HEATING SYSTEM AND METHOD OF TESTING A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE USING A HEATING SYSTEM

• US 20150084657A1
• Filed: 04/26/2012
• Published: 03/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Clairet, Maxime, Pereira, Carlos
• Granted Patent: US 9,609,693 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/750.03
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2601 Apparatus or methods therefor G01R31/2607, G01R31/2642 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2642 Testing semiconductor operation lifetime or reliability, e.g. by accelerated life tests
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2875 related to heating
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/06 Heater elements structurally combined with coupling elements or holders

Abstract

A heating system is described for generating heat and bringing heat to a semiconductor device under test. The heating system comprises a conduction heating unit comprising a heating resistor, a thermal contact area for thermally contacting the semiconductor device under test, and a thermally conductive and electrically insulating connection between the heating resistor and the thermal contact area. The heating resistor is operable to generate a user-defined amount of heat and arranged to provide a part of the heat generated by the heating resistor to the thermal contact area via the thermally conductive and electrically insulating connection. It is also described that the heating system may further comprise a convection heating chamber operable to provide a user-defined heat-controlled convection to the semiconductor device under test. A method of testing a semiconductor device using a heating system is also described.

Claims

1. A heating system for generating heat and bringing heat to a semiconductor device under test, the heating system comprising:

a conduction heating unit having a heating resistor,

a thermal contact area for thermally contacting the semiconductor device under test; and

a thermally conductive and electrically insulating connection between the heating resistor and the thermal contact area, the heating resistor configured to generate a user-defined amount of heat and to provide a part of the heat generated by the heating resistor to the thermal contact area via the thermally conductive and electrically insulating connection.

2. A heating system according to claim 1, the thermal contact area being further arranged for electrically connecting to the semiconductor device under test, the thermally conductive and electrically insulating connection comprising a thermally and electrically conductive connection between the thermal contact area and an electrical supply line for supplying the semiconductor device under test with a supply voltage, the thermally and electrically conductive connection being electrically insulated from the heating resistor via at least an insulating layer.

3. A heating system according to claim 2, the conduction heating unit comprising a two-sided circuit board having a first side and a second side, the thermal contact area being provided at the first side, the heating resistor and the electrical supply line being arranged on the second side, the insulating layer being arranged between the heating resistor and the thermally and electrically conductive connection, the thermally and electrically conductive connection extending through the two-sided circuit board from the supply line on the second side to the thermal contact area at the first side.

4. A heating system according to claim 1, further comprising a control system arranged to receive a measure of a temperature at the thermal contact area from an internal thermal sensor in the semiconductor device under test and to control a resistor supply current through the heating resistor in dependence on the measure of the temperature at the thermal contact area.

5. A heating system according to claim 1, the conduction heating unit further comprising a series resistor, the series resistor being electrically in series with the heating resistor.

6. A heating system according to claim 1, the conduction heating unit further comprising a parallel resistor, with the parallel resistor being electrically in parallel with the heating resistor.

7. A heating system according to claim 1, the conduction heating unit comprising a plurality of heating resistors arranged in a plurality of zones, the heating resistors in the respective zones configured to generate a zone-specific user-defined amount of heat and to provide a part of the heat generated by the heating resistor the zone to a respective thermal contact area via a respective thermally conductive and electrically insulating connection.

8. A heating system according to claim 7, the heating resistors of a first zone of the plurality of zones being in electrical connection with a first tuning resistor configured to generate a user-defined amount of heat specific for the first zone and the heating resistors of a second zone being in electrical connection with a second tuning resistor configured to generate a user-defined amount of heat specific for the second zone, the first tuning resistor having a resistance different from the resistance of the second tuning resistor.

9. A heating system according to claim 1, the heating resistor comprising an open air resistor.

10. A heating system according to claim 1, further comprising a convection heating chamber operable to provide a user-defined heat-controlled convection to the semiconductor device under test.

11. A heating system according to claim 1, further comprising a thermally insulating material, such as silicone, shaped to form a thermally insulating cavity at the bottom side of the test board, the heating resistors being arranged inside the thermally insulating cavity.

12. A heating system according to claim 1, the heating resistor being shielded by a protective cover, such as a metal plate.

14. A method according to claim 13 using the heating system according to claim 1, further comprising:

operating the convection heating chamber to provide a user-defined heat-controlled convection to the semiconductor device under test while the semiconductor device under test is in thermal contact with the conduction heating unit and the heating resistor of the conduction heating unit is operated to provide the part of the heat generated by the heating resistor to the semiconductor device under test via the thermally conductive and electrically insulating connection between the heating resistor and the thermal contact.

13. A method of testing a semiconductor device, the method comprising:

providing a semiconductor device;

providing a heating system configured to generate heat and bring heat to the semiconductor device, wherein the heating system includes a thermal contact area and a conductive heating unit, the conductive heating unit having a heating resistor;

placing the semiconductor device in thermal contact with the conduction heating unit as a semiconductor device under test;

operating the heating resistor of the conduction heating unit to provide a part of the heat generated by the heating resistor to the semiconductor device under test via a thermally conductive and electrically insulating connection between the heating resistor and the thermal contact area; and

operating the semiconductor device under test with electrical operating conditions to conduct a performance test while operating the heating resistor of the conduction heating unit to provide the part of the heat.

15. A method according to claim 13, using the heating system, wherein the semiconductor device is placed in thermal contact with a first zone of the plurality of zones, further comprising:

providing a further semiconductor device;

placing the further semiconductor device in thermal contact with a second zone of the plurality of zones as a further semiconductor device under test;

operating the plurality of heating resistors in the first zone and the plurality of heating resistors in the second zone to generate a zone-specific user-defined amount of heat.

16. A method according to claim 13, wherein the heating resistor is configured to generate a user-defined amount of heat.