Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha

Ryoden Semiconductor System Engineering Corporation

Yohji Mashiko

Tohru Koyama

Yasukazu Mukogawa

Toshikazu Tsutsui

Fumihito Ohta

Masaaki Furuta

Data containing defect position coordinates obtained based on the result of physical inspection of foreign material, a defect or the like at the surface of a semiconductor wafer by a defect inspecting apparatus is stored. Also stored is data of physical coordinates obtained based on fail bit data from a tester. Data indicating an additional failure region is produced by an additional failure region estimating apparatus based on the fail bit data, and is stored. Collation produces data of corrected physical position coordinates by adding the stored data of limitation by failure mode to the stored data of physical position coordinates, and collates the data of corrected physical position coordinates with stored data of defect position coordinates. Accordingly, accuracy in collation is improved, and failure can be analyzed even if caused not by a defect located at an address of the failure obtained by the fail bit data but by a defect relating to the defect located at the address of a failure.

System for analyzing a failure in a semiconductor wafer by calculating

Data containing defect position coordinates obtained based on the result of physical inspection of a foreign material, a defect and the like at a surface of a semiconductor wafer by a defect inspecting apparatus is stored in storage means. Data of physical position coordinates obtained based on fail bit data from a tester is stored in storage means. Data indicating an additional failure region is produced by additional failure region estimating means based on the fail bit data, and is stored in storage means. Collating means produces data of corrected physical position coordinates by adding the data of limitation by failure mode stored in storage means to the data of physical position coordinates stored in storage means, and collates the data of corrected physical position coordinates with data of defect position coordinates stored in storage means. Accordingly, accuracy in collation is improved, and therefore, a failure can be analyzed even if the failure is not caused by a defect located at an address of the failure obtained by the fail bit data but by a defect relating to the defect located at the address of a failure. As a result, accuracy in estimation is improved.

Apparatus for analyzing a failure in a semiconductor wafer and method

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Hyogo, Japan

Yohji Mashiko