Heating system and method of testing a semiconductor device using a heating system

• US 9,609,693 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2012
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Clairet, Maxime, Pereira, Carlos
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tung X
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAWKINS, DOMINIC E
• Application Number:
  US14/394,788
• Publication Number:
  US 20150084657A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,797 Days
• Field of Search: 324/750.03, 324/750.04, 324/750.06
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2601 Apparatus or methods therefor G01R31/2607, G01R31/2642 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2642 Testing semiconductor operation lifetime or reliability, e.g. by accelerated life tests
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2875 related to heating
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/06 Heater elements structurally combined with coupling elements or holders

Abstract

A heating system is described for generating heat and bringing heat to a semiconductor device under test. The heating system comprises a conduction heating unit comprising a heating resistor, a thermal contact area for thermally contacting the semiconductor device under test, and a thermally conductive and electrically insulating connection between the heating resistor and the thermal contact area. The heating resistor is operable to generate a user-defined amount of heat and arranged to provide a part of the heat generated by the heating resistor to the thermal contact area via the thermally conductive and electrically insulating connection. It is also described that the heating system may further comprise a convection heating chamber operable to provide a user-defined heat-controlled convection to the semiconductor device under test. A method of testing a semiconductor device using a heating system is also described.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a semiconductor device;

providing a heating system configured to generate heat and bring heat to the semiconductor device, wherein the heating system includes a thermal contact area and a conductive heating unit, the conductive heating unit having a first heating resistor;

placing the semiconductor device in thermal contact with the thermal contact area of the conduction heating unit as a semiconductor device under test;

placing the semiconductor device under test into a convection heating chamber;

operating the first heating resistor of the conduction heating unit to provide a part of the heat generated by the first heating resistor to the semiconductor device under test via a thermally conductive and electrically insulating connection between the first heating resistor and the thermal contact area;

operating the convection heating chamber to provide a user-defined heat-controlled convection to the semiconductor device under test while the semiconductor device under test is in thermal contact with the conduction heating unit and the first heating resistor of the conduction heating unit is operated to provide the part of the heat generated by the first heating resistor to the semiconductor device under test via the thermally conductive and electrically insulating connection between the first heating resistor and the thermal contact; and

operating the semiconductor device under test with electrical operating conditions to conduct a performance test while operating the first heating resistor of the conduction heating unit to provide the part of the heat.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first heating resistor is configured to generate a user-defined amount of heat.

3. A method comprising:

providing a first semiconductor device;

providing a second semiconductor device;

providing a heating system configured to generate heat and bring heat to the first and second semiconductor devices, wherein the heating system includes a thermal contact area and a conductive heating unit, the conductive heating unit having a first heating resistor and a second heating resistor;

placing the first semiconductor device in thermal contact with the thermal contact area of the conduction heating unit as a first semiconductor device under test;

placing the second semiconductor device in thermal contact with the second heating resistor as a second semiconductor device under test;

operating the first heating resistor of the conduction heating unit to provide a part of the heat generated by the first heating resistor to the first semiconductor device under test via a thermally conductive and electrically insulating connection between the first heating resistor and the thermal contact area;

operating the first semiconductor device under test with electrical operating conditions to conduct a performance test while operating the first heating resistor of the conduction heating unit to provide the part of the heat; and

operating the first heating resistor and the second heating resistor to generate a first user-defined amount of heat at the first heating resistor and a second user-defined amount of heat at the second heating resistor.

4. A heating system for generating heat and bringing heat to a semiconductor device under test, the heating system comprising:

a conduction heating unit including;

a heating resistor; and

a two-sided circuit board having a first side and a second side, the heating resistor and an electrical supply line being arranged on the second side, an insulating layer being arranged between the heating resistor and a thermally and electrically conductive connection, the thermally and electrically conductive connection extending through the two-sided circuit board from the supply line on the second side to a thermal contact area provided at the first side;

the thermal contact area for thermally contacting the semiconductor device under test and for electrically connecting to the semiconductor device under test;

a thermally conductive and electrically insulating connection between the heating resistor and the thermal contact area, the thermally conductive and electrically insulating connection comprising the thermally and electrically conductive connection between the thermal contact area and the electrical supply line for supplying the semiconductor device under test with a supply voltage; and

the heating resistor configured to generate a user-defined amount of heat and to provide a part of the heat generated by the heating resistor to the thermal contact area via the thermally conductive and electrically insulating connection.

5. A heating system according to claim 4, further comprising a control system arranged to receive a measure of a temperature at the thermal contact area from an internal thermal sensor in the semiconductor device under test and to control a resistor supply current through the heating resistor in dependence on the measure of the temperature at the thermal contact area.

6. A heating system according to claim 4, the conduction heating unit comprising a plurality of heating resistors arranged in a plurality of zones, the heating resistors in the respective zones configured to generate a zone-specific user-defined amount of heat and to provide a part of the heat generated by the heating resistor the zone to a respective thermal contact area via a respective thermally conductive and electrically insulating connection.

7. A heating system according to claim 6, the heating resistors of a first zone of the plurality of zones being in electrical connection with a first tuning resistor configured to generate a user-defined amount of heat specific for the first zone and the heating resistors of a second zone being in electrical connection with a second tuning resistor configured to generate a user-defined amount of heat specific for the second zone, the first tuning resistor having a resistance different from the resistance of the second tuning resistor.

8. A heating system according to claim 4, further comprising a convection heating chamber operable to provide a user-defined heat-controlled convection to the semiconductor device under test.

9. A heating system according to claim 4, the conduction heating unit further comprising a series resistor, the series resistor being electrically in series with the heating resistor.

10. A heating system according to claim 4, the conduction heating unit further comprising a parallel resistor, with the parallel resistor being electrically in parallel with the heating resistor.

11. A heating system according to claim 4, the heating resistor comprising an open air resistor.

12. A heating system according to claim 4, further comprising a thermally insulating material, such as silicone, shaped to form a thermally insulating cavity at the bottom side of a test board, the heating resistor being arranged inside the thermally insulating cavity.

13. A heating system according to claim 4, the heating resistor being shielded by a protective cover, such as a metal plate.