Analysis of Leakage Failures in Flash Memory Devices and Root Cause Identification

An advanced flash bootblock device was exceeding current leakage specifications on certain pins. Physical analysis showed pinholes on the gate oxide of the n-channel transistor at the input buffer circuit of the affected pins. The fallout contributed ~1% to factory yield loss and was suspected to be caused by electrostatic discharge or ESD somewhere in the assembly and test process. Root cause investigation narrowed down the source to a charged core picker inside the automated test equipment handlers. By using an electromagnetic interference (EMI) locator, we were able to observe in real-time the high amplitude electromagnetic pulse created by this ESD event. Installing air ionizers inside the testers solved the problem.