Invention Grant
- Patent Title: Through-silicon via (TSV) crack sensors for detecting TSV cracks in three-dimensional (3D) integrated circuits (ICs) (3DICs), and related methods and systems
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Application No.: US14639511Application Date: 2015-03-05
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Publication No.: US09869713B2Publication Date: 2018-01-16
- Inventor: Sung Kyu Lim , Ratibor Radojcic , Yang Du
- Applicant: QUALCOMM Incorporated
- Applicant Address: US CA San Diego
- Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
- Current Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
- Current Assignee Address: US CA San Diego
- Agency: Withrow & Terranova, PLLC
- Main IPC: G01R31/02
- IPC: G01R31/02 ; G01R31/28 ; G01R19/165 ; H01L23/48 ; H01L23/58 ; H01L23/64 ; H01L27/06 ; H01L21/66 ; G01R31/3185

Abstract:
Through-silicon via (TSV) crack sensors for detecting TSV cracks in three-dimensional (3D) integrated circuits (ICs) (3DICs), and related methods and systems are disclosed. In one aspect, a TSV crack sensor circuit is provided in which doped rings for a plurality of TSVs are interconnected in parallel such that all interconnected TSV doped rings may be tested at the same time by providing a single current into the contacts of the interconnected doped rings. In another aspect, a TSV crack sensor circuit is provided including one or more redundant TSVs. Each doped ring for a corresponding TSV is tested independently, and a defective TSV may be replaced with a spare TSV whose doped ring is not detected to be cracked. This circuit allows for correction of a compromised 3DIC by replacing possibly compromised TSVs with spare TSVs.
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