Defect testing method, system and device for chip sealing ring

Abstract

The invention discloses a defect testing method, system and device for a chip sealing ring, and belongs to the technical field of semiconductors. According to the method, the semiconductor device is pretreated by performing moisture absorption treatment and condensation treatment on the semiconductor device, the moisture absorption treatment can trigger moisture absorption of the semiconductor device, the moisture absorption can increase the content of gaseous water of the semiconductor device, and for the semiconductor device with sealing ring defects, the content of the gaseous water in the semiconductor device is reduced in the moisture absorption treatment process. Along with the increase of the content of the gaseous water, the gaseous water outside the sealing ring can diffuse into the chip through the defects of the sealing ring, the condensation treatment can enable the gaseous water inside and outside the chip in the semiconductor device to be condensed into liquid water, and the liquid water can cause a circuit fault of the chip. And circuit fault detection is carried out on the preprocessed chip in the semiconductor device, so that whether the chip has a sealing ring defect or not can be detected.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and particularly to a method, system, and device for defect testing of a chip seal ring. Background Art

[0002] With the development of semiconductor technology, semiconductor devices encapsulating chips are applied in various industries. For example, Figure 1 As shown in the semiconductor device, the semiconductor device includes a chip, a lead frame, and a packaging layer. The chip comes from a wafer. A seal ring is provided between the chip and the scribe groove on the wafer. The seal ring surrounds the chip functional area on all sides. Using scribing technology, scribing is performed from the scribe groove on the chip edge to cut out the chip with the seal ring from the wafer. Through the packaging layer, the chip with the seal ring, the lead frame, and bonding wires are encapsulated into a semiconductor device. The bonding wires are used to connect the pins of the chip and the lead frame so that the chip can be connected to an external circuit.

[0003] Under certain temperature and humidity conditions (i.e., temperature conditions and / or humidity conditions), gaseous water can pass through Figure 1 The invasion paths 1 and / or 2 shown, and diffuse from the outside of the semiconductor device to the surface of the chip. Taking the encapsulation layer as a plastic encapsulation material as an example, the main components of the plastic encapsulation material are a main resin, a filler, a curing agent, and other organic materials. Its inherent organic macromolecular structure makes the plastic encapsulation material itself have high hygroscopicity. For example, Figure 1 As shown in the invasion path 1, due to the light transmittance and water absorption of the plastic encapsulation material itself, gaseous water diffuses through the encapsulation layer body composed of the plastic encapsulation material to the upper surface of the chip. Another example is Figure 1 As shown in the invasion path 2, gaseous water diffuses along the gaps between the encapsulation layer and the lead frame, the sealing layer, and the chip to the upper surface of the chip.

[0004] The upper surface of the chip is covered with a silicon nitride (SiN) passivation layer to prevent gaseous water from diffusing from the upper surface of the chip to the inside of the chip. The seal ring surrounds the chip from all sides. On the one hand, it is used to prevent gaseous water from invading from the side of the chip. On the other hand, it is used to prevent the scribing stress during slicing from spreading to the active area of the chip and damaging the internal circuit of the chip. However, the seal ring is located at the edge of the scribe groove. As Figure 2 Shown, during scribing, if the scribing stress is too large, it will cause damage to the seal ring. Under certain temperature and humidity conditions, gaseous water can pass through the damaged seal ring and diffuse from the side of the chip to the inside of the chip.

[0005] Once gaseous water penetrates into the interior of the chip and is converted from gaseous water to liquid water inside the chip, it will cause serious failure phenomena such as short circuit, leakage or chip burning in the chip. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a method to test chips with seal ring defects. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a method, a system and a device for testing defects of a chip seal ring, which can detect seal ring defects of a chip in a semiconductor device. The technical solution is as follows:

[0007] In a first aspect, a method for testing defects of a chip seal ring is provided. For a semiconductor device including a chip and having a seal ring, in this method, the semiconductor device is first pre-treated, and then circuit fault detection is performed on the chip in the pre-treated semiconductor device. Among them, the pre-treatment includes a moisture absorption treatment and a condensation treatment. The moisture absorption treatment is used to trigger the semiconductor device to absorb moisture, and the condensation treatment is used to trigger the gaseous water in the semiconductor device after moisture absorption to condense into liquid water.

[0008] This method pre-treats the semiconductor device by performing a moisture absorption treatment and a condensation treatment on the semiconductor device. Among them, the moisture absorption treatment can trigger the semiconductor device to absorb moisture, and moisture absorption can increase the content of gaseous water in the semiconductor device. For a semiconductor device with a seal ring defect, during the moisture absorption treatment, as the content of gaseous water increases, the gaseous water outside the seal ring can diffuse into the chip interior through the seal ring defect. The condensation treatment can cause the gaseous water inside and outside the chip in the semiconductor device to condense into liquid water. Since liquid water can cause circuit faults in the chip, circuit fault detection is then performed on the chip in the pre-treated semiconductor device, and it can be detected whether the chip has a seal ring defect.

[0009] In a possible implementation manner, if a circuit fault occurs in the chip, the chip has a seal ring defect.

[0010] In a possible implementation manner, in this method, after circuit fault detection is performed on the chip in the semiconductor device, the position of the defect on the seal ring can also be determined based on the position of the circuit unit where the circuit fault occurs in the chip.

[0011] Based on the above possible implementation manner, the accuracy of problem location of seal ring defects can be improved, and the failure position can also be provided for the failure analysis of the chip. The metal-dense position of the seal ring can be quickly located, and the physical failure analysis of the seal ring can be completed.

[0012] In a possible implementation manner, the cut-off condition of the above moisture absorption treatment includes that the content of gaseous water in the semiconductor device reaches a saturated state.

