Identifying defective components on a wafer using component triangulation

• US 9,046,576 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2013
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Behzad, Arya Reza, Rofougaran, Ahmadreza, Zhao, Sam Ziqun, Castaneda, Jesus Alfonso, Boers, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): HENSON, MISCHITA L
• Application Number:
  US13/944,430
• Publication Number:
  US 20130311127A1
• Time in Patent Office: 685 Days
• Field of Search: 702 58- 59, 702/108, 702/117, 702/118, 324/500, 324/537, 324/754.01, 324/754.07, 324/754.21
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2834 Automated test systems [ATE]; using microprocessors or computers G01R31/317 takes precedence; ATE for detection of defective computer hardware G06F11/2736
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3025 Wireless interface with the DUT
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/311 of integrated circuits G01R31/31728 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/319 Tester hardware, i.e. output processing circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/54433 containing identification or tracking information
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49121 Beam lead frame or beam lead device

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are disclosed to simultaneously, wirelessly test semiconductor components formed on a semiconductor wafer. The semiconductor components transmit respective outcomes of a self-contained testing operation to wireless automatic test equipment via a common communication channel. Multiple receiving antennas observe the outcomes from multiple directions in three dimensional space. The wireless automatic test equipment determines whether one or more of the semiconductor components operate as expected and, optionally, may use properties of the three dimensional space to determine a location of one or more of the semiconductor components. The wireless testing equipment may additionally determine performance of the semiconductor components by detecting infrared energy emitted, transmitted, and/or reflected by the semiconductor wafer before, during, and/or after a self-contained testing operation.

Claims

1. A wireless automatic test equipment for determining locations of a first semiconductor component and a second semiconductor component that are formed onto a semiconductor wafer, comprising:

a receiver module configured to receive a first testing operation outcome from the first semiconductor component and a second testing operation outcome from the second semiconductor component using a first receiving antenna to provide a plurality of recovered testing outcomes;

a metric measurement module configured to determine a plurality of signal metrics of the plurality of recovered testing outcomes; and

a testing processor configured to compare a first signal metric from among the plurality of signal metrics that corresponds to the first testing operation outcome and a second signal metric from among the plurality of signal metrics that corresponds to the second testing operation outcome to determine the locations of the first semiconductor component and the second semiconductor component on the semiconductor wafer.

2. The wireless automatic test equipment of claim 1, wherein the testing processor is further configured to determine that the first semiconductor component and the second semiconductor component are equidistant from the first receiving antenna when the first signal metric is equal to the second signal metric.

3. The wireless automatic test equipment of claim 1, wherein the testing processor is further configured to determine that the first semiconductor component is closer to the first receiving antenna than the second semiconductor component when the first signal metric is greater than the second signal metric.

4. The wireless automatic test equipment of claim 1, wherein the receiver module is further configured to receive the first testing operation outcome and the second testing operation outcome using a second receiving antenna, and

wherein the testing processor is further configured to compare a third signal metric from among the plurality of signal metrics that corresponds to the first testing operation outcome as received by the second receiving antenna and a fourth signal metric from among the plurality of signal metrics that corresponds to the second testing operation outcome as received by the second receiving antenna to determine the locations of the first semiconductor component and the second semiconductor component on the semiconductor wafer.

5. The wireless automatic test equipment of claim 4, wherein the testing processor is further configured to determine that the first semiconductor component and the second semiconductor component are equidistant from the second receiving antenna when the third signal metric is equal to the fourth signal metric.

6. The wireless automatic test equipment of claim 4, wherein the testing processor is further configured to determine that the first semiconductor component is closer to the first receiving antenna than the second semiconductor component when the third signal metric is greater than the fourth signal metric.

7. A wireless automatic test equipment for determining a location of a first semiconductor component relative to a second semiconductor component that are formed onto a semiconductor wafer, comprising:

a receiver module configured to receive a first testing operation outcome from the first semiconductor component and a second testing operation outcome from the second semiconductor component to provide a plurality of recovered testing outcomes;

a metric measurement module configured to determine a plurality of signal metrics of the plurality of recovered testing outcomes; and

a testing processor configured to compare a first signal metric from among the plurality of signal metrics that corresponds to the first testing operation outcome and a second signal metric from among the plurality of signal metrics that corresponds to the second testing operation outcome to determine the location of the first semiconductor component relative to the second semiconductor component.

