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US 10,250,233 B2Granted
Method for compensating effects of substrate stresses in semiconductor devices, and corresponding device
AssigneeSTMicroelectronics S.r.l.
InventorGiuseppe Scilla
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A semiconductor substrate includes a first portion and a second portion. The first portion of the substrate has a first deformation-stress sensor capable of supplying a first stress signal. The second portion of the substrate has a second deformation-stress sensor capable of supplying a second stress signal. The first stress signal and second stress signal are processed by a circuit to produce a compensation signal. The compensation signal is applied in feedback to one of the first and second stress signals to compensate for variations induced in said one of the first and second stress signals by stresses in the semiconductor substrate.
Claims29
A semiconductor device including a substrate with a first portion and a second portion, the semiconductor device including:
- at least one first deformation stress sensor coupled with said first portion of the substrate of the semiconductor device, said at least one first deformation stress sensor providing a first stress signal;
- at least one second deformation stress sensor coupled with said second portion of the substrate of the semiconductor device, said at least one second deformation stress sensor providing a second stress signal;
- a processing circuit coupled with said at least one first deformation stress sensor and said at least one second deformation stress sensor and configured for:
- processing said first stress signal and said second stress signal and producing at least one compensation signal as a function of said first stress signal and said second stress signal;
- applying said at least one compensation signal to the first stress signal to compensate for variations induced by stresses in the substrate of the semiconductor device.
2 more elements
A method of compensating variations induced in a signal generated in a semiconductor device by stresses in the substrate of said semiconductor device, the method including:
- coupling at least one first deformation stress sensor to a first portion of the substrate of the semiconductor device, said at least one first stress sensor providing a first stress signal;
- coupling at least one second deformation stress sensor to a second portion of the substrate of the semiconductor device, said at least one second stress sensor providing a second stress signal;
- processing said first stress signal and said second stress signal to produce at least one compensation signal as a function of said first stress signal and said second stress signal;
- and
- compensating variations in said signal generated in the semiconductor circuit as a function of said at least one compensation signal;
- wherein said signal generated in the semiconductor circuit includes an output signal of a generator stage, and compensating comprises applying said at least one compensation signal at an input of said generator stage;
- and
- wherein applying comprises injecting current into or drawing current from the input of said generator stage.
5 more elements
A semiconductor device, comprising:
- a packaged semiconductor chip subject to a bending deformation which induces a relatively higher degree of stress in a first portion of the semiconductor chip and a relatively lower degree of stress in a second portion of the semiconductor chip;
- a stress sensing circuit comprising:
- a first resistor element located within the first portion of the semiconductor chip;
- and
- a second resistor element located within the second portion of the semiconductor chip;
- a differential amplifier circuit having a first input connected to the first resistor element and a second input connected to the second resistor element;
- and
- a negative feedback circuit having an input coupled to an output of the differential amplifier circuit and an output configured to generate a feedback current that is one of sourced to or sunk from the first input of the differential amplifier circuit.
5 more elements
A semiconductor device including a substrate with a first portion and a second portion, the semiconductor device including:
- at least one first deformation stress sensor coupled with said first portion of the substrate of the semiconductor device, said at least one first deformation stress sensor providing a first stress signal;
- at least one second deformation stress sensor coupled with said second portion of the substrate of the semiconductor device, said at least one second deformation stress sensor providing a second stress signal;
- wherein said at least one first deformation stress sensor and said at least one second deformation stress sensor are coupled in a Wheatstone bridge arrangement with the first and second stress signals being indicative of the deformation of said substrate
- a processing circuit coupled with said at least one first deformation stress sensor and said at least one second deformation stress sensor and configured for:
- processing said first stress signal and said second stress signal and producing at least one compensation signal as a function of said first stress signal and said second stress signal;
- applying said at least one compensation signal to a signal generated by the semiconductor circuit by compensating variations induced in said generated signal by stresses in the substrate of the semiconductor device.
3 more elements
A semiconductor device including a substrate with a first portion and a second portion, the semiconductor device including:
- at least one first deformation stress sensor coupled with said first portion of the substrate of the semiconductor device, said at least one first deformation stress sensor providing a first stress signal;
- at least one second deformation stress sensor coupled with said second portion of the substrate of the semiconductor device, said at least one second deformation stress sensor providing a second stress signal;
- wherein said second portion of the substrate includes a central portion of the substrate, and said first portion of the substrate includes a portion of said substrate located peripherally with respect to said central portion;
- a processing circuit coupled with said at least one first deformation stress sensor and said at least one second deformation stress sensor and configured for:
- processing said first stress signal and said second stress signal and producing at least one compensation signal as a function of said first stress signal and said second stress signal;
- applying said at least one compensation signal to a signal generated by the semiconductor circuit by compensating variations induced in said generated signal by stresses in the substrate of the semiconductor device.
3 more elements
A method of compensating variations induced in a signal generated in a semiconductor device by stresses in the substrate of said semiconductor device, the method including:
- coupling at least one first deformation stress sensor to a first portion of the substrate of the semiconductor device located centrally of the substrate, said at least one first stress sensor providing a first stress signal;
- coupling at least one second deformation stress sensor to a second portion of the substrate of the semiconductor device located peripherally with respect to said central portion, said at least one second stress sensor providing a second stress signal;
- processing said first stress signal and said second stress signal to produce at least one compensation signal as a function of said first stress signal and said second stress signal;
- and
- compensating variations in said signal generated in the semiconductor circuit as a function of said at least one compensation signal.
2 more elements
A semiconductor device, comprising:
- a first resistor element located within a first portion of a semiconductor substrate;
- and
- a second resistor element located within a second portion of the semiconductor substrate;
- a differential amplifier circuit having a first input connected to the first resistor element and a second input connected to the second resistor element;
- and
- a negative feedback circuit having an input coupled to an output of the differential amplifier circuit and an output configured to generate a feedback current that is one of sourced to or sunk from the first input of the differential amplifier circuit.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.