In-line failure analysis on productive wafers with dual-beam SEM/FIB systems

Rainer Weiland; Christian Boit; Nick Dawes; Andreas Dziesiaty; Ernst Demm; Bernd Ebersberger; Lothar Frey; Stefan Geyer; Alexander Hirsch; Christoph Lehrer; Peter Meis; Matthias Kamolz; Henri Lezec; Hans Rettenmaier; Wolfgang Tittes; Rolf Treichler; Harald Zimmermann

doi:10.1117/12.425274

23 April 2001 In-line failure analysis on productive wafers with dual-beam SEM/FIB systems

Rainer Weiland, Christian Boit, Nick Dawes, Andreas Dziesiaty, Ernst Demm, Bernd Ebersberger, Lothar Frey, Stefan Geyer, Alexander Hirsch, Christoph Lehrer, Peter Meis, Matthias Kamolz, Henri Lezec, Hans Rettenmaier, Wolfgang Tittes, Rolf Treichler, Harald Zimmermann

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 4406, In-Line Characterization, Yield, Reliability, and Failure Analysis in Microelectronic Manufacturing II; (2001) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.425274
Event: Microelectronic and MEMS Technologies, 2001, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Abstract

Modern dual beam SEM/FIB tools will allow physical failure analysis on productive wafers in the cleanroom if contamination of wafer and production equipment can be controlled. In this study we show that the risks of Ga- diffusion and -desorption as well as heavy metal contamination can be overcome. The reentry of analyzed wafers into the production flow results in lower overall costs and a dramatically shortened feedback loop to production engineers, leading to reduced down times of production tools etc. Most FIB-applications (i.e. highlight etch of cross sections) can be processed with appropriate gas chemistry. Ion Beam deposition of an insulating material to refill the crater created by the sputtering process is also investigated. If either resolution is not sufficient or more complex analyses have to be applied a sample lift-out technique was developed making it obsolete to sacrifice wafers also in these cases. The fixed sample can be analyzed off-line with all PFA- methods, even plasma etching or lift-off in HF is possible. The benefits of this quantum leap for physical failure analysis are reduction of wafer costs and the possibility to reduce analysis cycle time as well as the number of learning cycles in technology development.

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Rainer Weiland, Christian Boit, Nick Dawes, Andreas Dziesiaty, Ernst Demm, Bernd Ebersberger, Lothar Frey, Stefan Geyer, Alexander Hirsch, Christoph Lehrer, Peter Meis, Matthias Kamolz, Henri Lezec, Hans Rettenmaier, Wolfgang Tittes, Rolf Treichler, and Harald Zimmermann "In-line failure analysis on productive wafers with dual-beam SEM/FIB systems", Proc. SPIE 4406, In-Line Characterization, Yield, Reliability, and Failure Analysis in Microelectronic Manufacturing II, (23 April 2001); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.425274

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