Method for reading semiconductor die information in a parallel test and burn-in system

• US 6,477,095 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2000
• Issued: 11/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qimonda AG (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies Richmond LP (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Eubanks, Mark Daniel, White, Keith Jordan
• Primary Examiner(s): Elms, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tuan T.
• Application Number:
  US09/751,555
• Publication Number:
  US 20020085439A1
• Time in Patent Office: 677 Days
• Field of Search: 365/201, 365/225.7, 365/189.07
• US Class Current: 365/201
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/006 at wafer scale level, i.e. wafer scale integration [WSI]
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/56 External testing equipment for static stores, e.g. automatic test equipment [ATE]; Interfaces therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/5444 for electrical read out

Abstract

A method according to the present invention is provided for determining memory device identification. The method invokes a serial output from n identification fuses of two or more memory devices, the output for identifying the device, and sampling the serial output every n^th bit to determine a fuse state for a fuse of each device. The method further repeats the sampling for all n fuses to acquire fuse data for all devices, and determines a pass/fail string corresponding to the sampled output, the pass/fail string being employed to identify the devices through a parallel test and burn-in system. The output is on an enabled data line which is used during the burn-in test wherein other data lines are disabled for avoiding bus contention. The method also includes storing the pass/fail string for the data in a database, and translating the pass/fail string using a structured query language expression executed against the database.

Claims

1. A method for determining memory device identification comprising the steps of:

invoking a serial output from n identification fuses of a plurality of devices, the serial output for identifying the devices;

sampling the serial output every n^th bit to determine a fuse state for a fuse of each device;

repeating the sampling for all n fuses to acquire fuse data for all devices; and

determining a pass/fail string corresponding to the sampled output, the pass/fail string being employed to identify through a parallel test and burn-in system, wherein the sampled output is on an enabled data line also used for a burn-in test wherein other data lines are disabled for avoiding bus contention.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the memory device is a synchronized dynamic random access memory.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the fuses are defined as identification fuses prior to invoking the serial output.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

storing the pass/fail string for the data in a database; and

translating the pass/fail string using a structured query language expression executed against the database.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a pass is interpreted as a binary “

1” and

a fail is interpreted as a binary “

0”

.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the pass/fail string is a binary data string.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the translated pass/fail string is linked to another test.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the disabled data lines are tri-state data lines.

9. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for determining memory device identification, the method steps comprising:

invoking a serial output from n identification fuses of a plurality of devices, the serial output for identifying the devices;

sampling the serial output every n^th bit to determine a fuse state for a fuse of each device;

repeating the sampling for all n fuses to acquire fuse data for all devices; and

determining a pass/fail string corresponding to the sampled output, the pass/fail string being employed to identify through a parallel test and burn-in system, wherein the sampled output is on an enabled data line also used for a burn-in test wherein other data lines disabled for avoiding bus contention.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

storing the pass/fail expression for the data in a database; and

executing structured query language computer readable program code against the database for causing a computer to translate the pass/fail expression.

11. A system for determining memory device identification, comprising:

a testing board to which a plurality of memory devices are wired in parallel, each memory device including one or more identification fuses;

a strobe for sampling and comparing an output from the plurality of memory devices on an enabled package pin to an expected data, wherein the enabled package pin is used for burn-in testing wherein other pins are disabled for avoiding bus contention; and

a memory for storing the results of the comparison.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the memory further comprises:

a first relational database for storing the results against which a structured query language expression is executed for translating the results; and

a second relational database including at least one identification field for accepting the translated data string.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the memory is an offline memory.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the memory devices are synchronous dynamic random access memories.