[0013] Based on the above possible implementation methods, when the gaseous water content in the semiconductor device reaches the saturation state, the moisture absorption treatment of the semiconductor device is stopped, reducing the moisture absorption duration during the test and improving the efficiency of the sealing ring defect test.

[0014] In a possible implementation method, after performing circuit fault detection on the chip in the semiconductor device, the method further includes:

[0015] Performing a drying treatment on the interior of the semiconductor device.

[0016] In a possible implementation method, in this method, before performing circuit fault detection on the chip in the semiconductor device, the surface of the semiconductor device after condensation is also dried.

[0017] Based on the above possible implementation methods, it is possible to avoid artificial damage or damage to the detection equipment caused by residual surface water during circuit fault detection.

[0018] In a second aspect, a test system is provided, and the system includes:

[0019] A pretreatment device for performing pretreatment on the semiconductor device, where the semiconductor device includes a chip with a sealing ring, and the pretreatment includes a moisture absorption treatment and a condensation treatment. The moisture absorption treatment is used to trigger the semiconductor device to absorb moisture, and the condensation treatment is used to trigger the gaseous water in the semiconductor device after moisture absorption to condense into liquid water;

[0020] A detection device for performing circuit fault detection on the chip in the semiconductor device.

[0021] In a possible implementation method, if a circuit fault occurs in the chip, there is a defect in the sealing ring of the chip.

[0022] In a possible implementation method, the detection device is further used to: determine the position of the defect on the sealing ring based on the position of the circuit unit where the circuit fault occurs in the chip.

[0023] In a possible implementation method, the cut-off condition of the moisture absorption treatment includes that the gaseous water content in the semiconductor device reaches the saturation state.

[0024] In a possible implementation method, the system further includes:

[0025] A first drying treatment device for performing a drying treatment on the interior of the semiconductor device.

[0026] In a possible implementation method, the system further includes:

[0027] A second drying treatment device for performing a drying treatment on the surface of the semiconductor device after condensation.

[0028] In a third aspect, a defective testing device for a chip sealing ring is provided, which is used to execute the method provided in the first aspect or any optional implementation manner of the first aspect above.

[0029] In a fourth aspect, a testing device is provided, which includes at least one device in a testing system, such as the testing system provided in the second aspect or any optional implementation manner of the second aspect above.

[0030] Based on the implementation manners provided in the above aspects of the present application, further combinations can be made to provide more implementation manners. Description of the Drawings

[0031] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a semiconductor device provided by the present application;

[0032] Figure 2 is a partial damage schematic diagram of a sealing ring provided by the present application;

[0033] Figure 3 is an architecture diagram of a testing system provided by the present application;

[0034] Figure 4 is a flowchart of a defective testing method for a chip sealing ring provided by the present application;

[0035] Figure 5 is a screening process for a damaged sealing ring provided by the present application;

[0036] Figure 6 is a structural diagram of a defective testing device for a chip sealing ring provided by the present application. Detailed Embodiments

[0037] Next, the implementation environment of the defective testing method for a chip sealing ring provided by the present application will be introduced with reference to the drawings.

[0038] Figure 3 is an architecture diagram of a testing system provided by the present application. As Figure 3 shown, the testing system 300 includes a pretreatment device 301 and a detection device 302. Among them, the pretreatment device 301 is used to perform pretreatment on a semiconductor device, and the semiconductor device includes a chip with a sealing ring. The pretreatment includes two types of processing, namely moisture absorption processing and condensation processing. In a possible implementation manner, the moisture absorption processing and the condensation processing are completed by different devices. As Figure 3As shown in the figure, the pretreatment device 301 includes a moisture absorption treatment device 311 and a condensation treatment device 312. Among them, the moisture absorption treatment device 311 is used to perform moisture absorption treatment on semiconductor devices. For example, the moisture absorption treatment device 311 provides an environment that meets the moisture absorption requirements for semiconductor devices, so that the semiconductor devices can absorb moisture in this environment. During the moisture absorption process, gaseous water diffuses into the interior of the semiconductor devices. Gaseous water refers to water in a gaseous state. Exemplarily, the moisture absorption treatment device 311 can be, for example, a high-temperature and high-humidity test chamber, a highly accelerated temperature and humidity stress (HAST) test chamber, etc. Here, the present application does not limit the type of the moisture absorption treatment device 311.

[0039] The condensation treatment device 312 is used to perform condensation treatment on the semiconductor devices after moisture absorption. For example, the condensation treatment device 312 provides an environment that can condense gaseous water for the semiconductor devices, so that the gaseous water absorbed by the semiconductor devices can be converted into liquid water in this environment. Liquid water refers to water in a liquid state. Exemplarily, the condensation treatment device 312 can be, for example, a low-temperature test chamber or other devices that can provide a low-temperature environment. Here, the present application does not limit the type of the moisture absorption treatment device 311.

[0040] Figure 3 Taking the moisture absorption treatment device 311 and the condensation treatment device 312 as independent pretreatment devices 301 as an example, in another possible implementation, the moisture absorption treatment device 311 and the condensation treatment device 312 are integrated in the same pretreatment device 301, and the moisture absorption treatment device 311 and the condensation treatment device 312 serve as the moisture absorption treatment module and the condensation treatment module in the pretreatment device 301 where they are located, respectively.

[0041] The detection device 302 is used to detect whether there is a circuit fault in the chip inside the semiconductor device. If there is a circuit fault, there is a defect in the sealing ring of the chip, that is, there is a sealing ring defect in the chip. Exemplarily, the detection device 302 can be, for example, an electrical bias board or other devices that can provide a bias voltage. Here, the present application does not limit the type of the detection device.

[0042] The above is introduced by taking the test system 300 including the detection device 302 as an example. In another possible implementation, the present application also provides a test system, which includes a moisture absorption treatment device 311 and a condensation treatment device 312 and does not include the detection device 302.

