This article discusses the basic principles of dark current spectroscopy (DCS), a measurement technique that can detect and identify low levels of metal contaminants in CMOS image sensors. An example is given in which DCS is used to determine the concentration of tungsten and gold contaminants in an image sensor and estimate the dark current generated by a single atom of each metal.

This article provides a brief introduction to through-silicon via technology, a system-level architecture in which multiple layers of planar devices are stacked with interconnects running in the vertical as well as lateral direction. Some of the different fabrication processes in use are discussed along with related challenges.

This article discusses some of the early uses of emission microscopy in semiconductor device failure analysis and the challenges that were overcome to make it the invaluable tool it is today. One of the impediments early on was a misconception that silicon cannot emit light when, in fact, it has several light emission mechanisms that have proven useful in electron microscopy. One such mechanism, avalanche luminescence, occurs in junctions during reverse breakdown and is useful for resolving low breakdown voltage and problems with ESD protection circuits. Other light emission mechanisms discussed in the article include forward bias emission, MOS transistor saturation, and dielectric luminescence, which is used to examine oxide test structures and detect oxide defects.

The 22nd European Symposium on Reliability of Electron Devices, Failure Physics and Analysis (ESREF 2011) was held October 3 to 7, 2011, in Bordeaux, France. The conference concentrated on two main areas in electronics that concern designers, manufacturers, and users: (1) strategy for quality and reliability assessment of electronic circuits and systems, and (2) advanced analysis techniques for technology and product evaluation. This article reports on highlights of the technical program.

The ability to place atoms one by one at specific atomic sites was first used to create functioning electronic devices in the late 1990s. Since then, the process known as atomic precision advanced manufacturing (APAM) has been further developed and both academic and commercial interest in its potential has grown. This article describes the nuances of the process, explaining that it places dopants into silicon using surface chemistry, a mechanism not typically used in microfabrication. It also discusses ongoing efforts to develop more complex quantum devices using APAM techniques and outlines the challenges involved in interfacing APAM and CMOS devices on the same die.

Magnetic field imaging is proving to be a valuable tool for semiconductor failure analysts and test engineers. One of its main advantages is that it does not require sample preparation or deprocessing because magnetic fields pass through most materials used in ICs and device packages. This article discusses the theory and practical limitations of magnetic field imaging and demonstrates its use in mapping current density and determining the location and depth of current-carrying conductors.

Passive voltage contrast (PVC) has traditionally been used by semiconductor engineers for end-of-line post-mortem analysis. PVC distinguishes between open and short structures and is both nondestructive and noncontact. When applied during process development for in-line characterization, it allows wafers to be examined at multiple points, where electrical probing might not be feasible. This provides feedback on the cumulative effect of the process on critical parameters such as oxide integrity and can reduce development cycle times because wafers do not have to be deprocessed in order to determine the exact location of failures. Two case studies are presented in this article, demonstrating the use of PVC in a process development environment.

This article discusses the emergence of nanoelectronics and the effect it may have on semiconductor testing and failure analysis. It describes the different types of quantum effect and molecular electronic devices that have been produced, explaining how they are made, how they work, and the changes that may be required to manufacture and test these devices at scale.

Engineers at Infineon Technologies have developed a way to detect probing-induced fracture in semiconductor wafers in real-time using acoustic emission sensing and burst-signal energy filtering techniques. In this article, they describe the measurement procedure and demonstrate its use on complex semiconductor pad stacks. They also present experimental results that shed new light on the relationship between probe tip contact force and crack probability in thin, brittle layers typical of BEOL layer stacks in CMOS ICs.

This article describes an ebook titled STEM-in-SEM: Introduction to Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy for Microelectronics Failure Analysis , intended as an introductory tutorial for those with little or no transmission imaging experience and as a source of ideas for SEM users looking to expand the imaging and diffraction capabilities of their equipment.

Scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM) has proven to be an effective tool for investigating doping-related failure mechanism in ICs. The examples in this article show how the author used SCM to solve various problems including premature breakdown due to pattern misalignment, threshold voltage variations caused by poly gate doping anomalies, and source-drain leakage due to channeling effects.

This article provides a high-level review of the tools and techniques used for backside analysis. It discusses the use of laser scanning and conventional microscopy, liquid and solid immersion lenses, photon emission microscopy (PEM), and laser-based fault isolation methods with emphasis on light-induced voltage alteration (LIVA). It explains how laser voltage probing is used for backside waveform acquisition and describes backside sample preparation and deprocessing techniques including parallel polishing and milling, laser chemical etching, and FIB circuit edit and modification.

This column reviews a survey of the top ISTFA contributors from 1999 to 2008 and the topics addressed in their papers.

Automotive electronics are exposed to mechanical shock and vibration, thermal cycling, chemical attack, current and voltage spikes, electromagnetic interference, and other hazards. Early life failures, which are not uncommon, can be difficult to diagnose due to the many contributing factors. This article provides an overview of automotive electronic failures and presents guidelines for determining the root cause.

This is the second article in a two-part series that explains how to measure the performance of solid immersion lenses (SILs) used for backside imaging and analysis. In Part I, published in the February 2015 issue of EDFA , the authors describe how they modified a frontside metrology target and used it to evaluate a SIL in a backside imaging system, which prompted the development of an unmounted, backside-specific version of the through-silicon target. In Part II, they explain how these new targets, in addition to measuring resolution, are being used to determine the field of view as well as the line spread and edge response of backside imaging systems. They also discuss some of the challenges encountered when using the targets to characterize emission microscopy systems.

Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) refers to a suite of techniques that measure the interaction between a fine probe or tip and a sample in contact or close proximity. These interaction measurements allow the study of properties such as topology, magnetic and electric fields, capacitance, temperature, work function, and friction. The information obtained from SPM plays an important role in IC failure analysis.

Various NVM technologies are being explored for neuromorphic system realization, including resistive RAM, ferroelectric RAM, phase change RAM, spin transfer torque RAM, and NAND flash. This article discusses the potential of RRAM for such applications and evaluates key performance and reliability metrics in the context of neural network image classification. The authors conclude that the accuracy-power tradeoff may be further improved using alternative material stacks and multi-layer dielectrics so as to achieve better control of the oxygen vacancy or metallic filamentation process that governs RRAM switching characteristics.

Scanning capacitance spectroscopy (SCS) is a new way to use a scanning capacitance microscope (SCM) to delineate pn junctions in silicon devices. SCS produces two-dimensional pn junction maps with features as small as 10 nm. It can also estimate the pn junction depletion width and hence doping levels near the junction. This article explains how SCS and SCMs allow a whole new regime of doping-related phenomena to be explored in Si devices and ICs.

Silicon pipeline defects are a growing concern in semiconductor manufacturing with no proposed methodology on how to effectively analyze them and separate the underlying causes. In light of this need, a study was conducted using complementary FA techniques to examine these unusual silicon crystal defects and gain a better understanding of their signature characteristics and their effect on device failure. This article, authored by the lead investigator, describes the tests that were performed and presents relevant findings and theories on the factors that contribute to "pipeline" and how they can be controlled. It also presents guidelines for distinguishing between pipeline and dislocation defects and explains how they are related.

This article presents a comprehensive study of physical inspection and attack methods, describing the approaches typically used by counterfeiters and adversaries as well as the risks and threats created. It also explains how physical inspection methods can serve as trust verification tools and provides practical guidelines for making hardware more secure.