BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a method and a computer
usable medium including readable program code embodied therein for reading semiconductor
die information, and more particularly for reading memory device identification
in a parallel test and burn-in system.
2. Description of Prior Art:
In some cases semiconductor chips are encoded with an identification
(ID), enabling testers to trace individual chips through production. The ID can
contain information such as, wafer lot number, wafer number, and coordinates on
a wafer. By tracing dies through production and conducting yield studies, manufactures
can optimize production of a particular chip.
Often a burn-in test is conducted as part of the production.
The purpose of a burn-in procedure is to operate the devices (e.g., SDRAM) for some
period of time during which most of the devices subject to infant mortality failure
actually fail. The burn-in may include operating the devices under conditions of
increased temperature and increased voltage (high current load). These conditions
are designed to accelerate the aging process where, for example, a relatively small
number of testing hours are equivalent to months of operation. The goal of a burn-in
test is to increase the reliability of the devices ultimately marketed.
A test and burn-in system poses unique problems with respect
to tracing dies. For example, in order to read burn-in data, a test system needs
sufficient memory to capture a serial data stream for each device being tested on
a real time basis using a fail memory. In such a system, the expense of the memory
is economically undesirable. To this point, no satisfactory method of reading chip
ID from a plurality of chips in parallel on a burn-in board is known to be available.
A second problem with tracing dies through burn-in is bus
contention. Bus contention can occur when two or more devices attempt to output
opposite logic levels on the same or common bus line. In a testing system, during
burn-in, drivers and comparators are shared among many devices in parallel to help
reduce testing costs. However, to avoid the bus contention that is associated with
testing devices in parallel, the devices are tested in banks. Therefore, only one
package pin of any device on the common data bus is enabled at any one time.
Therefore a need exists for an efficient system and method
for reading semiconductor identification information from a burn-in test board including
devices in parallel.
US 6,147,316 discloses a method for determining memory
device identification which method includes reading out of identification fuses
of a plurality of memory devices for determining the fuse state of the fuses. Tests
results of chip tests are attributed to read out identification codes. The identification
fuses are read out automatically.
It is an object to provide a method of reading out and
comparing identification fuse codes of a plurality of memory devices which method
enables rapid and efficient comparison of plural read out identification codes with
a predetermined sequence of expect data binary digits provided for memory device
identification.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The method according to the invention comprises the steps
of:
- invoking a serial output from n identification fuses of each memory device of
a plurality of memory devices, the output for identifying the memory devices;
- sampling the serial output every nth bit to determine a fuse state
for one respective fuse of each memory device;
- repeating the sampling for all n fuses to acquire fuse data for all memory devices;
and
- determining a pass/fail string corresponding to the sampled output, the pass/fail
string being employed to identify the memory devices through a parallel test and
burn-in system.
The method invokes a serial output from n identification
fuses of two or more memory devices, the output for identifying the device, and
sampling the serial output every nth bit to determine a fuse state for
a fuse of each device. The method repeats the sampling for all n fuses to acquire
fuse data for all devices, and determines a pass/fail string corresponding to the
sampled output, the pass/fail string being employed to identify the devices through
a parallel test and burn-in system.
The output is on an enabled data line which is used during
the burn-in test wherein other data lines are disabled for avoiding bus contention.
The memory device is a synchronized dynamic random access memory. The fuses are
defined as identification fuses prior to invoking the output.
The method also includes storing the pass/fail string for
the data in a database, and translating the pass/fail string using a structured
query language expression executed against the database. A pass is interpreted as
a binary "1" and a fail is interpreted as a binary "0". The pass/fail string is
a binary data string. The translated pass/fail string is linked to another test.
The disabled data lines are tri-state data lines.
The computer program product includes computer readable
program code embodied therein for causing a computer to determine device identification
data, wherein the computer readable program code according to the invention comprises:
- computer readable program code for causing the computer to invoke a serial output
from n identification fuses of each memory device of a plurality of memory devices,
the output for identifying the memory devices;
- computer readable program code for causing the computer to sample the serial
output every nth bit to determine a fuse state for one respective fuse
of each memory device;
- computer readable program code for causing the computer to repeat the sampling
for all n fuses to acquire fuse data for all memory devices; and
- computer readable program code for causing the computer to determine a pass/fail
string corresponding to the sampled output, the pass/fail string being employed
to identify the memory devices through a parallel test and burn-in system.
Preferably the output on an enabled data line (202) is
also used for a burn-in test wherein other data lines are disabled for avoiding
bus contention.
The computer program product further includes computer
readable program code for causing the computer to store the pass/fail expression
for the data in a database, and structured query language computer readable program
code executed against the database for causing the computer to translate the pass/fail
expression.
In addition, the memory includes a first relational database
for storing the results against which a structured query language expression is
executed for translating the results, and a second relational database including
at least one identification field for accepting the translated data string. The
memory is an offline memory.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be
described below in more detail, with reference to the accompanying drawings:
- Fig. 1A is an illustration of a method of strobing fuses according to one embodiment
of the present invention;
- Fig. 1B is a flow chart showing the method illustrated in Fig. 1A;
- Fig. 2 is an illustration showing illustrative positions of data lines according
to another embodiment of the present invention;
- Fig. 3 is an illustration showing a wafer region fail map having a concentration
of burn-in fails according to yet another embodiment of the present invention;
- Fig. 4 is a table according to one embodiment of the present invention showing
a testing database; and
- Fig. 5 is a table according to another embodiment of the present invention showing
the results of a translate chip ID string.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention is directed to reading chip identification
(ID) information from a parallel system and burn-in test board. A chip ID may include
information, such as, wafer lot number, wafer number, and coordinates on a wafer.
Preferably, the state of a defined group of fuses (open or closed) constitutes the
chip ID. A test gate can then read the chip ID for purposes of tracing dies, wafers,
and/or chips through production. Yield studies can be conducted using the information
derived from the chip ID and/or tracing. In addition, process window analysis can
be conducted for determining a fuse's impact on a test gate.
It is to be understood that the present invention may be
implemented in various forms of hardware, software, firmware, special purpose processors,
or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, the present invention may be implemented
in software as an application program tangibly embodied on a program storage device.
The application program may be uploaded to, and executed by, a machine comprising
any suitable architecture. Preferably, the machine is implemented on a computer
platform including hardware such as one or more central processing units (CPU),
a random access memory (RAM), and input/output (I/O) interface (s). The computer
platform also includes an operating system and micro instruction code. The various
processes and functions described herein may either be part of the micro instruction
code or part of the application program (or a combination thereof) which is executed
via the operating system. In addition, various other peripheral devices may be connected
to the computer platform such as an additional data storage device and a printing
device.
It is to be further understood that, because some of the
constituent system components and method steps depicted in the accompanying Figures
may be implemented in software, the actual connections between the system components
(or the process steps) may differ depending upon the manner in which the present
invention is programmed. Given the teachings of the present invention provided herein,
one of ordinary skill in the related art will be able to contemplate these and similar
implementations or configurations of the present invention.
The present invention provides a system and method of data
collection in a parallel system. According to the present invention, a chip ID includes
one or more fuses, and for purposes of this disclosure an illustrative example will
be presented wherein the chip ID includes eighty bits or fuses.
Preferably, the chip ID is read prior to burn-in testing,
while the chip (typically a plurality of chips in parallel) are wired to a burn-in
test board. The present invention can also be implemented after the burn-in test.
The chip ID is preferably unaffected by the burn-in test.
After a mode register set command, a test mode for chip
ID can be issued. By invoking a test mode, for example, by using a command particular
to the chip design being tested, the chip ID is output to an output pin. The method
strobes 102 the output to determine a chip ID bit 104. The strobe is a sampling
method, wherein an expected data is compared to the output of the chip ID fuses
and testing board. For example, referring to the illustrative example of an eighty
bit chip ID, the strobe samples the output every eighty bits until the bit being
captured, e.g., fuse 0, is captured for each chip in the test. The fuse data is
sequentially clocked out of an input/output line until all fuses are read, for example,
for a chip with eighty fuses, the chip ID for each fuse is output eighty times.
The expected data used for comparison can be, for example,
data high which is the same as a binary "1". In general terms, a strobe is a signal
that validates data or other signals on adjacent parallel lines, therefore, one
skilled in the art would recognize, in light of the present invention, that other
strobes and sampling techniques can be used.
Referring to Fig. 1A, a first test (102) is invoked to
strobe a first fuse (e.g., 104) in the chip ID of each chip with expect data high
(e.g., "1" or high). The method includes an addressing program for selecting individual
fuses for testing. For example, for a chip with eighty ID fuses, the method performs
eighty strobes, one for each fuse. The strobe or sampling of the fuse identification
output captures one bit (e.g., 102) of data from each chip being tested before beginning
to strobe (e.g., 106) the next fuse. The method compares the fuse's output or bit
to an expected data to determine whether the fuse is closed or open.
A closed fuse can be defined as a pass or "1", and an open
fuse can be defined as a fail or "0" . Accordingly, if the output of a fuse, invoked
by the test mode, is a "1" and is compared to an expect data high (e.g., "1") then
the result is a pass or "1". Alternatively, if the fuse output is a "0", then the
fuse is a fail or "0" as compared to the expected data high. One skilled in the
art would recognize, in light of the present invention, that the system and method
can also implement a strobe with an expect data low (e.g., a binary 0).
