. The semiconductor device of claim 3, further comprising a power supply unit suitable for supplying an electric current to the plurality of TSVs in response to the initial test signal that is applied through the third reference TSV.

5. The semiconductor device of claim 4, further comprising a replica delay unit coupled between the first reference TSV and the second reference TSV and having the same amount of operation delay as the power supply unit.

6. The semiconductor device of claim 2, wherein the reference delay information generation unit comprises:

a variable delay unit suitable for generating a second delay signal by variably delaying the test clock signal by an amount of variable delay in response to digital codes indicating the amount of variable delay;

a code generation unit suitable for generating the digital codes in response to a comparison signal; and

a phase comparison unit suitable for comparing phases of a first delay signal and the second delay signal and generate the comparison signal based on a result of the comparison,

wherein the first delay signal is the test clock signal delayed by the first and second reference TSVs.

7. The semiconductor device of claim 6, wherein the code generation unit adjusts values of the digital codes until phases of the first delay signal and the second delay signal are identical and outputs the adjusted digital codes as the reference delay information in response to the comparison signal.

8. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the determination unit comprises:

a variable delay unit suitable for generating the first test signal by delaying the initial test signal by an amount of delay corresponding to the reference delay information; and

a logic level comparison unit suitable for generating a plurality of valid signals for determining abnormality of each of the plurality of TSVs based on results of comparison of logic levels of the first test signal and each of the plurality of second test signals.

9. The semiconductor device of claim 8, wherein the determination unit further comprises a valid signal output unit suitable for serializing the plurality of valid signals, which is generated in parallel, in response to a monitoring clock signal and outputting the serialized signal.

10. The semiconductor device of claim 9, wherein the determination unit further comprises an additional delay unit suitable for additionally delaying the first test signal generated from the variable delay unit by a predetermined amount of margin and transferring the first test signal, which is additionally delayed, to the logic level comparison unit.

11. An operating method of a semiconductor device comprising a plurality of stacked chips, a reference through silicon via (TSV) set passing through the plurality of stacked chips and a plurality of TSVs passing through the plurality of stacked chips, comprising:

generating a reference delay information indicating an amount of delay of the reference TSV set; and

determining abnormality of the plurality of TSVs by comparing a first test signal with each of a plurality of second test signals,

wherein the first test signal is an initial test signal delayed by an amount of delay corresponding to the reference delay information, and

wherein each of the plurality of second test signals is the initial test signal delayed by corresponding one of the plurality of TSVs.

12. The operating method of claim 11, wherein the reference TSV set comprises:

a first and second reference TSVs, through which a test clock signal passes; and

a third reference TSV, through which the initial test signal passes, and

wherein the first to the third reference TSVs have an identical amount of delay.

13. The operating method of claim 12, wherein the generating of the reference delay information comprises:

generating a first delay signal by passing the test clock signal through the first and second reference TSVs;

generating a second delay signal by variably delaying the test clock signal by an amount of variable delay in response to digital codes indicating the amount of variable delay;

generating the digital codes in response to a comparison signal;

comparing phases of the first delay signal and the second delay signal; and

generating the comparison signal based on a result of the comparing.

14. The operating method of claim 13, wherein the generating of the reference delay information comprises:

adjusting values of the digital codes until phases of the first delay signal and the second delay signal are identical; and

outputting the adjusted digital codes as the reference delay information in response to the comparison signal.

15. The operating method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of second test signals are generated bypassing the initial test signal through the third reference TSV and the plurality of TSVs.

16. The operating method of claim 15, wherein the determining of abnormality of the plurality of TSVs comprises:

generating the first test signal by delaying the initial test signal by an amount of delay corresponding to the reference delay information; and

generating each of a plurality of valid signals for determining abnormality of each of the plurality of TSVs based on results of comparison of logic levels of the first test signal and each of the plurality of second test signals.

17. The operating method of claim 16, wherein the determining of abnormality of the plurality of TSVs further comprises additionally delaying the first test signal generated by the generating the first test signal by a predetermined amount of margin before the generating each of the plurality of valid signals.

18. The operating method of claim 16, wherein the determining of abnormality of the plurality of TSVs further comprises:

serializing the plurality of valid signals, which is generated in parallel, in response to a monitoring clock signal; and

outputting the serialized signal.