A Survey of Techniques for Producing Known Good Die

Known good die (KGD) have been available, primarily for use in hybrids, for many years. The MCM industry is now becoming the driving force for new standards of die quality that may only be achieved by individual die test and burn‐in. High yielding MCM designs will depend on fully tested die being available. This paper examines the progress of known good die from its beginnings over 15 years ago to the methods now available for screening of die including various types of temporary die carrier. The survey also looks at the future of mass KGD using wafer level burn‐in and test. The success of KGD depends on choosing the correct screening option for a particular product to balance quality and cost. Selection criteria are therefore included for five main levels of KGD, each using a different screening technique. Also included is an overview of the temporary die carriers from TI/MMS and from National Semiconductors.