Referring now to Fig. 1B, the invention defines the number
of chip ID fuses 108. A test mode is invoked for the particular chip design being
tested causing the chips to output their chip ID's 109. The chip ID is output sequentially
until all fuses have been sampled. A first chip ID bit (for each chip being tested)
is sampled from the serial output and compared to an expected data 110. The resulting
information is interpreted (as above) as a pass or a fail and is stored in a database
112. The method is looped so that each fuse in the chip ID is strobed 114, the interpreted
pass/fail results form a binary string. The pass/fail data string (binary chip ID)
is loaded into a database.
A Structured Query Language (SQL) program can be executed
against a relational database to translate the binary string of chip ID bits, for
example, as shown in Fig. 5. SQL is a standard interactive programming language
for retrieving and updating information in a database. The SQL expressions are generated
in a format for directing input to a computer including the relational database.
The relational database is preferably an offline database, one that is not part
of the burn-in tester (oven). Fig. 4 is an example of one relational database structure
including a test result string 402. The test result string 402 includes chip ID
bits. The four preceding columns 404 in Fig. 4 contain lot number, equipment type,
and coordinates, though any chip information can be included.
As stated above, in a parallel system and burn-in board,
only one data line (package pin) is enabled. The devices (e.g., SDRAM) are tested
in banks on a burn-in board to minimize tester electronics. While one pin is read
active (enabled) during burn-in testing, the remaining pins are set to high-impedance,
or tri-state, to avoid bus contention. A tri-state circuit (combinational or sequential)
is an ordinary circuit including an additional input, which may be called, "enable".
For example, when the enable input is 1, the circuit behaves like the corresponding
normal (not tri-state) circuit. However, when the enable input is 0, the outputs
are disconnected from the rest of the circuit. The tri-state design is one way of
isolating the test pin.
According the present invention, to avoid bus contention,
the chip ID data appears on the package pin utilized during the test and burn-in
process. Accordingly, a design for the chip ID pin is disclosed. For example, for
an Infineon SDRAM, as shown in Fig. 2, chip ID information appears on data line
(package pin) DQ11 202, while DQ6 204 is used during by the burn-in system. The
fuse information can be read at DQ11 (bidirectional data line 11 or data out 11)
starting at the third rising clock edge. One embodiment of the present invention
moves the chip ID from DQ11 202 to DQ6 204, DQ6 204 being the package pin used for
burn-in testing of an Infineon SDRAM. The data line/pin designations are known in
the art and vary between chip designs. In addition, the pins not used during testing
are disabled using the tri-state logic described above. Therefore, one skilled in
the art will recognize that the present invention can be implemented on other chips
including different data line configurations.
The burn-in test data is useful because it is run in conjunction
with an integrated circuit stress test. Since the burn-in stress process accelerates
the aging of the device, the burn-in test produces the highest percentage of fails
for analysis. The present invention proposes a method for reading chip ID allowing
chips to be traced though the burn-in test.
Preferably, the present invention is performed prior to
the burn-in test. The chip ID fuse read results are loaded into the burn-in database
along with the results of the burn-in tests. The present invention translates the
chip ID string into chip ID fields using a SQL expression as described above. Once
these chip ID fields are filled, the database table can be linked with other test
data from other test gates in the flow. The resulting fields can be used to link
the burn-in test data with other test gates. As depicted in Fig. 5, these fields
can include, for example, wafer lot 502, wafer number, 504 x-coordinate 506, and
y-coordinate 508. Additional fields can also be included, such as, the data string
510, and fabrication information 512.
Chip tracing allows testers to examine lot performance
by wafer lot and wafer region. A wafer region fail map, as shown in Fig. 3, provides
valuable, high-resolution information regarding the burn-in test fails and how they
relate to the wafer fabrication process. In Fig. 3, the concentration of burn-in
test fails 302 can be seen. The wafer map and database information can be used to
analyze yields and make improvements in production.
The present invention can also be used in window lot analysis.
Window lot analysis can be helpful in determining a sensitivity variance in a semiconductor
chip while tracking the variance as a function of time. Based on the process window
analysis, a recipe database (for a particular semiconductor chip) can be integrated
(with the analysis) so that specific recipes, including preset, user-specified parameters,
can be called up automatically during the production process. Linking preset recipes
with automated production can optimize run-to-run and lot-to-lot reproducibility
and accuracy.
Having described embodiments of a method for reading semiconductor
die information in a parallel test and burn-in system, it is noted that modifications
and variations can be made by persons skilled in the art in light of the above teachings.
It is therefore to be understood that changes may be made in the particular embodiments
of the invention disclosed which are within the scope of the invention as defined
by the appended claims. Having thus described the invention with the details and
particularity required by the patent laws, what is claimed and desired protected
by Letters Patent is set for in the appended claims.