Quality assured mass productive 1.6V operational 0.18 /spl mu/m 1T1C FRAM embedded smart card with advanced integration technologies against defectives

We have made great progress for mass production of a highly reliable 1.6V, 0.18 mum 1T1C FRAM embedded smart card. For mass production, our device has to pass standard qualification tests on the package level. These contain the infant life test (ILT), the high temperature operating life (HTOL), the endurance and the high temperature storage (HTS) test. Problems in the PZT capacitor integration scheme led to single bit fails during the standard ILT, HTOL and HTS tests. The causes are broken EBL and TE/PZT interface damage, which were removed by the modification of top electrode deposition and capacitor etching processes and by a new capping oxide deposition scheme