Method and apparatus for wafer-level burn-in and testing of integrated circuits

• US 6,707,065 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2002
• Issued: 03/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Fenner, Andreas A., Thompson, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelms, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, MAI HUONG C
• Application Number:
  US10/243,264
• Publication Number:
  US 20030010977A1
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• Field of Search: 438/14, 438/17, 438/18, 438/113, 438/381, 438/396, 324/754, 324/755, 324/761, 324/762
• US Class Current: 257/48
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2831 Testing of materials or semi-finished products, e.g. semiconductor wafers or substrates G01R31/318511 takes precedence; testing during manufacture H01L22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/316 Testing of analog circuits G01R31/2851 takes precedence

Abstract

In one embodiment, a testing regimen is implemented to reduce test time. Specifically, a structure and method to power up and stabilize all die on the wafer prior to testing each die is implemented. More specifically, parallel powering schemes including die stabilization procedures are used to ready the wafer for testing. A wafer probe tester is indexed from one die to the next for an uninterrupted testing of all die in the wafer subsequent to all die power up and stabilization.

Claims

1. A semiconductor wafer capable of simultaneous burn-in of all the dies on the semiconductor wafer, comprising:

one or more conductive pads located in an inactive region of the wafer wherein the one or more conductive pads are adapted to electrically couple to an external power supply;

a plurality of dies in an active region of the wafer wherein each die includes a burn in indicating apparatus, the burn-in indicating apparatus adapted to indicate a burn-in parameter;

an array of scribe lines separating the plurality of dies, wherein the scribe lines include one or more scribe conductors electrically coupling the one or more conductive pads to the burn-in indicating apparatus and at least one circuit disposed on each of the plurality of dies within the active region of said wafer; and

one or more conductive rings surrounding each die, wherein the one or more scribe conductors connects to the one or more conductive rings and the conductive rings, in turn, connect via die bond pads to the circuits of the plurality of dies so that each of the plurality of dies is simultaneously subjected to a burn-in test when the one or more conductive pads is electrically coupled to the external power supply.

2. A semiconductor wafer capable of simultaneous burn-in of all the dies on the semiconductor wafer, comprising:

one or more conductive pads located in an inactive region of the wafer wherein the conductive pads are adapted to electrically couple to an external power supply; and

a plurality of dies in an active region of the wafer wherein each die includes a burn-in indicating apparatus, the burn-in indicating apparatus adapted to indicate a burn-in parameter, wherein each die further comprises a burn-in test circuit for simultaneously dynamically exercising one or more circuits of each die of the plurality of dies, said the burn-in test circuit simultaneously receiving power from the external power supply for each die of the plurality of dies.

3. A semiconductor wafer capable of simultaneous burn-in of all the dies on the semiconductor wafer, comprising:

one or more conductive pads located in an inactive region of the wafer wherein the conductive pads are adapted to simultaneously electrically couple to an external power supply; and

a plurality of dies in an active region of the wafer wherein each die includes a burn-in indicating apparatus, the burn-in indicating apparatus adapted to indicate a burn-in parameter, wherein the burn-in parameter is a period of time for which power is simultaneously provided to each die of the plurality of dies by the external power supply.