[0043] The present application further provides a testing device, which includes the above-mentioned moisture absorption treatment device 311 and condensation treatment device 312. The testing device and the detection device 302 form a testing system 300, and at this time, the testing device is the pretreatment device. In another possible implementation, the testing device further includes the detection device 302, and this implementation is equivalent to deploying the testing system 300 in the testing device.

[0044] Next, based on the testing system introduced above, combined with Figure 4 , the process of a defective testing method for a chip sealing ring provided by the present application will be introduced in detail. The method includes the following steps.

[0045] Step 401: The pretreatment device pre-treats the semiconductor device, which includes a chip with a sealing ring. The pretreatment includes moisture absorption treatment and condensation treatment. The moisture absorption treatment is used to trigger the semiconductor device to absorb moisture, and the condensation treatment is used to trigger the gaseous water in the semiconductor device after moisture absorption to condense into liquid water.

[0046] Among them, the semiconductor device is as Figure 1 shown. Moisture absorption means that an object (such as a semiconductor device) is exposed to air and absorbs the gaseous water in the air. Triggering the conversion of gaseous water in the semiconductor device into liquid water means triggering the condensation of gaseous water in the semiconductor device. In a possible implementation, the pretreatment device includes a moisture absorption treatment device and a condensation treatment device, and the moisture absorption treatment and the condensation treatment are respectively executed by the moisture absorption treatment device and the condensation treatment device. For example, the following steps 4011 and 4012.

[0047] Step 4011: The moisture absorption treatment device performs moisture absorption treatment on the semiconductor device.

[0048] A user or a device places the semiconductor device in a moisture absorption treatment device, and the moisture absorption treatment device provides a moisture absorption environment for the semiconductor device. Here, the moisture absorption environment refers to an environment that can trigger or promote the moisture absorption of the semiconductor device, that is, the environment required for the semiconductor device to absorb moisture. The moisture absorption environment meets the moisture absorption conditions required for the semiconductor device to absorb moisture. For example, the moisture absorption conditions include a first duration, a first temperature, and a first humidity. The first duration is the maintenance duration of the moisture absorption environment, and the first duration is less than a first duration threshold, which is the shortest time that can cause destructive damage to the semiconductor device in the moisture absorption environment. The first temperature refers to the environmental temperature required for the semiconductor device to absorb moisture. The first temperature is higher than normal temperature and less than a first temperature threshold, which is the lowest temperature that can cause destructive damage to the semiconductor device. The first humidity is the environmental humidity required for the semiconductor device to absorb moisture. The environmental humidity is, for example, the relative humidity (RH) of the environment. The first humidity is less than a humidity threshold, which is the lowest relative humidity that can cause destructive damage to the semiconductor device. Compared with the normal temperature environment, the moisture absorption environment is a high-temperature and high-humidity environment, and the first temperature and / or the first humidity are the temperature and humidity conditions required for the semiconductor device to absorb moisture.

[0049] The method of providing the moisture absorption environment, for example, the moisture absorption treatment device controls the environment where the semiconductor device is located to meet the temperature and humidity conditions, so that the environment becomes a moisture absorption environment. If the exposure duration of the semiconductor device in the moisture absorption environment reaches the first duration, the moisture absorption environment meets the moisture absorption conditions, and the moisture absorption environment for the semiconductor device is stopped, and the moisture absorption treatment of the semiconductor device is ended, and the moisture absorption treatment is completed.

[0050] Since the first temperature in the moisture absorption conditions is less than the first temperature threshold, the first humidity is less than the humidity threshold, and the first duration is less than the first duration threshold, when the moisture absorption environment provided for the semiconductor device meets the moisture absorption conditions, the moisture absorption environment for the semiconductor device is stopped to avoid the moisture absorption environment causing destructive damage to the semiconductor device.

[0051] In the moisture absorption environment, the gaseous water in the moisture absorption environment diffuses into the interior of the semiconductor device, and the encapsulation layer of the semiconductor device absorbs the gaseous water. If there is a break in the sealing ring of the chip in the semiconductor device, the gaseous water continues to diffuse into the interior of the chip through the break in the sealing layer. If there is no break in the sealing ring of the chip, the gaseous water cannot diffuse into the interior of the chip.

[0052] In such a moisture-absorbing environment, if the gaseous water content of the semiconductor device reaches the saturation state, the semiconductor device will not continue to absorb gaseous water. If it continues to be exposed to the moisture-absorbing environment, the moisture-absorbing duration during the test will increase, reducing the efficiency of the defect test of the sealing ring. Based on this, in a possible implementation, the moisture-absorbing treatment device is provided with a cut-off condition for the moisture-absorbing treatment. Exemplarily, the cut-off condition includes that the gaseous water content of the semiconductor device reaches the saturation state. If, during the moisture-absorbing treatment of the semiconductor device, the moisture-absorbing treatment device detects whether the gaseous water content of the semiconductor device reaches the saturation state, and if it detects that the gaseous water content of the semiconductor device reaches the saturation state, that is, the semiconductor device absorbs moisture to the saturation state, then the moisture-absorbing environment for the semiconductor device is stopped. If it detects that the gaseous water content of the semiconductor device does not reach the saturation state, that is, the semiconductor device does not absorb moisture to the saturation state, then the moisture-absorbing environment for the semiconductor device is continued until the semiconductor device does not absorb moisture to the saturation state.

[0053] In another possible implementation, the first temperature, the first humidity, and the first duration are also respectively the environmental temperature, the environmental humidity, and the exposure duration required in the moisture-absorbing environment for the semiconductor device to absorb moisture to the saturation state. At this time, the first temperature, the first humidity, and the first duration are also the moisture-absorbing scheme required for the semiconductor device to absorb moisture to the saturation state. This moisture-absorbing scheme depends on any one of the moisture sensitivity level (MSL) of the semiconductor device, the thickness of the encapsulation layer, and the encapsulation material used for the encapsulation layer.

