Process for improving design-limited yield by localizing potential faults from production test data
First Claim
1. A method for reporting a physical area containing an electrically detected fault in a scan chain bit position recorded on semiconductor test equipment apparatus to a computer-implemented yield management utility software program product comprising the following steps:
- localizing the electrically detected fault in the scan chain bit position to within a detailed physical circuit description;
tracing circuit structures that are connected to a scan cell with which the electrically detected fault in the scan chain bit position is associated; and
in response to the tracing, determining and exporting X/Y Die Coordinate on Wafer, X/Y Origin on Die, X size, Y size, Area (X*Y) and Classification of potential sources of the electrically detected fault in the scan chain bit position.
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Abstract
A process for improving design-limited yield by collecting test fail data, converting to electrical faults, and localizing to physical area on semiconductor die. The steps of identifying an area on a wafer containing a fault to enable the analysis of specific defects, accumulating data suitable for yield monitoring analysis based on pattern test failures logged on scan cells in scan chains on automatic test equipment, and translating scan cell and scan chain failure reports to geometric locations of electrical structures on wafers.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. A method for reporting a physical area containing an electrically detected fault in a scan chain bit position recorded on semiconductor test equipment apparatus to a computer-implemented yield management utility software program product comprising the following steps:
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localizing the electrically detected fault in the scan chain bit position to within a detailed physical circuit description; tracing circuit structures that are connected to a scan cell with which the electrically detected fault in the scan chain bit position is associated; and in response to the tracing, determining and exporting X/Y Die Coordinate on Wafer, X/Y Origin on Die, X size, Y size, Area (X*Y) and Classification of potential sources of the electrically detected fault in the scan chain bit position.
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2. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
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translating a fault location in a circuit from i) a scan chain bit position, to ii) a name of a scan cell in a logical design; using the name of the scan cell to execute a trace of circuit structures that are connected to the scan cell, thereby identifying circuit structures that are potential sources of faults in the circuit; and reporting physical locations of the circuit structures. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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Specification