Texas Instruments Corporation

Patricia Vincent

Jeffrey Alan West

Tathagata Chatterjee

Joseph P Ramon

Robert A Tuerck

A semiconductor wafer includes a plurality of integrated circuit (IC) die areas for accommodating IC die that include at least a first subcircuit having at least one matched component portion that includes at least two matched devices. The first subcircuit is arranged in a layout on the IC die. A plurality of scribe line areas having a scribe line width dimension are interposed between the plurality of IC die areas. At least one subcircuit-based test module (TM) is positioned within the scribe line areas, wherein the subcircuit-based TMs implement a schematic for the first subcircuit with a TM layout that copies the layout on the IC die for at least the two matched devices in the matched component portion and alters the layout on the IC die for a portion of the first subcircuit other than the matched devices in matched component portion to fit the TM layout of the first subcircuit within the scribe line width dimension.

Semiconductor wafer having scribe line test modules including matching portions from subcircuits on active die

A system, method, and apparatus for suppressing cracks in the wafer dicing process. A wafer includes a plurality of die attached to a frame and mounting tape, with the die separated by a plurality of scribe lanes. An existing die seal generally protects the boundary of the die but can still fail to fully protect the die from excessive cracks induced by dicing damage, particularly when dicing through brittle, low-k dielectrics. The system, method, and apparatus includes embedding a crack arrest structure (CAS) between adjacent scribe lanes. Upon a mechanical saw dicing the wafer, the CAS creates a moisture diffusion block, and can absorb or significantly diminish the energy of cracks propagating towards the individual die seals. Furthermore, the system, method, and apparatus can be implemented without the need to increase the width of the scribe lanes.

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Prosper, TX, United States of America

Patricia Vincent