This article shows how 3D XRM can be applied to nondestructively detect non-optimized assembly processes that can influence local stresses and overall device reliability. This makes it useful for process development and failure analysis. When used along with AI training models, 3D XRM can achieve analysis of highly integrated packaging structures with reasonable throughput for process validation and error correction guidance.

Four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D-STEM) is a spatially resolved electron diffraction technique that records the electron scattering distribution at each point of the electron beam raster, thereby producing a four-dimensional dataset. The final article in this series covers ptychography, a form of computational imaging that recovers the phase information imparted to an electron beam as it interacts with a specimen.

A deep learning-based nondestructive approach for void segmentation in BGA solder balls using 3D x-ray microscopy is presented.

This article describes a proposed novel metric to furnish chip designers with a prognostic tool for x-ray imaging in the pre-silicon stage. This metric is fashioned to provide designers with a concrete measure of how visible the fine-pitched features of their designs are under x-ray inspection. It utilizes a combination of x-ray image data collection, analysis, and simulations to evaluate different design elements.

New materials integration and improved design can be promoted by using atom probe tomography (APT) as an analysis technique. This article provides an overview of APT principles and setups and provides diverse examples that focus on its use to characterize electronic devices.

Four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D-STEM) is a spatially resolved electron diffraction technique that records the electron scattering distribution at each point of the electron beam raster, thereby producing a four-dimensional dataset. This second installment of this series presents applications of 4D-STEM, including measurements of crystal orientation and phase, short- and medium-range order, and internal electromagnetic fields.

This article describes recent advancements in multi-probe sensing schemes and development of a tomographic atomic force microscopy tool for materials research and failure analysis.

A scanning electron microscope system measures voltage contrast on device-under-test surfaces. This article addresses a limited set of applications that rely on voltage contrast (VC) measurements in SEM systems, showing how VC measurements can probe electrical activity running at speeds as high as 2 GHz on modern active integrated circuits.

The high energy-resolving power of superconducting x-ray detectors reduces unwanted x-ray backgrounds, uses x-ray photons efficiently, and allows for discrimination among multiple chemical elements in a sample. This article discusses the challenges of analyzing the internal structure and composition of integrated circuits, and how 3D imaging can benefit manufacturers and researchers. It covers the development of superconducting x-ray sensors, their advantages over traditional sensors, potential applications, and focus areas for future work to develop this technology.

Existing plastic analysis techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy are problematic because samples must be anhydrous and identification can be hindered by additives. This article describes a new approach that has been successfully demonstrated in which plastics can be classified by neural networks that are trained, validated, and tested by frequency domain fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy measurements.

Four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D-STEM) is a spatially resolved electron diffraction technique that records the electron scattering distribution at each sampling point. 4D-STEM provides researchers with information that can be analyzed in a multitude of ways to characterize a sample’s structure, including imaging, strain measurement, and defect analysis. This article introduces the basics of the technique and some areas of application with an emphasis on semiconductor materials.

This is the story of how the mainstream Omniprobe FIB lift-out solution was invented and delivered to the market.

Scanning microwave impedance microscopy is a nearfield technique using microwaves to probe the electrical properties of materials with nanoscale lateral resolution.

This article discusses sample preparation challenges that have impeded progress in producing bias-enabled TEM samples from electronic components, as well as strategies to mitigate these issues.

This article presents and evaluates a calibration method that significantly improves the spectral information that can be extracted from photon emission signals obtained from semiconductor devices. Step-by-step instructions are given for calibrating photon emission microscopes for specific measurements such as device parameters and material band gap. The article also discusses the types of errors that can occur during calibration. Although the procedure presented is used on InGaAs sensors, it applies to all common photon emission detectors.

This article demonstrates the value of atomic force microscopes, particularly the different electrical modes, for characterizing complex microelectronic structures. It presents experimental results obtained from deep trench isolation (DTI) structures using SCM and SSRM analysis with emphasis on the voltage applied by the AFM. From these measurements, a failure analysis workflow is proposed that facilitates AFM voltage optimization to reveal the structure of cross-sectioned samples, make comparisons, and determine the underlying cause of failures.

This article provides an overview of a commercial 3D X-ray system, explaining how it acquires high-resolution images of submicron defects in large intact samples. It presents examples in which the system is used to reveal cracks in thin redistribution layers, voids in organic substrates, and variations in TSV metallization on 300-mm wafers. As the authors explain, each scan can be done in as little as a few minutes regardless of sample size, and the resulting images are clear of the beam hardening artifacts that often cause problems in failure analysis and reverse engineering.

Sample preparation is a critical step for dopant profiling of FinFET devices, especially when targeting individual fins. This article describes a sample-preparation technique based on low-energy, shallow-angle ion milling and shows how it minimizes surface amorphization and improves scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM) signals representative of local active dopant concentration.

This article discusses the challenges associated with nanoprobing advanced technology node devices and explains how to optimize SEM images for beam voltages of 100 eV or less.

This article discusses the tradeoffs associated with minimizing beam dose in a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) and explains how to reduce beam exposure through subsampling and inpainting, a signal reconstruction technique that optimizes image quality and resolution. Although the method is described in the context of STEM imaging, it applies to any scanned imaging system.