Method of making and testing an integrated circuit
First Claim
1. A method of making an integrated circuit comprising the steps of:
- testing simultaneously a plurality of individual logic units of said integrated circuit prior to interconnecting said logic units;
with each of the units being electrically isolated from the other units during the test andinterconnecting said logic units so as to render said integrated circuit operable.
3 Assignments
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Accused Products
Abstract
Each transistor or logic unit on an integrated circuit wafer is tested prior to interconnect metallization. By CAD means, the transistor or logic units placement net list is revised to substitute redundant defect-free logic units for defective ones. Then the interconnect metallization is laid down and patterned under control of a CAD means. Each die in the wafer thus has its own interconnect scheme, although each die is functionally equivalent, and yields are much higher than with conventional testing at the completed circuit level.
The individual transistor or logic unit testing is accomplished by a specially fabricated flexible tester surface made in one embodiment of several layers of flexible silicon dioxide, each layer containing vias and conductive traces leading to thousands of microscopic metal probe points on one side of the test surface. The probe points electrically contact the contacts on the wafer under test by fluid pressure. The tester surfaces traces are then connected, by means of multiplexers, to a conventional tester signal processor.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of making an integrated circuit comprising the steps of:
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testing simultaneously a plurality of individual logic units of said integrated circuit prior to interconnecting said logic units;
with each of the units being electrically isolated from the other units during the test andinterconnecting said logic units so as to render said integrated circuit operable. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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6. A method of making an integrated circuit comprising the steps of:
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forming temporary interconnections between the logic units prior to testing; testing individual logic units of said integrated circuit prior to interconnecting said logic units; removing said temporary interconnections after testing; and interconnecting said logic units so as to render said integrated circuit operable. - View Dependent Claims (7, 14)
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19. A method of making an integrated circuit comprising the steps of:
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providing contact pads for testing logic units, the contact pads each having a size of less than about 25 microns by 25 microns; testing individual logic units of said integrated circuits by contacting said contact pads prior to interconnecting said logic units; and interconnecting said logic units so as to render said integrated circuit operable. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification