WIDE AREA SOFT DEFECT LOCALIZATION

Various apparatus and methods of testing a semiconductor chip for soft defects are disclosed. In one aspect, a method of testing a semiconductor chip that has a surface and plural circuit structures positioned beneath the surface is provided. An irradiation mask directs light or heat to a series of...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors SMITH SHANNON B, YASSINE ABDULLAH M, GORUGANTHU RAMA RAO
Format Patent
LanguageEnglish
Published 16.08.2012
Subjects
MEASURING
MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES
MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
PHYSICS
TESTING
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Summary:Various apparatus and methods of testing a semiconductor chip for soft defects are disclosed. In one aspect, a method of testing a semiconductor chip that has a surface and plural circuit structures positioned beneath the surface is provided. An irradiation mask directs light or heat to a series of fractional portions of the surface to perturb portions of the plural circuit structures. The irradiation mask is adjustable such that at least one of the exposed series of fractional portions is smaller than another of the series of fractional portions. The semiconductor chip undergoes a test pattern during the irradiation to each of the fractional portions to determine if a soft defect exists in any of the series of fractional portions. Multiple paths can be tested simultaneously to inform subsequent individual CTP path tests.
Bibliography:Application Number: US201113026918