[0054] The encapsulation materials used for the encapsulation layers of different semiconductor devices may be the same or different, the thicknesses of the encapsulation layers of different semiconductor devices may be the same or different, and the MSLs of different semiconductor devices may be the same or different. Therefore, the moisture-absorbing schemes required for different semiconductor devices to absorb moisture to the saturation state may be different or the same. Among them, the difference in the moisture-absorbing scheme can be manifested as at least one of the temperature, humidity, or duration being different.

[0055] Based on this, in a possible implementation, the moisture absorption treatment device is provided with at least one moisture absorption scheme. Each moisture absorption scheme corresponds to at least one type of semiconductor device. Each moisture absorption scheme includes the ambient temperature, ambient humidity, and the duration required to be exposed in the moisture absorption environment for the corresponding semiconductor device to absorb moisture to the saturated state. At this time, each moisture absorption scheme corresponds to the moisture absorption conditions of the semiconductor device. The type of the semiconductor device depends on any one of the MSL of the semiconductor device, the thickness of the encapsulation layer, and the encapsulation material used for the encapsulation layer. For any semiconductor device to be tested, the moisture absorption treatment device provides a moisture absorption environment for the semiconductor device based on the moisture absorption scheme corresponding to the semiconductor device until the duration required by the moisture absorption scheme is reached, assuming that the semiconductor device absorbs moisture to the saturated state, and stops providing the moisture absorption environment for the semiconductor device.

[0056] The at least one moisture absorption scheme may be the moisture absorption scheme specified by the relevant technical standard. Taking a semiconductor device with an encapsulation material being a plastic encapsulation material (i.e., a plastic encapsulated semiconductor device) as an example, according to the 020E version (Joint Electron Device Engineering Council Solild State Technology Association 020E, J-STD-020E) standard issued by the Solid State Technology Association of the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council, the moisture absorption schemes for semiconductor devices with different MSLs are shown in Table 1 below.

[0057] Table 1

[0058]

[0059] Among them, Ea refers to the activation energy, NA refers to none, and TOL refers to the time on label.

[0060] For example, Figure 5 Taking the screening process of the damaged sealing ring shown as an example, for a semiconductor device with an encapsulation material being a plastic encapsulation material (i.e., a plastic encapsulated device), as shown in Table 1, assuming that the MSL of the plastic encapsulated device is 3, referring to the J-STD-020E standard, the moisture absorption scheme corresponding to the semiconductor device with MSL3 is: 60°C, 60%RH, 40 hours. The moisture absorption treatment device provides a moisture absorption environment of 60°C and 60%RH for the plastic encapsulated device, retains the plastic encapsulated device in this moisture absorption environment for 40 hours, and the plastic encapsulated device absorbs moisture to the saturated state. After that, the moisture absorption environment for the plastic encapsulated device is stopped, and the moisture absorption treatment is ended, reducing the moisture absorption duration during the test and improving the efficiency of the defective test of the sealing ring.

[0061] For any semiconductor device, if the relevant technical standards do not provide a moisture absorption solution corresponding to the semiconductor device, a moisture absorption solution for the semiconductor device can also be set in the moisture absorption processing device according to user experience. By presetting a variety of moisture absorption solutions in the moisture absorption processing device, so that every time the moisture absorption processing device obtains a semiconductor device, it can perform moisture absorption processing on the semiconductor device based on the corresponding moisture absorption solution, realizing an automated assembly-line type of semiconductor device processing.

[0062] In another possible implementation, no moisture absorption solution is preset in the moisture absorption processing device. For any semiconductor device to be tested, a moisture absorption solution for the semiconductor device is set in the moisture absorption processing device manually or by a control device. After the setting is completed, the moisture absorption processing device performs moisture absorption processing on the semiconductor device based on this moisture absorption solution.

[0063] In the above case where the semiconductor device is moisture-absorbed to the saturation state, the moisture absorption processing of the semiconductor device is stopped, reducing the moisture absorption duration during the test and improving the efficiency of the defect test of the sealing ring.

[0064] After completing the moisture absorption processing of any semiconductor device, the user takes out the moisture-absorbed semiconductor device from the moisture absorption processing device and places the moisture-absorbed semiconductor device in the condensation processing device, and the condensation processing device performs the following step 4012 on the moisture-absorbed semiconductor device.

[0065] Step 4012: The condensation processing device performs condensation processing on the moisture-absorbed semiconductor device.

[0066] When the moisture-absorbed semiconductor device is placed in the condensation processing device, the moisture absorption processing device provides a condensation environment for the semiconductor device. Among them, the condensation environment refers to an environment that can trigger or promote the condensation of the semiconductor device, that is, the environment required for the condensation of the semiconductor device. The condensation environment meets the condensation conditions required for the condensation of the semiconductor device. For example, the condensation conditions include a second duration and a second temperature. The second duration is the maintenance duration of the condensation environment. The second duration is greater than or equal to the second duration threshold and less than the third duration threshold. The second duration threshold is the shortest time that can cause condensation inside the chip of the semiconductor device in this condensation environment. The third duration threshold is the duration required for the conversion of liquid water inside the chip of the semiconductor device into solid water. The second duration is, for example, any duration between 1 and 2 hours. The second temperature is less than the first temperature, so that there is a temperature difference between the condensation conditions and the moisture absorption conditions. For example, the second temperature is less than or equal to 0°C. Here, the present application does not limit the second duration and the second temperature. Relative to the moisture absorption environment, the condensation environment is a low-temperature environment. Correspondingly, performing condensation processing on the semiconductor device means performing low-temperature processing on the semiconductor device.

