Introducing a scale structure to correlate quality and reliability

The most important reliability in microelectronics is the reliability that the end customer experiences. In order to improve or build-in reliability, measurements are needed as early in semiconductor processing as possible. Often, quality and capability of a semiconductor wafer are the earliest available measurements. This work describes a test structure that converts physical attributes into parametric variables. This double conversion can further be correlated from quality to reliability by conventional or wafer level aging. The result is an early and efficient method of assessing reliability.

► Converting physical characteristics to electrical aspects while also converting an attribute to a parametric variable.
► Measuring quality levels on wafers at the edge of process capability.
► Investigating relationships between quality and reliability to seek correlation.
► Applying electrical and thermo-mechanical aging stresses on wafer.
► Suggesting that stressing simultaneous aspects can accelerate learning to improve quality & reliability.