Test management system

• US 8,219,349 B1
• Filed: 12/21/2007
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intermolecular Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Intermolecular Incorporated
• Inventors: Schwarz, Yoram, Ashizawa, Yoshiki, Ngatchou, Patrick, Pai, Heng-Cheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Charioui, Mohamed
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ngon, Ricky
• Application Number:
  US11/963,004
• Time in Patent Office: 1,663 Days
• Field of Search: 702117-121, 702/58, 702/59, 702 81- 83, 702/108, 702/124, 702/126, 702/183, 702/185, 702/189, 700/108, 700/109, 700/121, 438/14, 438/17, 324/500, 324/537, 324/750, 324/754, 324/755, 324/759, 324763-765
• US Class Current: 702/118
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2851 Testing of integrated circuits [IC] G01R31/317 takes precedence; testing individual devices G01R31/26; testing printed circuits G01R31/2801
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2884 using dedicated test connectors, test elements or test circuits on the IC under test G01R31/2855 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/14 for electrical parameters, e.g. resistance, deep-levels, CV, diffusions by electrical means
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/20 Sequence of activities consisting of a plurality of measurements, corrections, marking or sorting steps
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/34 Circuits for electrically characterising or monitoring manufacturing processes, e. g. whole test die, wafers filled with test structures, on-board-devices incorporated on each die, process control monitors or pad structures thereof, devices in scribe line switching, multiplexing, gating devices G01R19/25; process control with lithography, e.g. dose control, G03F7/20; structures for alignment control by optical means G03F7/70633
• 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

A test management system is provided that performs tests on integrated circuit test structures. A server may be used to distribute a test recipe to multiple test cells. Each test cell may have multiple test instruments and associated instrument drivers. When performing a test, a test type module may run on a given test cell. The test type module may perform tests by using the instrument drivers to control the test instruments available in the test cell. Users may make test option selections using graphical interface screens such as a test recipe setup screen and a platform engine control screen. A user can select test sites for testing based on which process parameters where used to fabricate the test structures associated with the test sites or other criteria.

Claims

1. A method for testing test structures on substrates using a plurality of test cells, wherein each test cell has a plurality of test instruments each having an associated instrument driver, the method comprising:

receiving a substrate having a plurality of combinatorially processed regions, the combinatorially processing forming the regions with one of different material, different processes or different process sequences;

at a first test cell testing a first combinatorially processed region, obtaining a given test recipe and, based on the given test recipe, identifying which test types are to be performed on the test structures at the first test cell;

at the first test cell, running at least a given test type module that corresponds to a given one of the identified test types, wherein when the given test type module is run, a first set of instrument drivers is invoked to test the test structures using the instruments of the first test cell;

at a second test cell, obtaining the given test recipe and, based on the given test recipe, identifying which test types are to be performed on the test structures at the second test cell for testing a second combinatorially processed region; and

at the second test cell, running at least the given test type module that corresponds to the given one of the identified test types, wherein when the given test type module is run, a second set of instrument drivers is invoked to test the test structures using the instruments of the second test cell, wherein the first and second sets of instrument drivers are different, and wherein one of the test types performed at the first cell is a voltage breakdown test that is destructive to the test structures at the first cell.

2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein a test management server is connected by a network to the first and second test cells, wherein obtaining the given test recipe at the first test cell comprises obtaining the given test recipe at the first test cell from the test management server over the network, and wherein obtaining the given test recipe at the second test cell comprises obtaining the given test recipe at the second test cell from the test management server over the network.

3. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the substrates comprise wafers and wherein each test cell comprises a probe station, the method further comprising testing the test structures on the wafers using the probe stations and wherein the voltage breakdown test that determines a voltage that causes the test structures of the first test cell to fail.

4. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the test cells each include a probe station, the method further comprising:

testing the test structures at the first test cell using the probe station and instruments of the first test cell; and

testing the test structures at the second test cell using the probe station and instruments of the second test cell.

5. The method defined in claim 1 wherein there are a plurality of identified test types for tests to be performed on the test structures at the first test cell, the method further comprising:

at the first test cell, running a plurality of test type modules each of which corresponds to a respective one of the plurality of identified test types to test the test structures using the instruments and a probe station of the first test cell.

6. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising:

at the second test cell, running a test type module other than the given test type module to test the test structures at the second test cell.

7. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising:

at the first test cell, running a first set of test type modules to test a first set of test structures on a given substrate; and

at the first test cell, running a second set of test type modules that is different from the first set of test type modules to test a second set of test structures on the given substrate.

8. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the test structures are located on a given substrate and wherein running at least the given test type module at the first test cell invokes the first set of instrument drivers and tests the test structures on the given substrate using the instruments of the first test cell, the method further comprising:

at the first test cell, running at least the given test type module to test different test structures on the given substrate using the instruments of the first test cell.

9. The method defined in claim 1 wherein running at least the given test type module at the first test cell comprises running at least the given test type module to test a first set of die on a given substrate, the method further comprising:

at the first test cell, running the same given test type module to test a second set of die on the given substrate.

10. The method defined in claim 1 wherein running at least the given test type module at the first test cell comprises running at least the given test type module to test a first set of test structures associated with a first set of die on a given substrate by using the instruments of the first test cell to measure a first set of parameters, the method further comprising:

at the first test cell, running same given test type module to measure a second set of parameters when performing test structure tests using the instruments of the first test cell.

11. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising:

while running the given test type module to invoke the first set of instrument drivers to test the test structures at the first test cell, displaying visual feedback to a user at the first test cell indicating which test structures have been tested.

12. The method defined in claim 1, wherein a test management server that has a server database is connected by a network to the first and second test cells, the method further comprising:

adding test instruments to the first and second test cells; and

when the test instruments are added to the first and second test cells, updating the test management server database to reflect which instruments are included in the first and second test cells.

13. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the test structures are fabricated on a substrate using fabrication processes having associated fabrication process parameters, the method comprising:

providing a user with an option to select which test structures on the substrate are to be tested at the first test cell based on which fabrication process parameters were used during fabrication of the test structures on the substrate, wherein one of the fabrication process parameters is related to a deposition process.

14. A test system comprising:

a first test cell having a first set of test instruments and configured to run a given test type module to perform a given type of test on test structures at the first cell using the first set of test instruments; and

a second test cell having a second set of test instruments and configured to run the given test type module to perform the given type of test on test structures at the second cell using the second set of test instruments, wherein the second set of test instruments is different than the first set of test instruments, and wherein at least one of the test structures of a region of a die of the first cell is formed through a combinatorial process by utilizing one of a different process material, or process sequence than other similar test structures of the region of the die.

15. The test system defined in claim 14 further comprising:

a test server to which both the first test cell and the second test cell are connected through a network, wherein the test server provides a test recipe to the first test cell and the second test cell over the network and wherein the first cell runs the given test type module based on the test recipe and wherein the second cell runs the given test type module based on the test recipe.

16. The test system defined in claim 15 wherein the test server comprises a server database, wherein when test instruments are added to the first and second cells, the server database is updated to reflect which instruments are included in the first and second cells.

17. The test system defined in claim 14 further comprising a probe station at the first test cell, wherein the test structures are fabricated on a substrate using a fabrication process having associated fabrication process parameters and wherein the first test cell uses a processor to provide a user with an opportunity to choose which test structures on the substrate are to be tested based on which fabrication process parameters were used during fabrication of the test structures.

18. A method of testing test structures on substrates in a test system wherein each test cell has a different set of instruments, the method comprising:

performing the same test on test structures at each of the plurality of test cells by running a common test type module on each of the test cells, wherein the test type module invokes unique sets of instruments drivers on each of the test cells;

providing visual confirmation of which test structures are tested prior to initiation of the testing;

during testing of the test structures, storing test data in local databases on the test cells; and

periodically uploading the test data from the test cells to a server over a network, wherein at least one of the test structures of a region of a die of the first cell is formed through a combinatorial process by utilizing one of a different process material, or process sequence than other similar test structures of the region of the die.

19. The method defined in claim 18 further comprising generating a test sequence list on each test cell that indicates which tests are to be performed by test type modules on that test cell.

20. The method defined in claim 18 further comprising:

at each test cell, using a platform engine to identify which types of tests are to be performed and, for each type of test that is identified, running a corresponding test type module with the platform engine, wherein each test type module that is run invokes a respective unique set of instrument drivers.

21. The method defined in claim 18 further comprising:

loading a test recipe from a server database at the server onto the local database at a given one of the test cells over the network;

at the given one of the test cells, using a platform engine to identify from the loaded test recipe which types of tests are to be performed and, for each type of test that is identified, running a corresponding test type module with the platform engine to invoke at least one of the instrument drivers.

22. The method defined in claim 18 further comprising:

at a given one of the test cells, providing a user with an on-screen option to select which test structures on a given substrate are to be tested based on which process parameters were used during fabrication of the test structures.

23. The method defined in claim 18 further comprising:

providing one of layer composition or layer thickness for layers in which the test structures are defined prior to the initiation of the testing.

24. The method defined in claim 18 further comprising:

at a given one of the test cells, providing a user with an option to select which test structures on a given substrate are to be tested based on which process parameters were used during fabrication of the test structures; and

at the test cells, providing visual confirmation of which test structures are tested during testing of the test structures.

25. The method defined in claim 18 further comprising:

loading a test recipe from a server database at the server onto the local database at a given one of the test cells over the network;

at the given one of the test cells, providing a user with an option to select which test structures on a given substrate are to be tested based on which process parameters were used during fabrication of the test structures on the given substrate; and

at the given one of the test cells, using a platform engine to identify from the loaded test recipe and the user-selected test structures which types of tests are to be performed and, for each type of test that is identified, running a corresponding test type module with the platform engine to invoke at least one of the instrument drivers.

26. The method defined in claim 18 further comprising:

loading a test recipe from a server database at the server onto the local database at a given one of the test cells over the network;

at the given one of the test cells, providing a user with an option to select which test structures on a given substrate are to be tested based on which process parameters were used during fabrication of the test structures on the given substrate;

at the given one of the test cells, using a platform engine to identify from the loaded test recipe and the user-selected test structures which types of tests are to be performed and, for each type of test that is identified, running a corresponding test type module with the platform engine to invoke at least one of the instrument drivers; and

at the given one of the test cells, providing visual confirmation of which test structures are tested during testing of the test structures.