On-Chip Heater Design and Control Methodology for Reliability Testing Applications Requiring Over 300°C Local Temperatures

This paper presents the design details and control methodologies for on-chip heaters that can provide fast and accurate local temperature control for reliability testing applications. The on-chip heater uses the Joule heating effect of a metal or poly line to heat the surrounding devices-under-test (DUT) to a target temperature as high as 300°C. Many generations of on-chip heaters, including different heater positions, heater areas, and heater layers, have been demonstrated in technology nodes from 350nm to 16nm. To accurately operate the heater and extend the heater’s operation lifetime for long-term reliability testing, we have also developed control methodologies for precise and reliable heater control.