Improvement of degradation detection in ESD test for semiconductor products

ESD test is one of the key items in evaluation tests for semiconductor products, and human body model (HBM) ESD test is the most popular and standardized test among three typical ESD models. In HBM ESD test, some issues are experienced in the detection of device degradation as Pass/Fail judgment after ESD stress applied. Some kind of device degradation cannot be detected with the conventional test condition and criteria. Against these issues, improved judgment test using effective combination of optimized DC leak test and device functional test was proposed and performed. It is confirmed that this method would realize more efficient and accurate judgment in ESD test.