Texas Instruments Corporation

Michael Nolan Jervis

Ronald Andrew Michallick

David Anthony White

Rex Warren Pirkle

A method of bondwire integrity testing a packaged IC includes forcing a pin current or pin voltage level sufficient to forward bias a parasitic diode at a plurality of pins relative to a selected reference pin. The pins are connected to bond pads (BPs) on the IC by a bondwire. The bond pads coupled to a diffusion of a first type that forms the parasitic diode (D) with a region doped the second type coupled to a bondpad wirebonded to the reference pin. The resulting pin voltages or pin currents at measured, and present pin-pin relationships are determined. The present pin-pin relationships are compared to stored pin-pin relationship data for a device design of the IC. Results from the comparing are used to determine whether any present pin-pin relationships are significantly different as compared to the stored pin-pin relationships to identify a bondwire problem for at least one pin.

Bondwire testing of IC using pin diode signatures

A reduced-impedance active measurement device, for example, includes a current transformer for generating a sense current for monitoring a drive signal. An amplifier is arranged to generate an offsetting current in response to the sense current, wherein the offsetting current is opposite in polarity to the sense current. A sense resistor is arranged to develop a sensed voltage signal across the sense resistor in response to the received sense current and the offsetting current. Optionally, the drive signal can be used to drive and control a motor.

Reduced-impedance active current measurement

In a method of testing integrated circuit devices, a parameter, such as initial voltage may first be measured. A low pass filter operation may be applied to the measured data to generate peer data. A particular integrated circuit device may be identified as failed or rejected when its measured parameter varies sufficiently relative to the peer data.

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Michael Nolan Jervis