Step 17 of 17Test & assembly (back-end)
Final test
The last quality gate before shipping.
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At a glance
Inputs
- Packaged chips
- Final-test program
- Test handler & sockets
ProcessFinal test
Outputs
- Graded, ship-ready chips (and reject stream)
What is it?
Testing the fully packaged chip — often across voltage and temperature, sometimes with burn-in — to confirm it meets specification before it ships.
Why is it needed?
Packaging can introduce new failures, and customers need guaranteed parts. Final test is the last gate: it verifies function and performance and sorts parts into speed/quality grades (binning).
How does it work?
The packaged part is loaded into a test handler and contacted by a socket; automated test equipment runs functional and parametric tests, often over a temperature range.
Burn-in may stress parts to weed out early-life failures. Passing parts are binned by performance grade; failures are scrapped.
Critical parameters
- Test coverage
- Test conditions (V, T)
- Binning accuracy
- Test time
Typical defects
- Escaped defective units (test escapes)
- Yield loss from over-rejection
- Socket contact issues
Equipment involved
- Automated test equipment (ATE)
- Test handlers
- Burn-in ovens
Materials involved
- Test sockets