[0067] The value of the second duration depends on the heat capacity or mass of the semiconductor device. For example, the larger the heat capacity of the semiconductor device, the longer the duration required for the semiconductor device to cool down, that is, the larger the second duration. Also, the larger the mass of the semiconductor device, the larger the second duration. Correspondingly, the condensation conditions required for different semiconductor devices after moisture absorption treatment may be the same or different. The key is that there is a temperature difference from the moisture absorption conditions of high temperature and high humidity.

[0068] Similar to the moisture absorption scheme, at least one condensation condition is set in the condensation treatment device. Each condensation condition corresponds to at least one model of semiconductor device. At this time, this model also depends on the heat capacity and / or mass of the semiconductor device. Or, before condensing any semiconductor device, the user or the control device configures the condensation condition for this semiconductor device in the condensation treatment device. After obtaining any semiconductor device to be condensed, the condensation treatment device controls the temperature of the environment where the semiconductor device is located to reach the second temperature in the condensation condition (such as the condensation condition corresponding to the semiconductor device in the at least one condensation condition, or the condensation condition configured for this semiconductor device), so that the environment becomes a condensation environment. If the duration for which the semiconductor device is exposed in this condensation environment reaches the second duration in the condensation condition, then the condensation environment meets the condensation condition, and the condensation environment is no longer provided for this semiconductor device, and the condensation treatment of this semiconductor device ends, and the condensation treatment is completed.

[0069] Taking the second temperature as 0°C and the second duration as 1 hour as an example, the condensation treatment device provides a condensation environment of 0°C for this semiconductor device, and retains this semiconductor device in this condensation environment for 1 hour, so that the gaseous water in the semiconductor device condenses into liquid water, and the condensation environment is no longer provided for this semiconductor device. In this condensation environment, if gaseous water has entered the chip of the semiconductor device, the gaseous water in the chip will also condense into liquid water, which can quickly trigger the electrical failure of the chip, and subsequent power-on of the chip will cause circuit failures such as short circuits, leakage, or electrochemical corrosion. If no gaseous water has entered the chip, no liquid water will appear in the chip, and subsequent power-on of the chip will not cause circuit failures.

[0070] Since the moisture absorption environment has a higher temperature than the normal temperature environment, the temperature of the semiconductor device after moisture absorption is also relatively high. Compared with waiting for the semiconductor device after moisture absorption to cool down and condense in the normal temperature environment, by condensing the semiconductor device after moisture absorption, the semiconductor device after moisture absorption can be quickly condensed, without waiting for a long time for condensation, reducing the exposure time of the defective position of the sealing ring during the test, and improving the efficiency of the sealing ring defect test.

[0071] After the condensation treatment of any semiconductor device is completed, the pretreatment process of the semiconductor device is completed. The user takes out the condensed semiconductor device from the condensation treatment equipment, connects the condensed semiconductor device to the detection equipment, and performs circuit fault detection on the condensed semiconductor device through the detection equipment (i.e., step 402 below).

[0072] There may be liquid water on the surface of the condensed semiconductor device. In another possible implementation, as Figure 5 shown, for the semiconductor device after low-temperature condensation, first dry the surface of the condensed semiconductor device to remove the liquid water on the surface, and then perform electrical testing (such as circuit fault detection) on the semiconductor device to avoid artificial damage or damage to the detection equipment caused by residual surface water during electrical testing. Among them, the drying treatment method, for example, the user or the transfer equipment places the condensed semiconductor device in a ventilated environment and dries the surface of the semiconductor device through natural ventilation, or, through the first drying equipment, uses baking or air drying methods to dry the surface of the semiconductor device. When drying the surface of the semiconductor device, it is also necessary to control the treatment duration and the baking or air drying temperature to prevent the liquid water inside the chip in the failed semiconductor device from vaporizing into gaseous water, affecting the detection result of the circuit fault detection, and to prevent the test result of the seal ring defectiveness from being inaccurate. A failed semiconductor device is a semiconductor device with a seal ring defect.

[0073] After the surface of the semiconductor device is dried, the user connects the semiconductor device with a dried surface to the detection equipment, and the detection equipment performs circuit fault detection on the condensed semiconductor device.

[0074] Step 402: The detection equipment performs circuit fault detection on the chip in the semiconductor device.

[0075] Among them, this circuit fault detection is used to detect circuit faults caused by liquid water, such as short circuits, leakage, electrochemical corrosion, or chip burning and other circuit faults. If a circuit fault is detected in the chip, the seal ring of the chip is defective, that is, the chip (or semiconductor device) has a seal ring defect. If no circuit fault is detected in the chip, the seal ring of the chip is not defective, that is, the chip (or semiconductor device) does not have a seal ring defect.

[0076] The chip is connected to the pins outside the frame through bonding wires. The detection device is connected to the pins and applies a bias voltage to the pins to detect circuit faults in the chip. Based on the detection results, the detection device determines whether there is a sealing ring defect in the semiconductor device. Among them, the detection results are used to indicate whether a circuit fault occurs in the detected chip. If a circuit fault is detected in the chip, it means that there is condensed liquid water in the chip, that is, gaseous water diffuses into the chip during the moisture absorption process. Then the detection device determines that there is a sealing ring defect in the semiconductor device, and the semiconductor device is an invalid semiconductor device. If no circuit fault is detected in the chip, it means that there is no condensed liquid water in the chip, that is, no gaseous water diffuses into the chip during the moisture absorption process. Then the detection device determines that there is no sealing ring defect in the semiconductor device, and the semiconductor device is a valid semiconductor device.

