Diversified exerciser and accelerator
First Claim
1. A method for testing semiconductor products comprising:
- applying, to a semiconductor product, first test voltage and temperature stimuli based on acceleration condition parameters, said parameters comprising a temperature acceleration condition parameter and voltage acceleration condition parameter, at corresponding acceleration condition levels, said first test stimuli for detecting one or more known latent defects in the semiconductor product;
collecting production results from said applying said first test stimuli;
applying to said semiconductor product, test stimuli in succession, and varying, at each successive application, one or more of;
a temperature acceleration condition parameter, a voltage acceleration condition parameter or both temperature and voltage acceleration condition parameters, each successive application of test stimuli applied for inducing an acceleration of a semiconductor product defect,said varying comprising applying, at one or more of said successive applications, a combination of an increased first acceleration condition parameter and/or acceleration condition level and decreasing a second acceleration condition parameter and/or acceleration condition level parameter;
collecting production results from said applying further test stimuli at each said successive application; and
detecting, based on said collected production results for each said first and successive application of test stimuli, a previously unknown semiconductor product defect.
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Abstract
A method, apparatus and computer program product for testing semiconductor products that combines multiple techniques. Depending on the requirements, different ones of the techniques are emphasized over the other techniques. The testing applies a technique to achieve a higher single defect acceleration parameter at the expense of a second parameter, thus enabling acceleration of defects that require higher voltage or higher temperature than a traditional “Burn In” can achieve, which defects would otherwise go unaccelerated. The method manages the adaptation of the different techniques, e.g., how it decides to favor one technique over the other, and how it carries out the favoring of one or more particular techniques in a given test situation. Thus, acceleration to defectivity (defect type and quantity) may be tailored in real time by uniquely leveraging the duration spent in a given section of a process flow based on the prevalence of unique defect types.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for testing semiconductor products comprising:
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applying, to a semiconductor product, first test voltage and temperature stimuli based on acceleration condition parameters, said parameters comprising a temperature acceleration condition parameter and voltage acceleration condition parameter, at corresponding acceleration condition levels, said first test stimuli for detecting one or more known latent defects in the semiconductor product; collecting production results from said applying said first test stimuli; applying to said semiconductor product, test stimuli in succession, and varying, at each successive application, one or more of;
a temperature acceleration condition parameter, a voltage acceleration condition parameter or both temperature and voltage acceleration condition parameters, each successive application of test stimuli applied for inducing an acceleration of a semiconductor product defect,said varying comprising applying, at one or more of said successive applications, a combination of an increased first acceleration condition parameter and/or acceleration condition level and decreasing a second acceleration condition parameter and/or acceleration condition level parameter; collecting production results from said applying further test stimuli at each said successive application; and detecting, based on said collected production results for each said first and successive application of test stimuli, a previously unknown semiconductor product defect. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An apparatus for testing semiconductor products comprising:
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a processor device; a memory storage device storing instructions, said instructions for configuring the processor device to perform a method to; control applying, to a semiconductor product, first test voltage and temperature stimuli based on acceleration condition parameters, said parameters comprising a temperature acceleration condition parameter and voltage acceleration condition parameter, at corresponding acceleration condition levels, said first test stimuli for detecting one or more known latent defects in the semiconductor product; collect production results from said applying said first test stimuli; control applying to said semiconductor product, test stimuli in succession, and varying, at each successive application, one or more of;
a temperature acceleration condition parameter, a voltage acceleration condition parameter or both temperature and voltage acceleration condition parameters, each successive application of test stimuli applied for inducing an acceleration of a semiconductor product defect, said varying comprising applying, at one or more of said successive applications, a combination of an increased first acceleration condition parameter and/or acceleration condition level and decreasing a second acceleration condition parameter and/or acceleration condition level parameter;collect production results from said applying further test stimuli at each said successive application; and detect, based on said collected production results for each said first and successive application of test stimuli, a previously unknown semiconductor product defect. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A computer program product comprising:
a non-transitory computer readable media embodying a program of instructions executable by a processing unit for testing a semiconductor product, the program of instructions, when executing, performing a method comprising; applying, to a semiconductor product, first test voltage and temperature stimuli based on acceleration condition parameters, said parameters comprising a temperature acceleration condition parameter and voltage acceleration condition parameter, at corresponding acceleration condition levels, said first test stimuli for detecting one or more known latent defects in the semiconductor product; collecting production results from said applying said first test stimuli; applying to said semiconductor product, test stimuli in succession, and varying, at each successive application, one or more of;
a temperature acceleration condition parameter, a voltage acceleration condition parameter or both temperature and voltage acceleration condition parameters, each successive application of test stimuli applied for inducing an acceleration of a semiconductor product defect,said varying comprising applying, at one or more of said successive applications, a combination of an increased first acceleration condition parameter and/or acceleration condition level and decreasing a second acceleration condition parameter and/or acceleration condition level parameter; collecting production results from said applying further test stimuli at each said successive application; and detecting, based on said collected production results for each said first and successive application of test stimuli, a previously unknown semiconductor product defect. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
Specification