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Charge-Induced Voltage

Alteration in SEM

Charge-Induced Voltage Alteration


Charge-Induced
Voltage
Alteration
(CIVA,
pronounced "kiva") imaging of biased ICs is a new
scanning electron microscopy imaging technique
developed to localize open conductors. CIVA may
be applied to both passivated and depassivated
multi-level interconnect ICs. Contrast variations
in images produced using the CIVA technique are
generated only from the electrically open
portion of the conductor. This feature facilitates
the examination of an entire IC for opens from a
single, unprocessed image.

Why Perform Charge-Induced Voltage Alteration?


The detection and localization of open conductors in ICs has become more difficult as line
widths are reduced and IC complexity increases. A number of scanning electron microscopy
techniques, such as static and dynamic voltage contrast, resistive contrast imaging, and
biased resistive contrast imaging, have been developed to localize open conductors.
Unfortunately, each of these methods has two limitations in detecting open conductors. (1) A
great deal of superfluous information in the images complicates the extraction of open
circuit information. (2) Opens with a significant amount of quantum mechanical electron
tunneling, such as opens resulting from electromigration and stress voiding, are very difficult
to detect.
Charge-Induced Voltage Alteration (CIVA) imaging of biased ICs is designed to overcome the
above limitations. For passivated ICs, CIVA requires a lower primary electron beam energies
than static voltage contrast imaging requires. Using lower primary electron beam energies
greatly reduces irradiation damage to gate oxides by primary electrons and lowers the
bremsstrahlung x-ray dose. Experimental work indicates that CIVA imaging may be applied
without undue degradation effects to gate oxides.

How is Charge-Induced Voltage Alteration


Performed?
CIVA is analogous to electron beam induced current (EBIC) imaging
in that the biased IC itself is the detector and amplifier. The signal
monitored to produce a CIVA image is the power supply voltage of
a constant current source used to bias the IC as the electron beam
is scanned across the device surface

Voltage Contrast in SEM

Voltage Contrast
Voltage contrast is typically a first
tier failure isolation technique useful
in isolating problems to a particular
circuit or circuit block. This is
particularly valuable when there is a
lack of circuit schematics, die maps,
logic diagrams or bit maps which can
severely limit the amount of useful
failure analysis that can be
performed.

How does Voltage Contrast work?


The
voltage
contrast
is generated
by applying
an external bias and a
1.
a region
ofmeasurement
thesignal
specimen
a
2.
AIffour-point
ofisagiven
wire
in
signal bias,
to circuit.
the fewer
device.
PCwires
based that
pattern
positive
secondary
anclock
integrated
The
aregenerators are common place,
and easy to interface to just about any SEM. A resulting voltage potential is
electrons
be emitted.
By comparing
not
connectedwill
charge
to a negative
applied to the metal lines on the integrated circuit. The contrast is the effect
afterare
a
voltage
haseasily influenced by the
voltage
duebefore
to
theand
electron
beam.
The
of images
secondary
electrons
which
weak
and
been applied
ismetal
sometimes
to
connected
wireonisit
black
since
it does
not potential
electrical
field
the
stripe.
Apossible
positive
on the metal stripe
results
in a dark
contrast
as the
number
see where
the
voltage
drops
in a of secondary electron emission is
charge.
reduced,
at 0V a light
contrast is
samplewhereas
by observing
the change
inobserved due to higher secondary
electron
emission. At lower operating frequencies (kHz), a black and white
grayscale.
barber stripe can be observed on metal lines which is a direct indication of
the logic state, and pattern.

Voltage Contrast: Advantages


A primary advantage to voltage contrast is
Sources:
its non-destructive and less risky than
http://www.semitracks.com/reference-material/failure-and-yield-analysis/failure-analysismechanical probing. For best imaging
die-level/charge-induced-voltage-alteration.php
results the top glassivation is typically
http://micronetsol.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Voltage-Contrast-and-EBIC-Failureremoved, however, acceptable results are
Isolation-Techniques.pdf
often obtained with the glassivation on
using Charge Coupled Voltage.
http://lamp.tu-graz.ac.at/~hadley/sem/vc/voltagecontrast.php

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