DEPARTMENT OF ECE

CEC342 MIXED SIGNAL IC DESIGN TESTING (R 2021)

Lecture
Unit 1 MIXED – SIGNAL TESTING 02
No.
Topics Post-Silicon Production Flow - Test and Packing – Characterization versus Production Testing
Bloom’s
Learning Outcome (LO) At the end of this lecture, students will be able to
Knowledge Level
LO1 Explain Test and Packaging in Post Silicon Production Flow Understanding
LO2 Discuss Characterization Versus Production Testing Understanding

Post-Silicon Production Flow

Test and Packaging
After silicon wafers have been fabricated, many additional production steps remain before a final
packaged device is ready for shipment to the customer. The untested wafers (Figure 1.3) must first be
probed using automated test equipment to prevent bad dies from passing on to further production steps.
The bad dies can be identified using ink dots, which are applied either after each die is tested or after the
whole wafer has been tested. Offline inking is a method used to electronically track bad dies using a
computer database. Using pass/fail information from the database, bad dies are inked after the wafer has
been removed from the test equipment.

The wafers are then sawed into individual dies and the good ones are attached to lead frames.
Lead frames are punched metal holders that eventually become the individual leads of the packaged
device. Bond wires are attached from each die's bond pads to the appropriate lead of the lead frame.
Then plastic is injection-molded around the dies and lead frame to form packaged devices. Finally, the
individual packaged devices are separated from one another by trimming them from the lead frame.

Figure 1.3. Untested wafer.

After the leads have been trimmed and formed, the devices are ready for final testing on a second
ATE tester. Final testing guarantees that the performance of the device did not shift during the packaging
process. For example, the insertion of plastic over the surface of the die changes the electrical permittivity
near the surface of the die. Consequently, traces-to- trace capacitances are increased, which may affect
sensitive nodes in the circuit. In addition, the injection-molded plastic introduces mechanical stresses in

CEC342 MIXED SIGNAL IC DESIGN TESTING PREPARED BY SRIRAM SUNDAR S, AP/ECE

the silicon, which may consequently introduce DC voltage shifts. Final testing also guarantees that the
bond pads are all connected and that the die was not cracked, scratched, or otherwise damaged in the
packaging process. After final testing, the devices are ready for shipment to the end-equipment
manufacturer. Figure 1.4 shows a tray of tested quad flat pack (QFP) devices in a plastic carrier tray.

Figure 1.4. Tested QFP devices in a plastic carrier tray.

Characterization Versus Production Testing

When prototype devices are first characterized, the ATE test program is usually very extensive.
Tests are performed under many different conditions to evaluate worst-case conditions. For instance, the
distortion of an amplifier output may be worse under one loading condition than another. All loading
conditions must be tested to identify which one represents the worst-case test. Other examples of
exhaustive characterization testing would be DC offset testing using multiple power supply voltages and
harmonic distortion testing at multiple signal levels. Characterization testing must be performed over a
large number of devices and over several production lots of material before the results can be considered
statistically valid and trustworthy.

Characterization testing can be quite time consuming due to the large number of tests involved.
Extensive characterization is therefore economically unacceptable in high-volume production testing of
mixed-signal devices. Once worst-case test conditions have been established and the design engineers are
confident that their circuits meet the required specifications, a more streamlined production test program
is needed. The production test program is created from a subset of the characterization tests. The subset
must be carefully chosen to guarantee that no bad devices are shipped. Product and test engineers must
work very closely to make sure that the reduced test list still catches all manufacturing defects.

Assessment questions to the lecture

Qn Bloom’s
Question Answer
No Knowledge Level
1 What is the primary purpose of probing untested wafers in
semiconductor production?
A. Apply ink dots
C Remembering
B. Remove lead frames
C. Prevent bad dies from further production
D. Mold plastic around the dies
2 How are bad dies identified during wafer testing using
offline inking?
A. Using pass/fail information from a computer database
A Remembering
B. Applying ink dots individually after each die is tested
C. Trimming and forming leads
D. Injection-molding plastic around the dies

CEC342 MIXED SIGNAL IC DESIGN TESTING PREPARED BY SRIRAM SUNDAR S, AP/ECE

 3 What is the purpose of the second Automated Test
Equipment (ATE) tester during the final testing of
packaged devices?
A. Applying ink dots D Remembering
B. Testing for worst-case conditions
C. Ensuring lead frames are connected
D. Verifying performance after packaging
4 Why is extensive characterization testing economically
unacceptable in high-volume production of mixed-signal
devices?
A. It is too time-consuming. A Remembering
B. It provides statistically valid results.
C. It guarantees worst-case conditions.
D. It involves multiple signal levels.
5 In the context of semiconductor production, what is the
purpose of characterization testing?
A. Final testing of packaged devices
C Remembering
B. Economic acceptability
C. Evaluation under worst-case conditions
D. Applying ink dots after wafer testing

Students have to prepare answers for the following questions at the end of the lecture

Marks CO Bloom’s
Qn
Question Knowledge
No
Level
1 Discuss the difference between characterization
testing and production testing in semiconductor 2 CO1 Remembering
device development.
2 Describe the purpose of using ink dots during the
2 CO1 Remembering
semiconductor production process.
3 Describe the role of lead frames in the packaging of
2 CO1 Remembering
semiconductor devices.
4 Explain the significance of final testing in
2 CO1 Understanding
semiconductor manufacturing.
6 Explain in detail about Post-Silicon Production Flow. 13 CO1 Understanding

Reference Book

Author(s) Title of the book Page numbers

Gordon W.Roberts, An Introduction to Mixed-signal IC Test and

09 - 10
Friedrich Taenzler, Measurement, Oxford University Press, Inc.2012
Mark Burns,

CEC342 MIXED SIGNAL IC DESIGN TESTING PREPARED BY SRIRAM SUNDAR S, AP/ECE