8. The wireless automatic test equipment of claim 7, wherein the testing processor is further configured to determine that the first semiconductor component and the second semiconductor component are equidistant from the wireless automatic test equipment when the first signal metric is equal to the second signal metric.

9. The wireless automatic test equipment of claim 7, wherein the testing processor is further configured to determine that the first semiconductor component is closer to the wireless automatic test equipment than the second semiconductor component when the first signal metric is greater than the second signal metric.

10. The wireless automatic test equipment of claim 7, wherein the plurality of signal metrics comprise two or more of:

a mean of a first recovered testing outcome from among the plurality of recovered testing outcomes that corresponds to the first testing operation outcome or a second recovered testing outcome from among the plurality of recovered testing outcomes that corresponds to the second testing operation outcome;

a total energy of the first or the second recovered testing outcomes;

an average power of the first or the second recovered testing outcomes;

a mean square of the first or the second recovered testing outcomes;

an instantaneous power of the first or the second recovered testing outcomes;

a root mean square of the first or the second recovered testing outcomes;

a variance of the first or the second recovered testing outcomes;

a norm of the first or the second recovered testing outcomes;

or

a voltage level of the first or the second recovered testing outcomes.

11. The wireless automatic test equipment of claim 7, wherein the receiver module is configured to decode the first testing operation outcome and the second testing operation outcome in accordance with a multiple access transmission scheme.

12. The wireless automatic test equipment of claim 11, wherein the multiple access transmission scheme is a single carrier multiple access transmission scheme or a multiple carrier multiple access transmission scheme.

13. The wireless automatic test equipment of claim 12, wherein the single carrier multiple access transmission scheme comprises at least one of:

code division multiple access (CDMA);

frequency division multiple access (FDMA);

or

time division multiple access (TDMA), and wherein the multiple carrier multiple access transmission scheme comprises at least one of;

discrete multi-tone (DMT) modulation;

orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM);

or

coded OFDM (COFDM).

14. The wireless automatic test equipment of claim 7, wherein the first testing operation outcome is configured to indicate that the first semiconductor component operates unexpectedly or the second testing operation outcome is configured to indicate that the second semiconductor component operates unexpectedly.

15. A wireless automatic test equipment for determining locations of a first semiconductor component and a second semiconductor component that are formed onto a semiconductor wafer, comprising:

a receiver module configured to receive a first testing operation outcome from the first semiconductor component and a second testing operation outcome from the second semiconductor component to provide a plurality of recovered testing outcomes;

a metric measurement module configured to determine a first signal metric of a first recovered testing outcome from among the plurality of recovered testing outcomes that corresponds to the first testing operation outcome and a second signal metric of a second recovered testing outcome from among the plurality of recovered testing outcomes that corresponds to the second testing operation outcome; and

a testing processor configured to use the first signal metric and the second signal metric to map the first semiconductor component and the second semiconductor component to their respective locations on the semiconductor wafer.

16. The wireless automatic test equipment of claim 15, wherein the testing processor is further configured to compare the first signal metric and the second signal metric to map a location of the first semiconductor component relative to a location of the second semiconductor component.

17. The wireless automatic test equipment of claim 16, wherein the testing processor is further configured to determine that the first semiconductor component and the second semiconductor component are equidistant from the wireless automatic test equipment when the first signal metric is equal to the second signal metric.

18. The wireless automatic test equipment of claim 16, wherein the testing processor is further configured to determine that the first semiconductor component is closer to the wireless automatic test equipment than the second semiconductor component when the first signal metric is greater than the second signal metric.

19. The wireless automatic test equipment of claim 15, wherein the receiver module is configured to decode the first testing operation outcome and the second testing operation outcome in accordance with a multiple access transmission scheme.

20. The wireless automatic test equipment of claim 19, wherein the multiple access transmission scheme is a single carrier multiple access transmission scheme or a multiple carrier multiple access transmission scheme.

21. The wireless automatic test equipment of claim 20, wherein the single carrier multiple access transmission scheme comprises at least one of:

code division multiple access (CDMA);

frequency division multiple access (FDMA);

or

time division multiple access (TDMA), and wherein the multiple carrier multiple access transmission scheme comprises at least one of;

discrete multi-tone (DMT) modulation;

orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM);

or

coded OFDM (COFDM).

22. The wireless automatic test equipment of claim 15, wherein the first testing operation outcome is configured to indicate that the first semiconductor component operates unexpectedly or the second testing operation outcome is configured to indicate that the second semiconductor component operates unexpectedly.