An MIV Fault Diagnosis Method Based on Signal Transmission Performance Analysis

Monolithic inter-tier vias (MIVs) in monolithic 3-D integrated circuits (M3D ICs) enables massive vertical integration. However, MIVs are more susceptible to defects due to high integration density and complex manufacturing processes. Existing MIV test techniques can effectively detect and locate MIV faults, but diagnosable fault types are limited. We propose a novel fault diagnosis method based on signal transmission performance analysis. This method can diagnose more fault types, including resistive open, hard open, short, and leakage faults. In the proposed solution, fault diagnosis can be carried out by comprehensively monitoring voltage and delay characteristics of MIVs. The effectiveness of fault diagnosis is verified through high speed simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis (HSPICE) simulations. We also perform Monte Carlo simulations to prove that the proposed method has high robustness even in the case of process variations. Experimental results show that the proposed method has low hardware overhead while ensuring high diagnostic resolution.