We have developed a new scanning laser microscopy methodology, Soft Defect Localization (SDL), that directly locates soft defects from the front side and backside of an IC. The method combines localized laser heating with the pass/fail state of a device to successfully localize soft defects. Subtle, thermally sensitive soft defects can be localized by careful selection of the IC voltage, temperature, and operating frequency. Several examples are shown.

failure analysis, integrated circuits, laser heating, scanning laser microscopy, soft defect localization
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Copyright © 2002 ASM International. All rights reserved.
2002
ASM International
Topics
Microscopy Semiconductor wafer fabrication
Issue Section:
Advanced Techniques
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