A Procedure for Identifying the Failure Mechanism Responsible for a Pin-To-Pin Short Within Plastic Mold Compound Integrated Circuit Packages

Packaging-based short circuits are inherently difficult to analyze due to the unprotected nature of the shorting material in the package. A combination of SQUID, low-power x-ray and OBIRCH techniques were used in conjunction with parallel grinding to identify the location of the short and reveal it for subsequent characterization. This procedure can reliably identify metal-based shorts in most plastic packaging material.