Application of Near IR, Phase-Contrast Imaging to Backside Failure Isolation and Analysis

The move towards flip-chip type packaging has produced significant obstacles for failure analysis. One such obstacle is the breakdown of traditional techniques for failure isolation via thermal mapping, typically used to isolate short circuits and leakage paths. This paper describes the application of near infrared (IR) phase-contrast techniques to allow highly sensitive, ~ 10mK, thermal mapping for backside failure analysis.