RELIABILITY TESTING SOFTWARE Transfer of National Laboratory technologies to the private sector to enhance U.S. economic competitiveness is a mission of Sandia National Laboratories. In accordance with current legislation, Sandia is seeking industrial partners for the licensing and commercialization of the following technology. Sandia National Laboratories has developed a Wafer-Level Reliability (WLR) testing software code known as SWORD (Sandia Wafer-level software for Reliable Devices). SWORD algorithms let process and reliability engineers carry out accelerated stressing of special test structures on-wafer. Accelerated WLR tests cover three major categories: (1) oxide integrity; (2) electromigration; and (3) hot carrier degradation. Integrated circuit (IC) manufacturers can use the test results in developing new fabrication process, such as those needed for advanced microelectronics that use multilayered interconnects and sub micron feature sizes. Accelerated tests can also benchmark processes for the reliability of products they are used to create. SWORD gives manufacturers the ability to go beyond simply screening out defects to actually building-in reliability. By reducing the long lead-time and large sample sizes of traditional reliability studies on packaged-parts, WLR testing saves money by providing manufacturers with more accurate product information in a shorter period of time. Accelerated testing on wafers shortens development time and increases confidence in new and modified manufacturing processes. Respondents to this licensing opportunity should be fully conversant with WRL testing software for ICs. Selected respondents will be asked to submit a business plan for the commercialization of this technology. Interested companies should send a written response within fourteen days from the date of this publication to: Kay Carter, Sandia National Laboratories, Org. 4202, M/S 1380, P.O. Box 5800, Albuquerque, NM 87185-1380, FAX (505) 271-7867.

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0710 19950517\SP-0005.MSC)