International Business Machines Corporation

Other

Globalfoundries Inc.

Mentor Graphics Corporation

Robert J McMahon

Nazmul Habib

John Robert Goss

Troy Joseph Perry

Jeanne P Bickford

Paul J Grzymkowski

Thomas Gregory Sopchak

Chung H Lam

Igor Arsovski

Darren Lane Anand

Susan K Lichtensteiger

Jeanne Paulette Spence Bickford

David M Picozzi

Thomas M Maffitt

Mark C H Lamorey

Jeanne P Spence Bickford

Dolores A Harmer

Disclosed is a method wherein selective voltage binning and leakage power screening of integrated circuit (IC) chips are performed. Additionally, pre-test power-optimized bin reassignments are made on a chip-by-chip basis. Specifically, a leakage power measurement of an IC chip selected from a voltage bin can is compared to a bin-specific leakage power screen value of the next slower voltage bin. If the leakage power measurement is higher, the IC chip will be left in the voltage bin to which it is currently assigned. If the leakage power measurement is lower, the IC chip will be reassigned to that next slower voltage bin. These processes can be iteratively repeated until no slower voltage bins are available or the IC chip cannot be reassigned. IC chips can subsequently be tested according to testing parameters, including the minimum test voltages, associated with the voltage bins to which they are finally assigned.

Pre-test power-optimized bin reassignment following selective voltage binning

Disclosed are methods for performing threshold voltage (VT)-type transistor sensitive and/or fan-out sensitive selective voltage binning (SVB) to improve SVB accuracy and, thereby product yield and reliability. In the methods, a process distribution for an integrated circuit chip design is divided into process windows, each associated with a corresponding performance range and a corresponding minimum supply voltage. First performance measurements are acquired from first performance monitors associated with first transistors on chips manufactured according to the design. Based on the first performance measurements, the chips are assigned to groups corresponding to the process windows. Second performance measurements are also be acquired from second performance monitors associated with second transistors, which are on the chips and which have either a different VT-type or a different maximum fan-out than the first transistors. Based on the second performance measurements, a determination is made as to whether chip group reassignment is warranted.

Threshold voltage (VT)-type transistor sensitive and/or fan-out sensitive selective voltage binning

A method for predicting and controlling leakage wherein an IDDQ prediction macro is placed in a plurality of design topographies and data is collected using the IDDQ prediction macro. The IDDQ prediction macro is configured to measure subthreshold leakage and gate leakage for at least one device type in a semiconductor test site and in scribe lines using the IDDQ prediction macro and establish a leakage model. The method correlates the semiconductor test site measurements and the scribe line measurements to establish scribe line control limits, predicts product leakage; and sets subthreshold leakage limits and gate leakage limits for each product using the leakage model.

System and method to predict chip IDDQ and control leakage components

An integrated circuit device includes component devices (that include primary and alternate devices) and storage elements connected to the component devices. The storage elements store different sets of repair addresses indicating which of the primary devices and alternate devices are to be enabled. Further, a controller is connected to the storage elements, and a temperature sensor is connected to the controller. The temperature sensor senses the temperature. The controller selects one of the different storage elements to select at least one of the sets of repair addresses based on the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor. The sets of repair addresses share use of at least one of the alternate devices and at least one of the primary devices.

Thermally adaptive in-system allocation

A method of reliability evaluation and system fail warning using on chip parametric monitors. The method includes determining impact of parametric variation on reliability by identifying key parametric questions to be answered by stress, identifying parametric macros for each parameter, and identifying layout sensitive areas of evaluation. The process can also include a set of parametric macros in one of a test site or a product to be stressed, testing the set of parametric macros prior to start of stress and at each stress read out, and setting life time parameter profile for technology.

