Method and apparatus using an on-chip ring oscillator for chip identification

• US 6,893,883 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2003
• Issued: 05/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bell Semiconductor, LLC (Hilco Inc. (d/b/a Hilco Global))
• Original Assignee: Agere Systems Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hui, Frank Yauchee, Huang, Robert Y S
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn, Nathan J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): QUINTO, KEVIN V
• Application Number:
  US10/643,123
• Publication Number:
  US 20050040397A1
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 438/10, 438/17, 438/11, 438/14, 438/18, 438/15, 257/48, 257/620, 257/665, 257/700, 716/4
• US Class Current: 438/14
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/5444 for electrical read out
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/5448 Located on chip prior to dicing and remaining on chip after dicing
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/544 Marks applied to semiconductor devices or parts, e.g. registration marks, alignment structures, wafer maps test patterns for characterising or monitoring manufacturing processes H01L22/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

An apparatus and method for identifying integrated circuit chips or dice on a semiconductor wafer. Each chip comprises a ring oscillator having a characteristic oscillating frequency different from the oscillating frequency of the ring oscillators of other chips on the same wafer. Each chip can be associated with various attributes of the wafer on which it was formed and the process steps to which it was subjected using the ring oscillator frequency.

Claims

1. A method for identifying an integrated circuit device having a frequency marker device formed thereon, comprising:

applying power to the frequency marker device;

determining an oscillating frequency of the frequency marker device; and

associating the oscillating frequency with the integrated circuit device, wherein the integrated circuit device can be later identified by determining the oscillating frequency.

2. A method for identifying an integrated circuit device having a frequency marker device formed thereon, wherein the integrated circuit device is formed during a plurality of processing steps, comprising:

applying power to the frequency marker device;

determining an oscillating the frequency of the frequency marker device; and

associating the oscillating frequency with the integrated circuit device to identify the integrated circuit device according to the determined oscillating frequency, and associating the frequency with the plurality of processing steps.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the integrated circuit device is one of a plurality of integrated circuit devices formed on a semiconductor wafer, and wherein the step of associating further comprises associating the frequency with a location of the integrated circuit device on the semiconductor wafer.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the integrated circuit device is one of a plurality of integrated circuit devices formed on a semiconductor wafer each one of the plurality of integrated circuit devices comprising a ring oscillator, and wherein the method further comprises determining an oscillating frequency of the ring oscillator of each one of the plurality of integrated circuit devices, and wherein the step of associating further comprises associating the oscillating frequency of the ring oscillator of each one of the plurality of integrated circuits devices with a location of the integrated circuit device on the semiconductor wafer.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the frequency marker device comprises an odd-numbered plurality of serially connected inverter elements and a feedback loop.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein each one of the plurality of inverter elements comprises a binary logic inverter.

7. A method for manufacturing semiconductor devices, comprising:

(a) providing a semiconductor wafer;

(b) performing semiconductor fabrication processes on the semiconductor wafer;

(c) forming semiconductor dice thereon in response to the fabrication processes, wherein the semiconductor dice comprise semiconductor devices, and wherein certain of the semiconductor dice comprise a frequency marker device;

(d) applying power to the frequency marker device of a one of the semiconductor dice;

(e) determining the oscillating frequency of the frequency marker device of the step (d);

(f) associating the oscillating frequency with the one of the semiconductor dice and associating the oscillating frequency with the semiconductor fabrication processes of the step (b)

(g) repeating the steps (d) through (f) for each one of the semiconductor dice comprising a frequency marker device;

(h) cutting the semiconductor wafer into individual semiconductor dice; and

(i) maintaining the association of the step (f) after the semiconductor dice are cut to identify the integrated circuit device according to the determined oscillating frequency.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the step (f) further comprises associating the oscillating frequency with the location of the semiconductor dice on the wafer.

9. A method for identifying an integrated circuit device having a frequency marker device formed thereon, comprising:

applying power to the frequency marker device;

determining an oscillating frequency of the frequency marker device; and

associating the oscillating frequency with the integrated circuit device to identify a failed integrated circuit device according to the determined oscillating frequency.