Testing and exercising individual, unsingulated dies on a wafer
First Claim
1. A fault-tolerant method of providing signals from a common external source to individual, unsingulated dies on a semiconductor wafer, comprising:
- defining a plurality of individual dies on a semiconductor wafer, said dies ultimately being processed into integrated circuit devices;
providing an electronic selection mechanism, on the wafer, for providing signals to selected individual dies; and
providing a first conductive path between said electronic selection mechanism and a first of said dies, said first conductive path comprising;
a first signal carrying line;
a second signal carrying line;
a first diode having an anode and a cathode, said first diode anode being connected to said first signal carrying line;
a second diode having an anode and a cathode, said second diode anode being connected to said second signal line; and
a first internal conductor connected to the first die, said first internal conductor being additionally connected to said first diode cathode and to said second diode cathode.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Signals (including probes) from an external system are selectively connected to a plurality of unsingulated dies on a semiconductor wafer with a minimum number of connections and an electronic selection mechanism resident on the wafer. The electronic selection mechanism is connected to the individual dies by conductive lines on the wafer. The electronic selection mechanism is capable of providing the external signals (or connecting the external probe) to a single die or groups of the dies, and electronically "walking through" the entire plurality of unsingulated dies. Redundant conductive lines may be provided. Diodes and/or fuses may be provided in conjunction with the conductive lines, to protect against various faults which may occur in the conductive lines. Redundant electronic selection mechanisms may also be provided to ensure the ability to selectively provide signals to the unsingulated dies.
135 Citations
7 Claims
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1. A fault-tolerant method of providing signals from a common external source to individual, unsingulated dies on a semiconductor wafer, comprising:
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defining a plurality of individual dies on a semiconductor wafer, said dies ultimately being processed into integrated circuit devices; providing an electronic selection mechanism, on the wafer, for providing signals to selected individual dies; and providing a first conductive path between said electronic selection mechanism and a first of said dies, said first conductive path comprising; a first signal carrying line; a second signal carrying line; a first diode having an anode and a cathode, said first diode anode being connected to said first signal carrying line; a second diode having an anode and a cathode, said second diode anode being connected to said second signal line; and a first internal conductor connected to the first die, said first internal conductor being additionally connected to said first diode cathode and to said second diode cathode. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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Specification