Database approach for storage and retrieval of test parameters for manufacturability

This paper deals with the test challenges in transferring test parameters from one insertion to another. The method is elaborated with the context of configuring the correct data to be programmed in the functional fuses of dual core processors. Functional fuses are device family specific and are used to configure thermal offset limits, device specifications and many other vital parameters. The challenge is to transfer the parameters obtained from one automatic test equipment (ATE) insertion to a different one for fusing. The current method stores this data in a portion of the functional fuses reserved for engineering. However, this method limits the amount of data that can be stored as well as the number of fuses available for other purposes. This paper proposes a new method to store the fuse values in a centralized database. The approach is based on querying for a particular part´s previous test data stored in the central database and using the data returned to correctly program the fuse bits. This technique is extended to have flow control, segregation of parametric outliers and checksum of fused data to cater for manufacturing.