[0077] The chip in the semiconductor device includes one or more circuit units. If a circuit fault is detected in the chip of the semiconductor device, the circuit fault may occur in a certain circuit unit. In another possible implementation, the detection device determines the position of the defect on the sealing ring (referred to as the failure position) based on the position of the circuit unit where the circuit fault occurs in the chip. For example, if any circuit unit in the chip fails, based on the position of the circuit unit in the chip, the area on the sealing ring closest to the circuit unit is determined as the failure position of the sealing ring. Thus, the accuracy of problem positioning of the sealing ring defect can be improved, and the failure position can also be provided for the failure analysis (FA) of the semiconductor device, which can quickly locate the metal-dense position of the sealing ring and complete the physical failure analysis (PFA) of the sealing ring. Based on the failure position, the slicing process applicable to the same kind of wafer can also be improved to avoid damage to the corresponding position of the sealing ring on the same kind of wafer when slicing the slicing groove adjacent to the failure position of the same kind of wafer subsequently.

[0078] Due to the above moisture absorption and condensation scheme, the temperature and humidity stress on the semiconductor device is moderate and the time is short, and the life loss of the semiconductor device can be ignored. Therefore, it is possible to avoid destructive damage to the effective semiconductor device during the defective test of the sealing ring, thereby realizing non-destructive detection of the semiconductor device for the sealing ring defect. In another possible implementation, after detecting the circuit failure of the chip in the semiconductor device, if the semiconductor device is an effective semiconductor device, the inside of the semiconductor device is dried so that the liquid water condensed inside the semiconductor device is vaporized into gaseous water. Through the drying process, the gaseous water can also be discharged from the inside of the semiconductor device, thereby removing the gaseous water inside the semiconductor device, so that the semiconductor device after the defective test can be restored to the initial (time0) state, and the semiconductor device can continue to be used and sold normally. Among them, the time0 state is the state when the semiconductor device is processed. Still taking Figure 5 as an example, if it is detected that the chip has a circuit failure, the semiconductor device fails the electrical test, that is, the electrical test fails, then the sealing ring of the chip is damaged (that is, there is a sealing ring defect), realizing the damage interception of the device sealing ring. Subsequently, based on the position of the circuit unit with the circuit failure in the chip, the failure position on the sealing ring is determined to realize the FA of the sealing ring.

[0079] Among them, the drying process is to dry the inside of the semiconductor device by the second drying device using the baking method. Taking the baking method as an example, the drying process is introduced as follows:

[0080] After the test, the gaseous water content of different models of semiconductor devices may be different or the same. When using the baking method to dry the inside of different models of semiconductor devices, the baking schemes required for different models of semiconductor devices may be the same or different. Among them, the baking scheme required for any model of semiconductor device includes the third temperature and the third duration. The third temperature is the ambient temperature required to bake the semiconductor device, and the third duration is the duration required to remove the gaseous water inside the semiconductor device in the baking environment at the third temperature.

[0081] Based on this, the user or the control device can have at least one drying scheme in the second drying device. Each drying scheme corresponds to at least one model of semiconductor device. For any semiconductor device to be processed, the first drying device provides a baking environment with an ambient temperature of the third temperature for the semiconductor device based on the third temperature in the drying scheme corresponding to the semiconductor device, so as to bake the semiconductor device in this baking environment until the baking duration of the semiconductor device in this baking environment reaches the third duration required by the drying scheme. By default, the inside of the semiconductor device is dry, and the baking environment for the semiconductor device is stopped.

[0082] The at least one baking scheme may be the baking scheme specified by relevant technical standards. Taking the plastic-encapsulated semiconductor device as an example, according to the J-STD-033C standard, the baking schemes for semiconductor devices with different MSLs are shown in Table 2 below. Here, the package body is the encapsulation layer.

[0083] Table 2

[0084]

[0085] Still taking Figure 5 as an example, if the plastic-encapsulated device passes the electrical test, then the plastic-encapsulated device is an effective semiconductor device. As shown in Table 2, assuming the MSL of the plastic-encapsulated device is 3, referring to the J-STD-033C standard, the corresponding baking scheme for semiconductor devices with MSL3 is: 125°C, 9 hours. The first drying treatment device provides a baking environment of 125°C for the plastic-encapsulated device, and the plastic-encapsulated device stays in this baking environment for 9 hours. After that, the baking environment provided for the plastic-encapsulated device is stopped, and the baking process ends. After baking, the semiconductor device can still be used normally.

[0086] The second drying treatment device and the first drying treatment device introduced above are optional devices in the test system. For example, when drying the surface of the semiconductor device by natural ventilation, the test system does not include the first drying treatment device. Among them, the second drying treatment device and the first drying treatment device can be the same device or different devices.

[0087] The process shown in the above steps 401 to 402 is an illustration of the sealing ring defect test for a semiconductor device. In another possible implementation, if there are multiple semiconductor devices to be tested, the sealing ring defect test can be performed on each semiconductor device according to the process shown in the above steps 401 to 402, or the sealing ring defect test can be performed on multiple semiconductor devices simultaneously to screen out ineffective semiconductor devices from multiple semiconductor devices. This will not be elaborated here.

[0088] Figure 4 The provided method realizes the pretreatment of the semiconductor device by performing a moisture absorption treatment and a condensation treatment on the semiconductor device. Among them, the moisture absorption treatment can trigger the semiconductor device to absorb moisture, and moisture absorption can increase the gaseous water content of the semiconductor device. For a semiconductor device with a sealing ring defect, during the moisture absorption treatment, as the gaseous water content increases, the gaseous water outside the sealing ring can diffuse into the chip interior through the sealing ring defect. The condensation treatment can condense the gaseous water inside and outside the chip in the semiconductor device into liquid water. Since the liquid water can cause circuit failures in the chip, by detecting the circuit failures in the chip of the semiconductor device after pretreatment, it can be detected whether there is a sealing ring defect in the chip.

