An application of photoemission microscopy to failure analysis of complex silicon integrated circuits

1992 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 1686-1687
Author(s):  
Danilo Golijanin
Keyword(s):  
Integrated Circuits ◽  
Integrated Circuit ◽  
Light Emission ◽  
Optical Microscope ◽  
Night Vision ◽  
Visible Range ◽  
Electron Hole ◽  
Polysilicon Gate ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Hole Recombination

Emission of visible light from forward and reverse biased silicon p-n junctions due to the radiative electron-hole recombination has been known since the mid-50s. The weak light emission was also seen from a silicon-dioxide dielectric in an integrated gate oxide capacitor formed between a polysilicon gate and an (n or p) well in an integrated circuit. The difference in carrier energies for each of these recombination mechanisms gives rise to a specific photon wavelength (energy) distribution in the visible range. All photoemitting events are characterized by a very low level light intensity due to the low quantum efficiency of about 10−5 - 10−4 photons per one electron-hole recombination.The first practical photoemission microscope was constructed by Khurana and Chiang. They took the advantage of the advances in night vision technology and used it for imaging the faint ("invisible") light coming from various silicon structures. A typical photoemission microscope consists of an x-y-z stage with the device holder, an optical microscope, a lightsensitive camera all set within a light-tight enclosure and a computer system for image acquisition and processing.

Nanocrystalline Silicon for Optoelectronic Applications

MRS Bulletin ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 33-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonid Tsybeskov
Keyword(s):  
Binding Energy ◽  
Light Emission ◽  
Crystalline Silicon ◽  
Free Exciton ◽  
Nanocrystalline Silicon ◽  
Momentum Conservation ◽  
Exciton Binding Energy ◽  
Electron Hole ◽  
Energy Plus ◽  
Hole Recombination

Light emission in silicon has been intensively investigated since the 1950s when crystalline silicon (c-Si) was recognized as the dominant material in microelectronics. Silicon is an indirect-bandgap semiconductor and momentum conservation requires phonon assistance in radiative electron-hole recombination (Figure 1a, top left). Because phonons carry a momentum and an energy, the typical signature of phonon-assisted recombination is several peaks in the photoluminescence (PL) spectra at low temperature. These PL peaks are called “phonon replicas.” High-purity c-Si PL is caused by free-exciton self-annihilation with the exciton binding energy of ~11 meV. The TO-phonon contribution in conservation processes is most significant, and the main PL peak (~1.1 eV) is shifted from the bandgap value (~1.17 eV) by ~70 meV—that is, the exciton binding energy plus TO-phonon energy (Figure 1a).

Mechanism and its Mathematical Expressions of Stress-Induced Light Emission of ZnS:Mn/Polyester Composite

2017 ◽  
Vol 728 ◽  
pp. 252-257
Author(s):  
Sirichai Leelachao ◽  
Shinji Muraishi ◽  
Yoshio Nakamura
Keyword(s):  
Light Emission ◽  
Level Shift ◽  
Electron Hole ◽  
Mathematical Expressions ◽  
Emission Color ◽  
Thermal Equilibrium Condition ◽  
Polyester Composite ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Luminescent Centers ◽  
The Given

Mechanism of mechanoluminescence of the composite of Mn-doped ZnS particles and polyester resin is developed based on the principle of Fermi-level shift, associated by piezoelectric effect. As the electron-hole recombination is responsible for light emission, it is possible to determine the number of emitted photons from the difference in number of conducting electrons between the stressed state and the thermal equilibrium condition. For the given emission color, characteristics of photomultiplier tube and deformation conditions, the emitted photons can be approximated. The model is expressed as A[exp (Bσ2) - 1] where σ is the applied stress, a pre-exponential A illustrates the efficiency of luminescent centers and the influences of dielectric and piezoelectric constants of ZnS host and temperature are displayed as the exponent factor B.

An Advanced Integrated Circuit Analysis System

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Keyes ◽  
Jason Abt
Keyword(s):  
Integrated Circuits ◽  
Integrated Circuit ◽  
Optical Microscope ◽  
Circuit Analysis ◽  
Nanometer Scale ◽  
Automated Extraction ◽  
Analysis System ◽  
Detailed Circuit

Abstract Historically, the extraction of circuitry from an integrated circuit was normally within the abilities of the average FA laboratory and could be accomplished with little more than an optical microscope and film camera. Dramatic increases in the level of integration and number of metal interconnect levels coupled with shrinking feature sizes have rendered these techniques obsolete. This paper describes techniques and methods for the fast, semi-automated extraction of detailed circuit schematics from modern, nanometer scale integrated circuits.

