International Business Machines Corporation

Greg Bazan

John Maxwell Cohn

Thomas Gregory Sopchak

James William Adkisson

Matthew Sean Grady

David P Vallett

Leah M P Pastel

Phillip J Nigh

Leendert M Huisman

David E Sweenor

Mark David Jaffe

Francis Gravel

Kenneth Rowe

An integrated circuit, a method and a system for designing and a method fabricating the integrated circuit. The method including: (a) generating a photomask level design of an integrated circuit design of the integrated circuit, the photomask level design comprising a multiplicity of integrated circuit element shapes; (b) designating regions of the photomask level design between adjacent integrated circuit element shapes, the designated regions large enough to require placement of fill shapes between the adjacent integrated circuit elements based on fill shape rules, the fill shapes not required for the operation of the integrated circuit; and (c) placing one or more monitor structure shapes of a monitor structure in at least one of the designated regions, the monitor structure not required for the operation of the integrated circuit.

Method of adding fabrication monitors to integrated circuit chips

A method is disclosed for designing scan chains in an integrated circuit chip with specific parameter sensitivities to identify fabrication process defects causing test fails and chip yield loss. The composition of scan paths in the integrated circuit chip is biased to allow them to also function as on-product process monitors. The method adds grouping constraints that bias scan chains to have common latch cell usage where possible, and also biases cell routing to constrain scan chain routing to given restricted metal layers for interconnects. The method assembles a list of latch design parameters which are sensitive to process variation or integrity, and formulates a plan for scan chain design which determines the number and the length of scan chains. A model is formulated of scan chain design based upon current state of yield and process integrity, wherein certain latch designs having dominant sensitivities are chosen for specific ones of the scan chains on the chip. The model is provided as input parameters to a global placement and wiring program used to lay out the scan chains. Test data on the chip is then analyzed to determine and isolate systematic yield problems denoted by attributes of a statistically significant failing population of a specific type of scan chain.

Designing scan chains with specific parameter sensitivities to identify process defects

A method for defect diagnosis of semiconductor chip. The method comprises the steps of (a) identifying M design structures and N physical characteristics of the circuit design, wherein M and N are positive integers, wherein each design structure of the M design structures is testable as to pass or fail, and wherein each physical characteristic of the N physical characteristics is present in at least one design structure of the M design structures; (b) for each design structure of the M design structures of the circuit design, determining a fail rate and determining whether the fail rate is high or low; and (c) if every design structure of the M design structures in which a physical characteristic of the N physical characteristics is present has a high fail rate, then flagging the physical characteristic as being likely to contain at least a defect.

Defect diagnosis for semiconductor integrated circuits

A circuit and a method for monitoring defects in an integrated circuit chip. The circuit including a defect monitor portion and a sense element portion, the defect monitor portion either coupled to inputs of sense elements arranged in a chain or coupled between sense elements and forming portions of the chain.

Circuit and method for monitoring defects

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Essex Junction, VT, United States of America

Greg Bazan