Temperature-gradient based test scheduling for 3D stacked ICs

Defects that are dependent on temperature-gradients (e.g., delay-faults) introduce a challenge for achieving an effective test process, in particular for 3D ICs. Testing for such defects must be performed when the proper temperature gradients are enforced on the IC, otherwise these defects may escape the test. In this paper, a technique that efficiently heats up the IC during test so that it complies with the specified temperature gradients is proposed. The specified temperature gradients are achieved by applying heating sequences to the cores of the IC under test trough test access mechanism; thus no external heating mechanism is required. The scheduling of the test and heating sequences is based on thermal simulations. The schedule generation is guided by functions derived from the IC´s temperature equation. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed technique offers considerable test time savings.