[0089] In the above step 402, based on the detection result of the semiconductor device, the detection device determines whether there is a sealing ring defect in the semiconductor device, the failure position on the defective sealing ring, etc. In another possible implementation manner, it is not necessary for the detection device to perform these determination steps, and instead, a person makes a judgment based on this detection result. Alternatively, the test system further includes a control device, and the detection device reports this detection result to the control device, and the control device performs these determination steps based on this detection result.

[0090] Figure 4 The provided method is described by taking the transfer of a semiconductor device among various devices (such as a moisture absorption processing device, a condensation processing device, a drying processing device, a detection device, etc.) in the test system as an example. In another possible implementation manner, the test system further includes a transfer device, and during the sealing ring defect test of the semiconductor device, the transfer device transfers the semiconductor device among various devices in the test system. For example, the transfer device transfers the condensed semiconductor device from the moisture absorption processing device to the condensation processing device, transfers the condensed semiconductor device from the condensation processing device to the first drying device, transfers the surface-dried semiconductor device from the first drying device to the detection device, and transfers the tested semiconductor device from the detection device to the second drying device.

[0091] In another possible implementation manner, the test system further includes a control device, and the control device controls at least one of the moisture absorption processing device, the condensation processing device, the drying processing device, and the transfer device in the test system, so that the at least one device completes the processing steps for the semiconductor device in the above method flow.

[0092] In another possible implementation manner, defect tests are performed on the semiconductor device through reliability tests (RA) such as temperature humidity bias (THB) tests with bias voltage, HAST tests, or unbiased high-acceleration temperature and humidity stress (UHAST) tests without bias voltage. Exemplarily, in these reliability tests, under high-temperature conditions, gaseous water is first diffused into the interior of the semiconductor device without performing condensation processing on the semiconductor device, and then the temperature of the semiconductor device is allowed to naturally drop, so that the gaseous water in the semiconductor device is converted into liquid water, and then circuit fault detection is performed on the chip in the semiconductor device.

[0093] Since only liquid water can cause circuit failures in the chip, and these reliability tests are all carried out under high-temperature conditions, the temperature of the semiconductor device is relatively high. Without the condensation treatment step, it is necessary to wait for a long time for the temperature of the semiconductor device to drop, resulting in too long test time and low test efficiency. Exemplarily, through the THB test, HAST test, UHAST test, and the sealing ring defect test method of the semiconductor device provided in the present application, the moisture sensitivity level tests are respectively carried out on the plastic encapsulated devices of MLS3 level. During the THB test, the plastic encapsulated devices are placed in a high-temperature and high-humidity environment of 85% RH and 85 °C, and at the same time, a power bias is applied for 1000 hours. It takes a very long time to expose the chip sealing ring defects, often 600-700 hours. Compared with the THB test, the method provided in the present application shortens by about 95%. During the HAST / UHAST test, the plastic encapsulated devices are placed in a high-temperature and high-humidity environment of 85% RH and 135 °C for 96 hours. The HAST test applies a bias voltage to the plastic encapsulated devices, and the UHAST test does not apply a bias voltage to the plastic encapsulated devices. Compared with the HAST / UHAST test, the method provided in the present application shortens by about 60%, and at the same time, the unit time cost relative to the HAST / uHAST chamber is reduced by about 65%.

[0094] These reliability tests are destructive experiments, and the semiconductor devices after the tests cannot be restored to the time0 state. However, the method provided in the present application can greatly improve the screening efficiency and detection efficiency of semiconductor devices, and hardly consume the device life. It is a non-destructive and effective test scheme.

[0095] The above takes the collaborative completion of the defectiveness test method of the chip sealing ring provided in the present application by different devices in the test system as an example for description. In another possible implementation, the method is completed by the same device or equipment. The device for implementing the method is introduced below. The device introduced below has any function of the above test system. As described above in combination with Figures 4 to 5 The defectiveness test method of the chip sealing ring according to the embodiments of the present application is described in detail. Based on the same inventive concept, the device for implementing the defectiveness test of the chip sealing ring will be described below in combination with Figure 6 It should be understood that the technical features described in the method flow are equally applicable to the following device.

[0096] See Figure 6 The structural diagram of a defectiveness test device for a chip sealing ring provided in the present application shown in

[0097] A pretreatment module 601, configured to perform pretreatment on the semiconductor device, where the semiconductor device includes a chip with a sealing ring, and the pretreatment includes a moisture absorption treatment and a condensation treatment. The moisture absorption treatment is used to trigger the semiconductor device to absorb moisture, and the condensation treatment is used to trigger the gaseous water in the semiconductor device after moisture absorption to condense into liquid water;

[0098] A detection module 602 is configured to detect circuit faults of the chip within the semiconductor device.

[0099] In a possible implementation, if a circuit fault is detected in the chip, there is a seal ring defect in the semiconductor device.

[0100] In a possible implementation, the detection module 602 is further configured to: determine the position of the defect on the seal ring based on the position of the circuit unit with a circuit fault in the chip.

[0101] In a possible implementation, the cut-off condition of the moisture absorption treatment includes that the gaseous water content of the semiconductor device reaches a saturated state.

[0102] In a possible implementation, the apparatus 600 further includes: a first drying treatment module configured to perform a drying treatment on the interior of the semiconductor device.

[0103] In a possible implementation, the apparatus 600 further includes: a second drying treatment module configured to perform a drying treatment on the surface of the semiconductor device after condensation.

[0104] Among them, the apparatus 600 corresponds to the test system introduced above. Each module in the apparatus 600 and the above other operations and / or functions respectively implement various steps and methods of the devices within the test system. For specific details, refer to the above method flow. For the sake of brevity, it will not be elaborated here.

[0105] When the apparatus 600 performs a seal ring defect test on a semiconductor device, only the above division of functional modules is used for illustration. In practical applications, the above functions can be allocated to different functional modules according to needs, that is, the internal structure of the apparatus 600 is divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. In addition, the apparatus 600 and the above method for testing the defect of the chip seal ring belong to the same concept, and the specific implementation process is as detailed in the above Figure 4 and Figure 5 , which will not be elaborated here.

