News Article
SUSS MicroTec installs 300mm WLR test system in Japan
A dedicated 300mm WLR test system installed at semiconductor device manufacturer
SUSS MicroTec, announced the installation of its WLR test system, the world’s most advanced 300mm wafer level reliability (WLR) test system, at a leading Japanese manufacturer of semiconductor devices. It will be used for testing the reliability of current and next generation devices.
As the technology and design of semiconductor devices advance, the need to test their reliability and gauge their lifetime becomes more acute. Common reliability tests, such as electromigration (EM) and time dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB), require the device under test (DUT) to be put under thermal and electrical stress over long periods of time to accelerate failure mechanisms. Before the WLR test system, these measurements were carried out after the DUT had been packaged, a costly process that delays time to data and lengthens the device design cycle. By moving these tests to wafer level, reliability data is obtained sooner, and the device design cycle and thus time to market can be improved significantly.
The WLR test system handles large, multi site probe cards and its stable design withstands temperatures as high as 400°C for test times of several weeks. Built in automated control systems manage the entire system during operation, from controlling the level of oxygen in the wafer chamber, critical for reliability test of copper interconnects, to regulating temperature control systems.
“This installation of the test system shows the increasingly important role reliability test is playing in the device design process,” said Dr. Claus Dietrich, Test Systems Division Manager, SUSS MicroTec.
