Edge crack detection system

• US 9,880,220 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2016
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Hsiao, Huang-Ting, Xu, An-Tai, Tsao, Pei-Haw, Tsai, Cheng-Hung, Chen, Tsui-Mei, Lu, Nai-Cheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Bousono, Orlando
• Application Number:
  US15/244,142
• Publication Number:
  US 20160356846A1
• Time in Patent Office: 525 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2822 of microwave or radiofrequency circuits of attenuation, gain, e.g. using network analyzers G01R27/28
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3025 Wireless interface with the DUT
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0722 comprising an arrangement for testing the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10316 using at least one antenna particularly designed for interrogating the wireless record carriers antennas in general H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10336 the antenna being of the near field type, inductive coil
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/304 Mechanical treatment, e.g. grinding, polishing, cutting H01L21/30625 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/34 Circuits for electrically characterising or monitoring manufacturing processes, e. g. whole test die, wafers filled with test structures, on-board-devices incorporated on each die, process control monitors or pad structures thereof, devices in scribe line switching, multiplexing, gating devices G01R19/25; process control with lithography, e.g. dose control, G03F7/20; structures for alignment control by optical means G03F7/70633

Abstract

According to an exemplary embodiment, a method of detecting edge cracks in a die under test is provided. The method includes the following operations: receiving a command signal; providing power from the command signal; providing a response signal based on the command signal; and self-destructing based on the command signal.

Claims

1. A method of detecting edge cracks in a die under test, comprising:

encircling a die under test with an antenna of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, the antenna being disposed outside of a seal ring of the die under test;

receiving a first command signal at the RFID tag;

based on the first command signal, transmitting a response signal using the RFID tag;

receiving a second command signal at the RFID tag after the transmitting of the response signal; and

self-destructing the RFID tag based on the second command signal.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising disposing a processor of the RFID tag under the seal ring of the die under test.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the antenna completely encircles the die under test, and the seal ring surrounds an entire periphery of the die under test.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether to perform the self-destructing of the RFID tag based on a comparison of the second command signal to a lookup table.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the response signal is transmitted as an electromagnetic wave.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising discontinuing the transmitting of the response signal after the self-destructing of the RFID tag.

7. A method of detecting edge cracks in a die under test, comprising:

transmitting a first command signal to a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, the RFID tag including an antenna that encircles a die under test;

receiving a response signal from the RFID tag; and

transmitting a second command signal to the RFID tag based on the response signal, the second command signal comprising an indication that commands the RFID tag to perform a self-destruction process.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining that the die under test has no edge cracks based on the receiving of the response signal from the RFID tag.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the first command signal is transmitted as an electromagnetic wave.

10. An edge crack detection system comprising:

a die under test; and

a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag comprising an antenna that completely encircles the die under test, the RFID tag being configured to

receive a first command signal via the antenna,

based on the first command signal, transmit a response signal,

receive a second command signal after the transmitting of the response signal, and

self-destruct based on the second command signal.

11. The edge crack detection system of claim 10, wherein the antenna is disposed outside of a seal ring of the die under test.

12. The edge crack detection system of claim 11, wherein the RFID tag comprises a processor disposed under the seal ring.

13. The edge crack detection system of claim 11, wherein the seal ring surrounds an entire periphery of the die under test.

14. The edge crack detection system of claim 10, wherein

the RFID tag is configured to wirelessly connect to an RFID reader,

the RFID tag is configured to receive the first and second command signals from the RFID reader, and

the RFID tag is configured to transmit the response signal to the RFID reader.

15. The edge crack detection system of claim 10, wherein the RFID tag is configured to determine whether to perform the self-destructing based on a comparison of the second command signal to a lookup table.

16. The edge crack detection system of claim 10, wherein the RFID tag is configured to transmit the response signal as an electromagnetic wave.

17. The edge crack detection system of claim 10, wherein the RFID tag is configured to discontinue the transmitting of the response signal after the self-destructing.

18. An edge crack detection system comprising:

a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader configured to

connect wirelessly to an RFID tag,

transmit a first command signal to the RFID tag, the RFID tag including an antenna that encircles a die under test,

receive a response signal from the RFID tag, and

transmit a second command signal to the RFID tag based on the response signal, the second command signal comprising an indication that commands the RFID tag to perform a self-destruction process.

19. The edge crack detection system of claim 18, wherein the RFID reader is configured to determine that the die under test has no edge cracks based on the receiving of the response signal from the RFID tag.

20. The edge crack detection system of claim 18, wherein the RFID reader is configured to transmit the first command signal as an electromagnetic wave.