Bond Wire Loss Detection Circuit With Redundant Pass Transistor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current approaches fail to accurately detect single point bond wire loss failures in semiconductor devices, particularly in automotive applications where high safety standards require 99% coverage of single point failure metrics, leading to potential system failures.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor device with a bond wire loss detection circuit that detects voltage differentials between bond pads and activates a pass transistor to provide a conductive path, ensuring redundancy and compliance with safety standards by indicating bond wire loss and enabling a safe operating state.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional bond wire connections are used without detection mechanisms, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability deteriorates due to undetected single point failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary detection action by monitoring bond wire integrity before failures propagate to cause system-level failures. The detection circuit continuously or periodically checks for open circuit conditions in bond wires connecting the IC to the package, enabling early fault detection and redundancy activation before the failure impacts safety-critical functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary detection circuit and redundancy mechanism between the bond wire physical layer and the functional IC layers. This intermediary layer includes detection circuitry that monitors bond wire continuity and redundancy circuitry that can activate alternative signal paths when bond wire failures are detected, thereby isolating the failure impact and maintaining system reliability.
2Reliability
If redundancy mechanisms are implemented to meet 99% safety coverage, then reliability improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial redundancy by implementing detection and redundancy mechanisms specifically for bond wires rather than duplicating entire safety-critical functions. The redundancy is targeted at the most vulnerable interconnection point (bond wires) rather than providing full functional redundancy, achieving the required 99% safety coverage with minimized complexity overhead.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the detection circuit continuously monitors bond wire integrity and provides feedback signals to control redundancy activation. When bond wire failures are detected, the feedback signal triggers activation of redundant signal paths or safety states, creating a closed-loop system that automatically responds to failures and maintains safety coverage.
3Measurement precision
If detection circuits are added to monitor bond wire continuity, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the detection function into a dedicated, simplified detection circuit that is separate from the main IC functional blocks. This extracted detection circuit focuses solely on monitoring bond wire continuity using simple electrical continuity checks, avoiding the complexity of full functional testing while achieving precise detection of open circuit conditions in bond wires.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively detects bond wire losses and provides a redundant safety mechanism, ensuring the semiconductor device remains functional even in the event of bond wire failure, thus meeting high-risk safety standards.
Implementation Method 1
the pass transistor provides a conductive path between the first bond pad and the second bond pad
Implementation Method 2
the bond wire loss detection circuit being configured to detect a voltage differential between the first bond pad and the second bond pad
Data Source
AI summary
In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a semiconductor device including: a package including a plurality of pins; a semiconductor die including: a first bond pad; a second bond pad; and a pass transistor having: a drain terminal electrically coupled with the first bond pad; and a source terminal electrically coupled with the second bond pad; a first bond wire extending between a pin of the plurality of pins and the first bond pad; and a second bond wire extending between the pin and the second bond pad, the pass transistor being configured to facilitate detection of at least one of: lack of electrical continuity between the pin and the first bond pad; or lack of electrical continuity between the pin and the second bond pad.