[0106] The preprocessing module 601 corresponds to the preprocessing device 301 in the above-mentioned test system 300. The preprocessing module 601 has the functions of the preprocessing device 301. In a possible implementation, the preprocessing module 601 includes a moisture absorption processing sub-module and a condensation processing sub-module. The moisture absorption processing sub-module and the condensation processing sub-module respectively correspond to the moisture absorption processing device 311 and the condensation processing device 312 in the above-mentioned test system 300. The moisture absorption processing sub-module has the functions of the moisture absorption processing device 311 and is used to perform moisture absorption processing on semiconductor components. The condensation processing sub-module has the functions of the condensation processing device 312 and is used to perform condensation processing on semiconductor components. The first drying processing module and the second drying processing module respectively correspond to the first drying processing device and the second drying processing device in the above-mentioned test system. The first drying processing module has the functions of the first drying processing device, and the second drying processing device has the functions of the second drying processing device, which will not be elaborated here.

[0107] The devices and methods disclosed in the present application can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device 600 described above is merely illustrative. For example, the division of the modules or units is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another device, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the displayed or discussed couplings or direct couplings or communication connections to each other can be through some interfaces. The indirect couplings or communication connections of the devices or units can be in electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0108] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated. The components displayed as units can be one physical unit or multiple physical units, that is, they can be located in one place, or they can be distributed to multiple different places. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0109] In addition, the functional units in the devices or equipment provided in the present application can be integrated in a processing unit, or each unit can exist physically alone, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit. The above-mentioned integrated units can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

[0110] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for a device (which can be a single-chip microcomputer, chip, etc.) or a processor (processor) to execute all or part of the steps of the chip sealing ring defect test method provided in the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), disk or optical disk and other media that can store program codes.

[0111] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, " / " means "or", for example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" in this article is merely a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, "at least one" means one or more, and "plurality" means two or more. The words "first", "second", etc. do not limit the quantity and execution order, and the words "first", "second", etc. do not limit them to be different.

[0112] In this application, the words "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in this application should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of the words "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the related concepts in a concrete way.

[0113] All the above optional technical solutions can be arbitrarily combined to form optional embodiments of the present application, which will not be described one by one here.

[0114] The above description is only an optional embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A defect testing method for a chip sealing ring, characterized in that, The method includes: Preprocessing a semiconductor device, the semiconductor device including a chip with a sealing ring, the preprocessing including a moisture absorption treatment and a condensation treatment, the moisture absorption treatment being used to trigger moisture absorption by the semiconductor device, and the condensation treatment being used to trigger condensation of gaseous water in the moisture-absorbed semiconductor device into liquid water; Performing a circuit fault detection on the chip within the semiconductor device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, If a circuit fault is detected in the chip, then there is a defect in the sealing ring of the chip.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein After performing the circuit fault detection on the chip within the semiconductor device, the method further includes: Determining the position where there is a defect on the sealing ring based on the position of the circuit unit with a circuit fault in the chip.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The cut-off condition of the moisture absorption treatment includes that the gaseous water content of the semiconductor device reaches a saturated state.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein After performing the circuit fault detection on the chip within the semiconductor device, the method further includes: Performing a drying treatment on the interior of the semiconductor device.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, Before performing the circuit fault detection on the chip within the semiconductor device, the method further includes: Performing a drying treatment on the surface of the semiconductor device after condensation.

7. A test system, characterized in that, The system includes: A preprocessing device for preprocessing a semiconductor device, the semiconductor device including a chip with a sealing ring, the preprocessing including a moisture absorption treatment and a condensation treatment, the moisture absorption treatment being used to trigger moisture absorption by the semiconductor device, and the condensation treatment being used to trigger condensation of gaseous water in the moisture-absorbed semiconductor device into liquid water; A detection device for performing a circuit fault detection on the chip within the semiconductor device.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein If a circuit fault is detected in the chip, then there is a defect in the sealing ring of the chip.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein The detection device is further configured to: Determine the position where there is a defect on the sealing ring based on the position of the circuit unit with a circuit fault in the chip.

10. The system according to any one of claims 7-9, characterized in that, The cut-off condition of the moisture absorption treatment includes that the gaseous water content of the semiconductor device reaches a saturated state.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein The system further includes: A first drying treatment device for performing a drying treatment on the interior of the semiconductor device.

12. The system according to any one of claims 7-11, characterized in that, The system further includes: A second drying treatment device for performing a drying treatment on the surface of the semiconductor device after condensation.

13. A defective testing device for a chip sealing ring, characterized in that, The apparatus includes: A preprocessing module for preprocessing a semiconductor device, the semiconductor device including a chip with a sealing ring, the preprocessing including a moisture absorption treatment and a condensation treatment, the moisture absorption treatment being used to trigger moisture absorption by the semiconductor device, and the condensation treatment being used to trigger condensation of gaseous water in the moisture-absorbed semiconductor device into liquid water; A detection module for performing a circuit fault detection on the chip within the semiconductor device.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein, If a circuit fault is detected in the chip, then there is a defect in the sealing ring of the chip.

15. The device according to claim 14, characterized in that, The detection module is further configured to: Determine the position where there is a defect on the sealing ring based on the position of the circuit unit with a circuit fault in the chip.

16. The device according to any one of claims 13-15, characterized in that The cut-off condition of the moisture absorption treatment includes that the gaseous water content of the semiconductor device reaches a saturated state.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein The apparatus further includes: A first drying treatment module for performing a drying treatment on the interior of the semiconductor device.

18. The device according to any one of claims 13-17, characterized in that, The device further includes: A second drying processing module for drying the surface of the semiconductor device after condensation.

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