Device array scribe characterization vehicle test chip for ultra fast product wafer variability monitoring

Lower supply voltages and aggressive OPC on 65nm and below technologies are causing larger variability of critical device parameters like Vt and Id. With ever increasing clock frequencies, more and more performance related yield loss can be observed even for purely digital circuits. To design more robust circuits it is required to characterize device variability within die, within wafer, wafer to wafer as well as lot to lot. Large samples of device measurements are necessary for accurate variability characterization. A novel Characterization Vehicle (CV) has been developed, which achieves an extremely efficient placement of several hundred devices by arranging them underneath the probing pads. Placed next to product chips, those Scribe CV test chips are providing Vtlin, Idlin, Vtsat, Idsat, Gmlin, and Gmsat for more than 25000 devices per 300 nun wafer requiring less than 20 minutes for testing.