Prognostic circuit of electromigration failure for integrated circuit

• US 9,329,228 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2013
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fifth Electronics Research Institute of Ministry of Industry and Information Technology
• Original Assignee: Fifth Electronics Research Institute of Ministry of Industry and Information Technology
• Inventors: Chen, Yiqiang, En, Yunfei, Huang, Yun, Lu, Yudong, Xiao, Qingzhong
• Primary Examiner(s): TANG, MINH NHUT
• Application Number:
  US14/348,849
• Publication Number:
  US 20140232428A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,060 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2853 Electrical testing of internal connections or -isolation, e.g. latch-up or chip-to-lead connections G01R31/31717 takes precedence; test of chip-to-PCB or lead-to-PCB connections G01R31/66
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2856 Internal circuit aspects, e.g. built-in test features; Test chips; Measuring material aspects, e.g. electro migration [EM]
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/30 Marginal testing, e.g. by varying supply voltage testing computers during standby operation or idle time G06F11/22

Abstract

A prognostic circuit of EM failure for IC is disclosed, which includes a current monitoring module, the current monitoring module includes a current output module electrically connected with a monitoring metal wire, and one or more conductive metals covered by an oxide layer and electrically insulated with the monitoring metal wire, the current output module includes at least one current source, the conductive metal is electrically connected with the output port of the current monitoring module, and the monitoring metal wire is surrounded by the conductive metal. The above prognostic circuit can give a warning for short-circuit failure caused by a whisker created by EM. Meanwhile, the prognostic circuit of the present disclosure can also be added a resistance warning, and it can indicate the failure of the resistance increased by EM and the short circuit caused by whisker, so as to greatly increase the warning efficiency of the EM.

Claims

1. A prognostic circuit of electromigration (EM) failure for integrated circuit (IC), comprising a current monitoring module, wherein the current monitoring module comprises a current output module electrically connected with a monitoring metal wire, and one or more conductive metals covered by an oxide layer of the integrated circuit and electrically insulated with the monitoring metal wire, the current output module includes at least one current source, the one or more conductive metals are electrically connected with the output port of the current monitoring module, the monitoring metal wire is surrounded by the one or more conductive metals and the one or more conductive metals comprises a first metal provided on top of the monitoring metal wire, a second metal provided on the bottom of the monitoring metal wire and a third metal respectively provided on the two sides of the monitoring metal wire, and the first metal, the second metal and the third metal are electrically interconnected by a plurality of through-hole metals passing through the oxide layer.

2. The prognostic circuit of EM failure for IC according to claim 1, wherein the second metal is directly below and parallel to the monitoring metal wire, and the second metal is electrically insulated with the monitoring metal wire by the oxide layer;

the third metal is located on the two sides of the monitoring metal wire, which are parallel to each other, and the third metal is electrically insulated with the monitoring metal wire by the oxide layer;

the first metal is directly above and parallel to the monitoring metal wire, and the first metal is electrically insulated with the monitoring metal wire by the oxide layer; and

the plurality of through-hole metals include a first through-hole metal and a second through-hole metal, the third metal is electrically connected with the second metal by the first through-hole metal, and the third metal is electrically connected with the first metal by the second through-hole metal.

3. The prognostic circuit of EM failure for IC according to claim 1, wherein the prognostic circuit of EM failure also comprises a resistance monitoring module connected with the monitoring metal wire, and the resistance monitoring module is configured to transfer the resistance variation of the monitoring metal wire to a voltage variation and an output.

4. The prognostic circuit of EM failure for IC according to claim 3, wherein the resistance monitoring module comprises a comparison metal wire, the current output module is connected with a first end of the monitoring metal wire, and a second end of the monitoring metal wire is in series with the comparison metal wire to form a monitoring series circuit.

5. The prognostic circuit of EM failure for IC according to claim 4, wherein the resistance of the comparison metal wire is the same as that of the monitoring metal wire.

6. The prognostic circuit of EM failure for IC according to claim 4, wherein the prognostic circuit of EM failure also comprises a current comparison module, a voltage comparison module and an output module;

the current comparison module is configured to be connected with the output port of the current monitoring module and output a current warning signal to the output module when the compared result of the output of the current monitoring module and the reference unit of the current comparison module is over the monitoring condition of the current monitoring module;

the voltage comparison module is configured to be connected with the monitoring intersection of the resistance monitoring module and output a resistance warning signal to the output module when the compared result of the output of the monitoring intersection of the resistance monitoring module and the reference unit of the voltage comparison module is over the resistance comparison monitoring condition, where the intersection of the monitoring metal wire and the comparison metal wire is the monitoring intersection; and

the output module is configured to an EM warning signal when the current warning signal and/or the resistance warning signal are received.

7. The prognostic circuit of EM failure for IC according to claim 6, wherein the current comparison module comprises a current reference source and a current comparator, the output port of the current monitoring module is connected with the first input port of the current comparator, the current reference source is connected with the second input port of the current comparator, the output current of the current reference source is less than that of the current output module, and the output port of the current comparison module is the output port of the current comparator;

the output of the output port of the current monitoring module is the output current of the output port of the current monitoring module, and the monitoring condition of the current monitoring module is that the output current of the output port of the current monitoring module is greater than or equal to that of the current reference source;

the resistance monitoring module also comprises a first voltage reference resistor and a second voltage reference resistor, the current output module is connected with the first port of the first voltage reference resistor, the second port of the first voltage reference resistor is connected in series with the second voltage reference resistor to form a reference series circuit, the reference series circuit is connected in parallel with the monitoring series circuit, the resistance of the second voltage reference resistor is less than or equal to that of the first voltage reference resistor, and the intersection of the first voltage reference resistor and the second voltage reference resistor is a reference intersection;

the voltage comparison module comprises a voltage comparator, the monitoring intersection of the resistance monitoring module is connected with the first input port of the voltage comparator, the reference intersection of the resistance monitoring module is connected with the second input port of the voltage comparator, and the output port of the voltage comparison module is the output port of the voltage comparator;

the output of the monitoring intersection of the resistance monitoring module is the output voltage of the monitoring intersection of the resistance monitoring module, and the resistance comparison monitoring condition is that the output voltage of the monitoring intersection of the resistance monitoring module is less than or equal to that of the reference intersection of the resistance monitoring module; and

the output module comprises an OR gate, the output port of the current comparison module is connected with the first input port of the OR gate, and the output port of the voltage comparison module is connected with the second input port of the OR gate.

8. The prognostic circuit of EM failure for IC according to claim 7, wherein the current output module of the resistance monitoring module also comprises a stress current source, a testing current source, a first stress switch module and a first testing switch module, the stress current source is connected with the first port of the monitoring metal wire by the first stress switch module, and the testing current source is connected with the first port of the monitoring metal wire by the first testing switch module;

the resistance monitoring module also comprises a second stress switch module, and the second port of the monitoring metal wire is grounded by the second stress switch module;

the current comparison module also comprises a second testing switch module, and the reference current source is connected with the second input port of the current comparator by the second testing switch module; and

the output module also comprises a third stress switch module, and the output port of the OR gate is grounded by the third stress switch module.

9. The prognostic circuit of EM failure for IC according to claim 8, wherein the first stress switch module, the second stress switch module, the third stress switch module, the first testing switch module and the second testing switch module are switching circuits.