Characterization of Light Emission from 4H and 6H SiC MOSFETs

2000 ◽  
Vol 640 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. J. Macfarlane ◽  
R. E. Stahlbush
Keyword(s):  
Light Emission ◽  
Broad Band ◽  
Emission Spectra ◽  
Spectral Studies ◽  
Attractive Alternative ◽  
Interface Trap ◽  
Electron Hole ◽  
Set Up ◽  
A Charge ◽  
Hole Recombination

ABSTRACTWhile SiC devices are an attractive alternative to Si in high power applications, interface trap densities measured in SiC-based MOSFETs are significantly larger than in Si-based ones. Here, we study SiC MOSFETs using both spatial images and spectral analysis of light emission due to electron-hole recombination. The light emission is produced by alternately driving the channel between accumulation and inversion using what is essentially a charge-pumping set-up. Emission is due to interface trap and bulk electron-hole recombination. The spatial imaging studies suggest that recombination occurs at both interface traps and bulk defects. Spectral studies of the emission indicate the presence of a narrow band centered at 425 nm and a broad band extending from approximately 500 to 800nm. The former we suggest is due to bulk recombination and the latter to interface trap recombination. The spectral studies of the 500 to 800 nm band are timed to separate light emitted during the inversion-to-accumulation transition from that emitted during the accumulation-to-inversion transition and visa versa. Comparisons of the emission spectra collected during these specific periods are consistent with a larger Dit in the upper half of the bandgap than the lower half in both 4H and 6H devices.

Analysis of Integrated Circuits on the Scanning Electron Microscope

1972 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 484-485
Author(s):  
John J. Imai
Keyword(s):  
Integrated Circuits ◽  
High Power ◽  
Integrated Circuit ◽  
Optical Microscope ◽  
Visual Observation ◽  
Depth Of Field ◽  
List Type ◽  
Type Number ◽  
Mode Of Operation ◽  
Voltage Contrast

The SEM plays an important role in the performance of failure analyses of Integrated Circuits. As the complexity and density of electrical functions increases on the silicon chip, the more it is nescessary to analyze the detailed characteristics of the failed device. The types of failures of interest are those that have marginal or catastrophic performance characteristics and show no obvious visual defects.Three aspects of the SEM capabilities will be discussed.Standard high power magnification operationVoltage Contrast mode of operationEmission X-ray analysis operationVarious physical characteristics of an Integrated Circuit can be viewed on the SEM. These characteristics are difficult to view on a high power optical microscope due to the depth of field limitations. These characteristics include the following.Oxide stepsMetalization profile over oxide stepsWire bond analysisEtched metalization characteristicsThe Voltage Contrast mode of operation allows direct visual observation of electrical activity on the surface of the silicon chip.

A Novel Fault Isolation Technique Using Noise Detection and Characterization of Light Emitted From Integrated Circuits

1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Zheng ◽  
Joe Patterson ◽  
G. P. Li
Keyword(s):  
Integrated Circuits ◽  
Integrated Circuit ◽  
Light Emission ◽  
Fault Isolation ◽  
Noise Detection ◽  
Isolation Technique ◽  
Potential Effectiveness ◽  
Defect Sites ◽  
A New Technique

Abstract This paper describes a new technique for identifying defects on integrated circuit. This technique detects the noise content in light emitted from defect sites. The purpose of this technique is to determine which of many light emission sites represent a defect and which represent normal devices. It reports the first phase of studies to evaluate the feasibility and potential effectiveness of this technique. The feasibility of this technique has been demonstrated by simultaneously monitoring electrical noise and the noise in the light emitted from a gallium arsenide light emission diode (LED) and a bipolar transistor. The paper will present the methodology and apparatus used to detect and analyze the noise in light emission.

scholarly journals Spatial Location in Integrated Circuits through Infrared Microscopy

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 2175
Author(s):  
Raphaël Abelé ◽  
Jean-Luc Damoiseaux ◽  
Redouane El Moubtahij ◽  
Jean-Marc Boi ◽  
Daniele Fronte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Integrated Circuits ◽  
Integrated Circuit ◽  
Graph Matching ◽  
Silicon Layer ◽  
Spatial Location ◽  
Optical Microscope ◽  
Automated System ◽  
Infrared Microscopy ◽  
Speed Increase ◽  
Inexact Matching

In this paper, we present an infrared microscopy based approach for structures’ location in integrated circuits, to automate their secure characterization. The use of an infrared sensor is the key device for internal integrated circuit inspection. Two main issues are addressed. The first concerns the scan of integrated circuits using a motorized optical system composed of an infrared uncooled camera combined with an optical microscope. An automated system is required to focus the conductive tracks under the silicon layer. It is solved by an autofocus system analyzing the infrared images through a discrete polynomial image transform which allows an accurate features detection to build a focus metric robust against specific image degradation inherent to the acquisition context. The second issue concerns the location of structures to be characterized on the conductive tracks. Dealing with a large amount of redundancy and noise, a graph-matching method is presented—discriminating graph labels are developed to overcome the redundancy, while a flexible assignment optimizer solves the inexact matching arising from noises on graphs. The resulting automated location system brings reproducibility for secure characterization of integrated systems, besides accuracy and time speed increase.

