New burn-in methodology based on IC attributes, family IC burn-in data, and failure mechanism analysis

This paper describes a new methodology for selecting effective burn-in strategies for integrated circuits (ICs) in automotive applications. The method analyzes failure mechanisms for different IC technologies and utilizes family IC data to determine appropriate burn-in conditions for new ICs. The burn-in effectiveness for metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) and bipolar technologies is discussed. Burn-in data is presented to demonstrate that burn-in is no longer a cost effective screening process for bipolar ICs and some MOS ICs, but it is still needed for MOS ICs with large die sizes and complex processing technologies. Data also reveals that burn-in is primarily useful for detecting wafer processing defects rather than packaging defects. To select family ICs, a method based on IC attributes is described. Practical guidelines on how to use family IC data and acceleration factors to reduce burn-in time are also explained.