The advances on IC technology have made defect localization extremely challenging. “Soft” failures (resistive vias and contacts) are typically difficult to localize using commonly available failure analysis (FA) techniques such as emission microscopy (EMMI) and scanning optical microscopy (SOM), and often cannot be observed by two-dimensional inspections using layer by layer removal. The article describes the Resistive Contrast Imaging (RCI) defect localization technique (also known as Electron Beam Absorbed Current (EBAC), instrumentations, and case studies on test structures or process control monitors especially designed to detect “soft” open failures on advanced (28nm and below) technology devices. It also lists the key SEM parameters critical for effective FA using the RCI nano-probing system.

Resistive Interconnection Localization (RIL) is a new scanning laser microscope analysis technique that directly and rapidly localizes defective IC vias, contacts, and conductors from the front side and backside. RIL uses a scanned laser to produce localized thermal gradients in IC interconnections during functional testing. A change in the pass/fail state with localized heating of the IC identifies the failing site. The technique reduces the time to locate a resistive via from months to minutes. The sources of defective vias, the physics of RIL signal generation, and examples of RIL analysis are presented.