Influence of Basal Plane Dislocation Induced Stacking Faults on the Current Gain in SiC BJTs

2006 ◽  
Vol 527-529 ◽  
pp. 1409-1412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anant K. Agarwal ◽  
Sumi Krishnaswami ◽  
Jim Richmond ◽  
Craig Capell ◽  
Sei Hyung Ryu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Basal Plane ◽  
Light Emission ◽  
Stacking Faults ◽  
Minority Carrier Lifetime ◽  
Stacking Fault ◽  
Base Layer ◽  
Current Gain ◽  
Electron Hole ◽  
Basal Plane Dislocation ◽  
Hole Recombination

SiC BJTs show instability in the I-V characteristics after as little as 15 minutes of operation. The current gain reduces, the on-resistance in saturation increases, and the slope of the output characteristics in the active region increases. This degradation in the I-V characteristics continues with many hours of operation. It is speculated that this phenomenon is caused by the growth of stacking faults from certain basal plane dislocations within the base layer of the SiC BJT. Stacking fault growth within the base layer is observed by light emission imaging. The energy for this expansion of the stacking fault comes from the electron-hole recombination in the forward biased base-emitter junction. This results in reduction of the effective minority carrier lifetime, increasing the electron-hole recombination in the base in the immediate vicinity of the stacking fault, leading to a reduction in the current gain. It should be noted that this explanation is only a suggestion with no conclusive proof at this stage.

Scanning Electron Microscopy in Hybrid Microelectronics

1976 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 456-457
Author(s):  
S. Khadpe ◽  
R. Faryniak
Keyword(s):  
Integrated Circuits ◽  
Thick Film ◽  
Integrated Circuit ◽  
Failure Modes ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Circuit Components ◽  
Hybrid Microcircuit ◽  
Electrical Connections ◽  
Scanning Electron

The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) is an important tool in Thick Film Hybrid Microcircuits Manufacturing because of its large depth of focus and three dimensional capability. This paper discusses some of the important areas in which the SEM is used to monitor process control and component failure modes during the various stages of manufacture of a typical hybrid microcircuit.Figure 1 shows a thick film hybrid microcircuit used in a Motorola Paging Receiver. The circuit consists of thick film resistors and conductors screened and fired on a ceramic (aluminum oxide) substrate. Two integrated circuit dice are bonded to the conductors by means of conductive epoxy and electrical connections from each integrated circuit to the substrate are made by ultrasonically bonding 1 mil aluminum wires from the die pads to appropriate conductor pads on the substrate. In addition to the integrated circuits and the resistors, the circuit includes seven chip capacitors soldered onto the substrate. Some of the important considerations involved in the selection and reliability aspects of the hybrid circuit components are: (a) the quality of the substrate; (b) the surface structure of the thick film conductors; (c) the metallization characteristics of the integrated circuit; and (d) the quality of the wire bond interconnections.

TEM study of phosphorus-implanted pseudomorphic Si0.88Ge0.12 on Si(100)

1995 ◽  
Vol 53 ◽  
pp. 468-469
Author(s):  
N. David Theodore ◽  
Donald Y.C Lie ◽  
J. H. Song ◽  
Peter Crozier
Keyword(s):  
Integrated Circuits ◽  
Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors ◽  
Integrated Circuit ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Room Temperature ◽  
Strain Relaxation ◽  
Bipolar Transistors ◽  
Sige Hbt ◽  
Integrated Circuit Manufacturing ◽  
Microstructural Behavior

SiGe is being extensively investigated for use in heterojunction bipolar-transistors (HBT) and high-speed integrated circuits. The material offers adjustable bandgaps, improved carrier mobilities over Si homostructures, and compatibility with Si-based integrated-circuit manufacturing. SiGe HBT performance can be improved by increasing the base-doping or by widening the base link-region by ion implantation. A problem that arises however is that implantation can enhance strain-relaxation of SiGe/Si.Furthermore, once misfit or threading dislocations result, the defects can give rise to recombination-generation in depletion regions of semiconductor devices. It is of relevance therefore to study the damage and anneal behavior of implanted SiGe layers. The present study investigates the microstructural behavior of phosphorus implanted pseudomorphic metastable Si0.88Ge0.12 films on silicon, exposed to various anneals.Metastable pseudomorphic Si0.88Ge0.12 films were grown ~265 nm thick on a silicon wafer by molecular-beam epitaxy. Pieces of this wafer were then implanted at room temperature with 100 keV phosphorus ions to a dose of 1.5×1015 cm-2.

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