Recently, electron beam probing (EBP) has had a resurgence in failure analysis communities due to its clear resolution advantage compared to optical techniques. This paper describes an approach for a detailed advanced logic e-beam probing system, capable of measuring both high bandwidth waveforms and frequency maps. An investigation of optimizing the signal-to-noise of the pulsed beam is presented. By minimizing the working distance and the use of quadrature signal analysis, the e-beam prober is capable of high bandwidth and high-resolution data with adequate signal-to-noise. The use of such system provides a scalable solution for electrical failure analysis for advanced logic integrated circuits.

Near-infrared laser stimulation techniques such as OBIRCH, TIVA, OBIC and LIVA are now commonly used to localize resistive defects from the front and backside of ICs. However, these laser stimulation techniques cannot be applied to dynamically failed ICs. Recently, two laser stimulation techniques dedicated to dynamic IC diagnostics have been proposed. These two techniques, called Resistive Interconnection Localization (RIL) and Soft Defect Localization (SDL), combine a continuous laser beam with a dynamically emulated IC. The laser stimulation effect on the circuit is monitored through the applied test pattern pass/fail status. This paper presents the methodology to move from static to dynamic laser stimulation. The application of such Dynamic Laser Stimulation (DLS) techniques is illustrated on dynamically failed microcontrollers.