Semiconductor device, method of manufacturing the same, and signal transmitting/receiving method using the semiconductor device

• US 20090140359A1
• Filed: 11/26/2008
• Published: 06/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Electronics Corporation (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakashiba, Yasutaka
• Granted Patent: US 8,004,054 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/428
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2886 Features relating to contacting the IC under test, e.g. probe heads; chucks G01R31/2865 takes precedence, test connections, e.g. test sockets, or probes per se, G01R1/04 or G01R1/06
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3025 Wireless interface with the DUT
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/303 of integrated circuits G01R31/305 - G01R31/315 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 28/10 Inductors

Abstract

A semiconductor device (100) including: a semiconductor substrate including a semiconductor chip formation region (102); a chip internal circuit (124); a signal transmitting/receiving inductor (114) which transmits/receives a signal to/from an outside in a non-contact manner by electromagnetic induction, and transmits/receives a signal to/from the chip internal circuit (124) through electrical connection to the chip internal circuit (124); and a power receiving inductor (112) which has a diameter provided along an outer edge of the semiconductor chip formation region (102) so as to surround the chip internal circuit (124) and the signal transmitting/receiving inductor (114), receives a power supply signal from the outside in the non-contact manner, and is electrically connected to the chip internal circuit (124). Accordingly, power supply can be sufficiently made in the non-contact manner while limiting an increase in chip size when various signals are transmitted/received in the non-contact manner.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device, comprising:

a semiconductor substrate including a semiconductor chip formation region;

a chip internal circuit provided within the semiconductor chip formation region of the semiconductor substrate;

a signal transmitting/receiving unit which is provided within the semiconductor chip formation region of the semiconductor substrate, transmits/receives a signal to/from an outside in a non-contact manner by one of electromagnetic induction and capacitive coupling, and transmits/receives a signal to/from the chip internal circuit through electrical connection to the chip internal circuit; and

a power receiving inductor which has a diameter provided along an outer edge of the semiconductor chip formation region of the semiconductor substrate so as to surround the chip internal circuit and the signal transmitting/receiving unit, receives a power supply signal from the outside in the non-contact manner, and is electrically connected to the chip internal circuit.

2. A semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of the signal transmitting/receiving units provided within the semiconductor chip formation region of the semiconductor substrate.

3. A semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the signal transmitting/receiving unit comprises an inductor having a smaller diameter compared with the power receiving inductor.

4. A semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein:

the semiconductor substrate further comprises a scribe line region provided around the semiconductor chip formation region; and

the power receiving inductor is formed in the scribe line region of the semiconductor substrate.

5. A semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising a seal ring provided so as to surround the chip internal circuit and the signal transmitting/receiving unit in the semiconductor chip formation region of the semiconductor substrate,

wherein the power receiving inductor is provided around the seal ring.

6. A semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising a power supply circuit which is provided between the power receiving inductor and the chip internal circuit while being electrically connected thereto in the semiconductor chip formation region of the semiconductor substrate, and converts the power supply signal received by the power receiving inductor to supply power to the chip internal circuit.

7. A semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising a conversion circuit which is provided in the semiconductor chip formation region of the semiconductor substrate correspondingly to the signal transmitting/receiving unit, is provided between the signal transmitting/receiving unit and the chip internal circuit while being electrically connected thereto, and converts the signal transmitted/received between the chip internal circuit and the outside.

8. A semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising a bonding pad which is provided in the semiconductor chip formation region of the semiconductor substrate correspondingly to the signal transmitting/receiving unit while being electrically connected to the chip internal circuit, is connected to a bonding wire, and inputs/outputs the signal transmitted/received between the chip internal circuit and the outside through the bonding wire.

9. A semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising a power supply bonding pad which is provided in the semiconductor chip formation region of the semiconductor substrate while being electrically connected to the chip internal circuit, is connected to a bonding wire, and inputs power supplied from an external power supply circuit through the bonding wire.

10. A signal transmitting/receiving method, comprising:

bringing an external device close to a semiconductor device in a non-contact manner,

the semiconductor device comprising;

a semiconductor substrate including a semiconductor chip formation region;

a chip internal circuit provided within the semiconductor chip formation region of the semiconductor substrate;

a signal transmitting/receiving unit which is provided within the semiconductor chip formation region of the semiconductor substrate, and transmits/receives a signal to/from the chip internal circuit through electrical connection to the chip internal circuit; and

a power receiving inductor which has a diameter provided along an outer edge of the semiconductor chip formation region of the semiconductor substrate so as to surround the chip internal circuit and the signal transmitting/receiving unit, and is electrically connected to the chip internal circuit,

the external device comprising;

a power supply inductor corresponding to the power receiving inductor; and

an external signal transmitting/receiving unit which transmits/receives a signal to/from the signal transmitting/receiving unit in the non-contact manner by one of electromagnetic induction and capacitive coupling; and

transmitting/receiving the signal between the external signal transmitting/receiving unit and the signal transmitting/receiving unit, and transmitting/receiving a power supply signal between the power supply inductor and the power receiving inductor.

11. A signal transmitting/receiving method according to claim 10, wherein the signal transmitted/received between the external signal transmitting/receiving unit and the signal transmitting/receiving unit comprises a signal for running a test on the chip internal circuit.

12. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising:

bringing an external device close to a semiconductor device in a non-contact manner,

the semiconductor device comprising;

a semiconductor substrate including a semiconductor chip formation region and a scribe line region provided around the semiconductor chip formation region;

a chip internal circuit provided within the semiconductor chip formation region of the semiconductor substrate;

a signal transmitting/receiving unit which is provided within the semiconductor chip formation region of the semiconductor substrate and transmits/receives a signal to/from the chip internal circuit through electrical connection to the chip internal circuit;

a power receiving inductor which has a diameter provided along an outer edge of the semiconductor chip formation region of the semiconductor substrate so as to surround the chip internal circuit and the signal transmitting/receiving unit, and is electrically connected to the chip internal circuit;

a bonding pad which is provided in the semiconductor chip formation region of the semiconductor substrate correspondingly to the signal transmitting/receiving unit and is electrically connected to the chip internal circuit; and

a power supply bonding pad provided in the semiconductor chip formation region of the semiconductor substrate while being electrically connected to the chip internal circuit,

the external device comprising;

a power supply inductor corresponding to the power receiving inductor; and

an external signal transmitting/receiving unit which transmits/receives a signal to/from the signal transmitting/receiving unit in the non-contact manner by one of electromagnetic induction and capacitive coupling;

transmitting/receiving the signal between the external signal transmitting/receiving unit and the signal transmitting/receiving unit;

transmitting/receiving a power supply signal between the power supply inductor and the power receiving inductor;

cutting the semiconductor device along the scribe line region into chips; and

connecting, in each of the chips of the semiconductor device, the bonding pad and the power supply bonding pad to the external signal transmitting/receiving unit and an external power supply circuit through a bonding wire, respectively.