Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Victor Chih Yuan Chang

Lien Jung Hung

Keh-Jeng Chang

Yuh-Jier Mii

Sally Liu

Yih-Yuh Doong

Hsiao-Tsung Yen

Chin-Wei Kuo

Yu-Ling Lin

Min-Chie Jeng

An apparatus for de-embedding through substrate vias is provided. The apparatus may include pads on a first side of a substrate are coupled to through vias extending through a substrate, wherein pairs of the through vias are interconnected by transmission lines of varying lengths along a second side of the substrate. The apparatus may further include pairs of pads coupled together by transmission lines of the same varying lengths. Apparatuses may include through vias surrounding a through via device under test. The surrounding through vias are connected to the through via device under test by a backside metal layer. The apparatus may further include a dummy structure having an area equal to an area of the backside metal layer.

Apparatus and methods for de-embedding through substrate vias

A method includes providing on a substrate having at least two through substrate vias ('TSVs') a plurality of test structures for de-embedding the measurement of the intrinsic characteristics of a device under test (DUT) including at least two of the TSVs; measuring the intrinsic characteristics [L] for a first and a second test structure on the substrate including two pads coupled with a transmission line of length L; using simultaneous solutions of ABCD matrix or T matrix form equations, and the measured intrinsic characteristics, solving for the intrinsic characteristics of the pads and the transmission lines; de-embedding the measurements of the third and fourth test structures using the intrinsic characteristics of the pads and the transmission lines; and using simultaneous solutions of ABCD matrix or T matrix form equations for BM_L and BM_LX, and the measured intrinsic characteristics, solving for the intrinsic characteristics of the TSVs.

Test structures and methods for measuring contact and via parasitic capacitance in an integrated circuit are provided. The accuracy of contact and via capacitance measurements are improved by eliminating not-to-be-measured capacitance from the measurement results. The capacitance is measured on a target test structure that has to-be-measured contact or via capacitance. Measurements are then repeated on a substantially similar reference test structure that is free of to-be-measured contact or via capacitances. By using the capacitance measurements of the two test structures, the to-be-measured contact and via capacitance can be calculated.

Accurate capacitance measurement for ultra large scale integrated circuits

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Hsin-Chu, Taiwan

Victor Chih Yuan Chang