Test semiconductor device and method for determining Joule heating effects in such a device
AssigneeAgere Systems Inc.
InventorsSeung Kang, Subramanian Karthikeyan, Sailesh Merchant
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Abstract
Method and test structures for determining heating effects in a test semiconductor device (10) are provided. The test device may include a first conductive metal structure (151-156) for accepting a flow of electric current that causes a heating effect. The test device may further include a second conductive metal structure proximate (121-126) the first conductive structure for obtaining resistivity changes in response to the heating effect. The resistivity changes are indicative of temperature changes due to the heating effect.
Claims13
A test semiconductor device comprising:
- a test structure constructed in said semiconductor device, said test structure comprising a first conductive metal structure having a first test function for accepting a flow of electric current that causes a heating effect, and a second conductive metal structure proximate said first conductive structure having a second test function for exhibiting resistivity changes in response to said heating effect, wherein the respective first and second test functions for the first and second conductive metal structures are mutually interchangeable with one another, and further wherein said first and second conductive metal structures comprise electrically separate structures from one another.
A test structure constructed in a multi-level semiconductor device comprising:
- a first conductive metal structure for accepting a flow of electric current that causes a heating effect, and a second conductive metal structure proximate said first conductive structure exhibiting resistivity changes in response to said heating effect, wherein said multi-level device includes respective ones of said first and second conductive metal structures at one or more levels of said multi-level device for determining a respective heating effect at said one or more levels of said multi-level device, and further wherein said first and second conductive metal structures comprise electrically separate structures from one another.
13-18. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.