Elementally characterizing intermetallic compounds (IMCs) to identify phases has routinely required relatively expensive transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis. A study was done characterizing IMCs using less expensive energydispersive x-ray (EDX) spectroscopy tools to investigate it as a practical alternative to TEM. The study found that EDX line scanning can differentiate phases by tracking changes in count rate as the electron beam of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) passes from one phase to another.

A PCB trace was repeatedly cracking in the same location. Visual inspection showed cracking there and at structurally similar locations, with solder mask missing from one side of the trace of interest. Fracture analysis suggested that these issues and etch pitting caused crack initiation, followed by fatigue failure that ultimately led to full fracture. A FIB section of a second failure reinforced the finding that the fundamental cracking mechanism was fatigue.

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.

Acid etching of plastic packages can both remove key evidence and introduce artifacts on decapsulated samples. Parallel grinding offers a non-chemical option for removing package material that can minimize these risks. This technique was used successfully on three different types of failure analysis investigations. It also has potential for supporting the analysis of corrosion defects, though additional work is needed to confirm the utility of parallel grinding in this application.

Root-cause analysis of hermetic leak failures is complicated by the difficulty in isolating the leak location. Standard dye penetrant inspection is not consistently successful. The addition of pressure to the dye penetrant, followed by metallographic mounting and preparation, and subsequently followed by vacuum storage, greatly enhances the visibility of the dye and more effectively decorates the leak location.

To overcome the obstacles in preparing high-precision cross-sections of 'blind' bond wires in integrated circuits, this article proposes a different technique that generates reliable, repeatable cross-sections of bond wires across most or all of their lengths, allowing unencumbered and relatively artifact-free analysis of a given bond wire. The basic method for cross-sectioning a 'blind' bond wire involves radiographic analysis of the sample and metallographic preparation of the sample to the plane of interest. This is followed by tracking the exact location of the plane on the original radiograph using a stereomicroscope and finally darkfield imaging in which the wire is clearly visible with good resolution.