Life Sciences Commons^™

Cross-Sectional Analysis Of Silicon Metal Oxide Semiconductor Devices Using The Scanning Electron Microscope, Daniel S. Koellen, David I. Saxon, Kenneth E. Wendel

Scanning Electron Microscopy

A technique has been developed which enables one to cross-section specific devices or features for examination with the scanning electron microscope (SEM). This method is used for investigation of all facets of microelectronic circuit manufacture from research and development to failure analysis of the finished product.

Selective etching is used to provide contrast to each processed layer. Etch type and sequence, used for delineation, are important to understand since they may add artifacts to the cross-section, leading to erroneous analysis conclusions. The etchant and etch conditions used will be dictated by the information needed from a particular sample.

Etching systems …

Advances In Electron-Beam-Induced-Current Analysis Of Integrated Circuits, J. D. Schick

Scanning Electron Microscopy

Electron-beam-induced-current (EBIC) analysis of integrated circuits and of individual semiconductor devices has become an essential technique for semiconductor device characterization as well as for failure analysis and diagnostics. This tutorial is an update of the paper presented in SEM/1981/I on the same topic and discusses advances and new trends in the applications of EBIC in recent months. Examples of EBIC measurements on high density chips, ion-implanted junctions, and shallow diffusions in thin epitaxial layers are given. Time resolved EBIC (TREBIC) is also explained and new digital readout techniques, including computer-aided data analysis, are described as they refer to detailed analyses …