Semiconductor test management system and method

• US 7,237,160 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2004
• Issued: 06/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Lu, Ying-Lon, Huang, Joshua
• Primary Examiner(s): Brett; Cynthia
• Assistant Examiner(s): Radosevich; Steven D.
• Application Number:
  US10/963,863
• Publication Number:
  US 20060080582A1
• Time in Patent Office: 986 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 714/724
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2894 Aspects of quality control [QC] G01R31/31718 takes precedence; program control for QC G05B19/41875

Abstract

A system and method thereof for semiconductor test management. A first computer generates a new gating rule and transmits the new gating rule. A second computer receives the new gating rule via a network, acquires a test result, carries the test result into the new gating rule to generate an advisory report. In which, the test result comprises a test value corresponding to a test attribute, the new gating rule determines a final advisory when the test value satisfies a specific condition comprising the test attribute, and the advisory report comprises the final advisory.

Claims

1. A system for semiconductor test management, the system comprising:

a first computer generating a new gating rule and transmitting the new gating rule; and

a second computer initially storing an old gating rule, receiving the new gating rule via a network, replacing the old gating rule with the new gating rule, acquiring a test result, carrying the test result into the new gating rule to generate an advisory report;

wherein the test result comprises a test value corresponding to a test attribute, the new gating rule determines a final advisory when the test value satisfies a specific condition comprising the test attribute, the advisory report comprises the final advisory, the new gating rule is a newer version of the old gating rule, and the final advisory indicates a wafer, or a wafer lot is accepted, scrapped, repairable, or held for analysis.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the second computer issues a request to the first computer to acquire the new gating rule, and the first computer transmits the new gating rule after receiving the request.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the first computer transmits a plurality of gating rule versions with version information thereof to the second computer, and the second computer stores the gating rule versions and acquires the newest gating rule version as the new gating rule.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the second computer stores each gating rule version in a file with a file name comprising the corresponding version information, and acquires the newest gating rule version by detecting the file name.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein the second computer stores each gating rule version and the corresponding version information in a database table, and acquires the newest gating rule version by detecting the version information from the database table.

6. The system of claim 3 wherein the second computer stores each gating rule version and the corresponding version information in a data object, and acquires the newest gating rule version by detecting the version information from the data object.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the test result is generated by circuit probe (CP) testing, wafer acceptance testing (WAT) or in-line testing.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the new gating rule is stored in a file or a message for data transmission between the first computer and the second computer.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the message is an extensible markup language (XML) message or simple object access protocol (SOAP) message.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the new gating rule is transmitted by file transfer protocol (FTP), simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP), simple object access protocol (SOAP) or hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP).

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the test attribute comprises a yield value, quantity of good dies, quantity of repairable dies, quantity of bad dies, electrical parameters or physical parameters.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the second computer displays or prints the advisory report.

13. A method of semiconductor test management, the method comprising using a first computer and a second computer to perform the steps of:

generating a new gating rule with the first computer;

transmitting the new gating rule with the first computer;

initially storing an old gating rule with the second computer;

receiving the new gating rule via a network, with the second computer;

replacing the old gating rule with the new gating rule, with the second computer;

acquiring a test result with the second computer; and

carrying the test result into the new gating rule to generate an advisory report, with the second computer;

wherein the test result comprises a test value corresponding to a test attribute, the new gating rule determines a final advisory when the test value satisfies a specific condition comprising the test attribute, the advisory report comprises the final advisory, the new gating rule is a newer version of the old gating rule, and the final advisory indicates a wafer, or a wafer lot is accepted, scrapped, repairable, or held for analysis.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of:

issuing a request to the first computer to acquire the new gating rule, with the second computer; and

transmitting the new gating rule after receiving the request with the first computer.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of:

transmitting a plurality of gating rule versions with version information thereof to the second computer, with the first computer;

storing the gating rule versions with the second computer; and

acquiring the newest gating rule version as the new gating rule, with the second computer.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the steps of:

storing each gating rule version in a file with a file name comprising the corresponding version information, with the second computer; and

acquires the newest gating rule version by detecting the file name with the second computer.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprises the steps of:

storing each gating rule version and the corresponding version information in a database table, with the second computer; and

acquiring the newest gating rule version by detecting the version information from the database table.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprises the steps of:

storing each gating rule version and the corresponding version information in a data object, with the second computer; and

acquiring the newest gating rule version by detecting the version information from the data object.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein the test result is generated by circuit probe (CP) testing, wafer acceptance testing (WAT) or in-line testing.

20. The method of claim 13 wherein the new gating rule is stored in a file or a message for data transmission between the first computer and the second computer.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the message is an extensible markup language (XML) message or simple object access protocol (SOAP) message.

22. The method of claim 13 wherein the new gating rule is transmitted by file transfer protocol (FTP), simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP), simple object access protocol (SOAP) or hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP).

23. The method of claim 13 wherein the test attribute comprises a yield value, quantity of good dies, quantity of repairable dies, quantity of bad dies, electrical parameters or physical parameters.

24. The method of claim 13 further comprising a step of displaying or printing the advisory report with the second computer.

25. A machine-readable storage medium for storing a computer program which, when executed, performs a method of semiconductor test management, the method comprising the steps of:

generating a new gating rule with the first computer;

transmitting the new gating rule with the first computer;

initially storing an old gating rule with the second computer;

receiving the new gating rule via a network, with the second computer;

replacing the old gating rule with the new gating rule, with the second computer;

acquiring a test result with the second computer; and

carrying the test result into the new gating rule to generate an advisory report, with the second computer;

wherein the test result comprises a test value corresponding to a test attribute, the new gating rule determines a final advisory when the test value satisfies a specific condition comprising the test attribute, the advisory report comprises the final advisory, the new gating rule is a newer version of the old gating rule, and the final advisory indicates a wafer, or a wafer lot is accepted, scrapped, repairable, or held for analysis.