Semi-Automatic Probe System

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Novel devices in the more-Moore and beyond-CMOS domain suffer significant electrical parameter variation. Furthermore, aging effects during lifetime can increase the occurrence and even propagate silent or latent faults. Designing proper strategies for testing ICs after manufacturing as well as in field is considered essential. In order to propose efficient test strategies, detailed characterization of various ICs have to be performed over a large number of Circuits-Under-Test (CUT) to capture relevant statistical data. Such characterization requires a tightly controlled and wide range of operating parameters, such as voltage and temperature. For this effort bare silicon samples shall be automatically characterized in a probe system. Based on device models resulting from the characterization data, manufacturing test strategies shall be proposed and realized in silicon. Such strategies should be suitable of commercial manufacturing as well as in-field testing. The detection capability of test procedures shall be evaluated again in a controlled environment across the full range of parameters. Besides good control and capability of screening a statistical relevant number of CUT, the commercial probe system provides a setup comparable to commercial chip testing, i.e. it allows assessment of the full test procedure.To support this research, a semi-automatic probe system is applied for. As parametric characterization and test is the prime focus, a wide range of forced temperatures is compulsory. For this purpose, dedicated air-drying equipment is required as the local facilities don’t provide pressurized air suitable for low temperatures. Additional important features are the capability to handle typical full-scale 300mm wafers as well as smaller samples. The latter result from postprocessing in local facilities of the RWTH Aachen and the research center Jülich. We will receive such samples from adjoint research groups for our characterization and evaluation efforts. Together with the prober, a device parameter analyzer is necessary for characterization of individual device properties. It also provides precise control of voltages including measurement of injected currents. Furthermore, microprobes for contacting the devices are required.