Batteate P., Liao J.Y.
Nvidia, US
Keywords: IC failure analysis, parallel lapping
Parallel lapping is widely employed in destructive physical analysis on semiconductor integrated circuits, to reveal defects isolated by electrical failure analysis tools and techniques. A clean sample surface is critical so that the analysts can accurately identify the real defects and not be misled by anomalies possibly introduced during deprocessing. Burned metal has been identified as one type of failure mechanism, caused by electrically overstressing the device. Its presence as failure mechanism is usually validated by electrical and circuit analysis. However, in some cases additional burned metal was also observed on areas unrelated to suspect locations. To understand this phenomenon, we carefully examined the procedure of parallel lapping and conducted a series of experiments to determine the cause and effects of critical factors on IC devices during parallel lapping.
Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: 3, Technical Proceedings of the 2004 NSTI Nanotechnology Conference and Trade Show, Volume 3
Published: March 7, 2004
Pages: 414 - 416
Industry sector: Sensors, MEMS, Electronics
Topic: Modeling & Simulation of Microsystems
ISBN: 0-9728422-9-2