Reliability evaluation and system fail warning methods using on chip parametric monitors

A block of phase change material located in a semiconductor chip is reset to an amorphous state. The block of phase change material may be connected to an internal resistance measurement circuit that can transmit the measured resistance data to input/output pads either in an analog output format or in a digital output format. Depending on the ambient temperature, the resistance of the block of phase change material changes. By measuring a fractional resistance change compared to the resistance of the phase change material at a calibration temperature, the temperature of the region around the phase change material can be accurately measured. A logic decoder and an input/output circuit may be employed between the internal resistance measurement circuit and the input/output pads. A plurality of temperature sensing circuits containing phase change material blocks may be employed in the semiconductor chip to enable an accurate temperature profiling during chip operation.

Phase change material based temperature sensor

A circuitry access system for controlling access to addressable circuit elements of an integrated circuit. The circuitry access system includes a first storage element having a first listing of unique identifiers each identifier representing one of the addressable circuit elements. A selector distinguishes a first subset of unique identifiers from the first listing. A second storage element receives and stores the first subset in an arrangement that does not include an indication of the absence of any unique identifier of the first listing that is not included in the first subset. An output of second storage element allows a user of the integrated circuit to access one or more of the addressable circuit elements corresponding to the first subset of unique identifiers. A method of controlling access to addressable circuit elements is also provided.

System and method for controlling access to addressable integrated circuits

A hardware description language (HDL) design structure for performing device-specific testing and acquiring parametric data on integrated circuits, such that each chip can be tested individually without excessive test time requirements, additional silicon, or special test equipment. The HDL design structure includes a functional representation of at least one device test structure integrated into an IC design which tests a set of dummy devices that are identical or nearly identical to a selected set of devices contained in the IC. The test structures are integrated from a device under test (DUT) library according to customer requirements and design requirements. The functional representations of selected test structures are further prioritized and assigned to design elements within the design in order of priority. Placement algorithms use design, layout, and manufacturing requirements to place the selected functional representations of test structures into the final layout of the design.

HDL design structure for integrating test structures into an integrated circuit design

Disclosed is an across-chip temperature sensing circuit and an associated method that can be used to profile the across-chip temperature gradient. The embodiments incorporate a plurality of phase change elements distributed approximately evenly across the semiconductor chip. These phase change elements are programmed to have essentially the same amorphous resistance. Temperature-dependent behavior exhibited by each of the phase change elements individually is compared to a reference (e.g., generated by a discrete reference phase change element, generated by another one of the phase change elements, or generated by an external reference) in order to profile the temperature gradient across the semiconductor chip. Once profiled, this temperature gradient can be used to redesign and/or relocate functional cores, to set stress limits for qualification of functional cores and/or to adjust operating specifications of functional cores.

Circuit and method using distributed phase change elements for across-chip temperature profiling

A design structure for a circuitry access system for controlling access to addressable circuit elements of an integrated circuit. The circuitry access system includes a first storage element having a first listing of unique identifiers each identifier representing one of the addressable circuit elements. A selector distinguishes a first subset of unique identifiers from the first listing. A second storage element receives and stores the first subset in an arrangement that does not include an indication of the absence of any unique identifier of the first listing that is not included in the first subset. An output of second storage element allows a user of the integrated circuit to access one or more of the addressable circuit elements corresponding to the first subset of unique identifiers.

Structure for a system for controlling access to addressable integrated circuits

Disclosed are testing method embodiments in which, during post-manufacture testing, parametric measurements are taken from on-chip parametric measurement elements and used to optimize manufacturing in-line parametric control learning and/or to optimize product screening processes. Specifically, these post-manufacture parametric measurements can be used to disposition chips without shipping out non-conforming products, without discarding conforming products, and without requiring high cost functional tests. They can also be used to identify yield sensitivities to parametric variations from design and to provide feedback for manufacturing line improvements based on the yield sensitivities. Additionally, a historical database regarding the key parameters that are monitored at both the fabrication and post-fabrication levels can be used to predict future yield and, thereby, to preemptively improve the manufacturing line and/or also to update supply chain forecasts.

Growing community of inventors

Essex Junction, VT, United States of America

Robert J McMahon