There has been ample discussion concerning the use of near infrared microscopy (NIR) in fields such as medical, materials science, and more recently in applications aimed toward micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS); however, little attention has been paid to the application of NIR microscopy in the verification and failure analysis of semiconductor memory devices. This paper will present a discussion of NIR and laser scanning confocal near-infrared microscopy, sample preparation for NIR microscopy, and emphasize examples of laser scanning confocal NIR microscopy in the measurement and failure analysis of silicon samples typical to the semiconductor industry.

The semiconductor industry is recognizing an increasing need to define the compatibility of various products joined in package-on-package configuration by solder reflow. Within the scope of the application, this paper discusses: sample preparation; warpage data collection methods; extraction of usable images and numerical data from the measurements; creation of visual warpage patterns for the top and bottom components of stacked package sets; mathematical determination of variation or separation of parts at critical locations during reflow; and finite element analysis of parts and processes to understand and predict reactions to design changes.