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US 10,650,111 B2Granted
Electrical mask validation
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsDaniel Corliss, Derren N. Dunn, Michael A. Guillorn, Shawn P. Fetterolf
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An embodiment of the invention may include a method for ensuring semiconductor design integrity. The method may include analyzing a photomask design for a semiconductor circuit. The photomask may include a primary electrical design necessary for the operation of the semiconductor circuit, and white space, which has no primary electrical design. The method may include inserting a secondary electrical design into the white space of the photomask design for the semiconductor circuit. The secondary electrical design may have known electrical properties for validating the semiconductor circuit design.
Claims24
A method for ensuring semiconductor design integrity, the method comprising:
- analyzing one or more photomask designs for one or more semiconductor chips, the photomask design having one or more circuit designs for one or more semiconductor chips and a kerf between the one or more circuit designs for the one or more semiconductor chips, the one or more circuit designs for the one or more semiconductor chips having a primary electrical design necessary for the operation of the one or more semiconductor chips, and white space within the primary electrical design, wherein the white space has no primary electrical design;
- and
- inserting a secondary electrical circuit design into the white space of the one or more circuit designs for the one or more semiconductor chips, the secondary electrical circuit design having interconnects between at least two photomask layers, wherein the secondary electrical circuit design has one or more known testable electrical properties for validating the one or more semiconductor chips, and wherein the secondary electrical design is electrically isolated from the primary electrical design.
A method for ensuring semiconductor design integrity, the method comprising:
- analyzing one or more photomask designs for one or more semiconductor chips, the photomask design having one or more circuit designs for one or more semiconductor chips and a kerf between the one or more circuit designs for the one or more semiconductor chips, the one or more circuit designs for the one or more semiconductor chips having a primary electrical design necessary for the operation of the one or more semiconductor chips, wherein the white space has no primary electrical design;
- and
- inserting a secondary electrical circuit design into the white space of the one or more circuit designs for the one or more semiconductor chips, the secondary electrical circuit design having interconnects between at least two photomask designs, wherein the secondary electrical circuit design has one or more known electrical properties for validating the one or more semiconductor chips, and wherein the secondary electrical circuit design is electrically coupled to the primary electrical design.
A method for ensuring semiconductor design integrity, the method comprising:
- analyzing one or more photomask designs for one or more semiconductor chips, the photomask design having one or more circuit designs for one or more semiconductor chips and a kerf between the one or more circuit designs for the one or more semiconductor chips, the one or more circuit designs for the one or more semiconductor chips having a primary electrical design necessary for the operation of the one or more semiconductor chips, and white space within the primary electrical design, wherein the white space has no primary electrical design;
- and
- inserting a secondary electrical circuit design into the white space of the one or more circuit designs for the one or more semiconductor chips, the secondary electrical circuit design having interconnects between at least two photomask designs, wherein the secondary electrical circuit design has one or more known electrical properties for validating the one or more semiconductor chips and wherein the secondary electrical circuit design comprises covershapes, the covershapes being areas of omitted electrical circuit design;
- building the one or more semiconductor chips according to the photomask design;
- analyzing the one or more semiconductor chips for the one or more known electrical properties of the secondary electrical circuit design;
- comparing the electrical properties of the one or more semiconductor chips to the one or more known electrical properties of the secondary electrical circuit design;
- and
- validating the one or more semiconductor chips when the one or more known electrical properties of the secondary electrical circuit design match.
5 more elements
A method for ensuring semiconductor design integrity, the method comprising:
- analyzing one or more photomask designs for a plurality of semiconductor chips, the photomask design having one or more circuit designs for one or more semiconductor chips and a kerf between the one or more circuit designs for the one or more semiconductor chips, the one or more circuit designs for the one or more semiconductor chips having a primary electrical design necessary for the operation of each one of the plurality semiconductor chips, and white space between the designs for the plurality of semiconductor chips, wherein the white space has no primary electrical design;
- and
- inserting a secondary electrical circuit design into the white space of the one or more circuit designs for the plurality of semiconductor chips, the secondary electrical circuit design having interconnects between at least two photomask layers, wherein the secondary electrical circuit design has one or more known electrical properties for validating the plurality of semiconductor chips.
A semiconductor structure comprising:
- a primary electrical circuit necessary for the operation of the semiconductor circuit, and white space within the primary electrical circuit, wherein the white space has no primary electrical circuit;
- and
- a secondary electrical circuit formed in the white space of the primary electrical circuit, the secondary electrical circuit having interconnects between at least two deposition layers of the semiconductor, wherein the secondary electrical circuit has one or more known electrical properties for validating the semiconductor circuit design.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.