scholarly journals A New Approach to Failure Analysis and Yield Enhancement of Very Large-scale Integrated Systems

Author(s):  
S. Amakawa ◽  
N. Nakazato ◽  
H. Mizuta
Author(s):  
Michael Hertl ◽  
Diane Weidmann ◽  
Alex Ngai

Abstract A new approach to reliability improvement and failure analysis on ICs is introduced, involving a specifically developed tool for Topography and Deformation Measurement (TDM) under thermal stress conditions. Applications are presented including delamination risk or bad solderability assessment on BGAs during JEDEC type reflow cycles.


Author(s):  
D.S. Patrick ◽  
L.C. Wagner ◽  
P.T. Nguyen

Abstract Failure isolation and debug of CMOS integrated circuits over the past several years has become increasingly difficult to perform on standard failure analysis functional testers. Due to the increase in pin counts, clock speeds, increased complexity and the large number of power supply pins on current ICS, smaller and less equipped testers are often unable to test these newer devices. To reduce the time of analysis and improve the failure isolation capabilities for failing ICS, failure isolation is now performed using the same production testers used in product development, multiprobe and final test. With these production testers, the test hardware, program and pattern sets are already available and ready for use. By using a special interface that docks the production test head to failure isolation equipment such as the emission microscope, liquid crystal station and E-Beam prober, the analyst can quickly and easily isolate the faillure on an IC. This also enables engineers in design, product engineering and the waferfab yield enhancement groups to utilize this equipment to quickly solve critical design and yield issues. Significant cycle time savings have been achieved with the migration to this method of electrical stimulation for failure isolation.


Author(s):  
Michael B. Schmidt ◽  
Noor Jehan Saujauddin

Abstract Scan testing and passive voltage contrast (PVC) techniques have been widely used as failure analysis fault isolation tools. Scan diagnosis can narrow a failure to a given net and passive voltage contrast can give real-time, large-scale electronic information about a sample at various stages of deprocessing. In the highly competitive and challenging environment of today, failure analysis cycle time is very important. By combining scan FA with a much higher sensitivity passive voltage contrast technique, one can quickly find defects that have traditionally posed a great challenge.


Author(s):  
O. Diaz de Leon ◽  
M. Nassirian ◽  
C. Todd ◽  
R. Chowdhury

Abstract Integration of circuits on semiconductor devices with resulting increase in pin counts is driving the need for improvements in packaging for functionality and reliability. One solution to this demand is the Flip- Chip concept in Ultra Large Scale Integration (ULSI) applications [1]. The flip-chip technology is based on the direct attach principle of die to substrate interconnection.. The absence of bondwires clearly enables packages to become more slim and compact, and also provides higher pin counts and higher-speeds [2]. However, due to its construction, with inherent hidden structures the Flip-Chip technology presents a challenge for non-destructive Failure Analysis (F/A). The scanning acoustic microscope (SAM) has recently emerged as a valuable evaluation tool for this purpose [3]. C-mode scanning acoustic microscope (C-SAM), has the ability to demonstrate non-destructive package analysis while imaging the internal features of this package. Ultrasonic waves are very sensitive, particularly when they encounter density variations at surfaces, e.g. variations such as voids or delaminations similar to air gaps. These two anomalies are common to flip-chips. The primary issue with this package technology is the non-uniformity of the die attach through solder ball joints and epoxy underfill. The ball joints also present defects as open contacts, voids or cracks. In our acoustic microscopy study packages with known defects are considered. It includes C-SCAN analysis giving top views at a particular package interface and a B-SCAN analysis that provides cross-sectional views at a desired point of interest. The cross-section analysis capability gives confidence to the failure analyst in obtaining information from a failing area without physically sectioning the sample and destroying its electrical integrity. Our results presented here prove that appropriate selection of acoustic scanning modes and frequency parameters leads to good reliable correlation between the physical defects in the devices and the information given by the acoustic microscope.


Author(s):  
Sarven Ipek ◽  
David Grosjean

Abstract The application of an individual failure analysis technique rarely provides the failure mechanism. More typically, the results of numerous techniques need to be combined and considered to locate and verify the correct failure mechanism. This paper describes a particular case in which different microscopy techniques (photon emission, laser signal injection, and current imaging) gave clues to the problem, which then needed to be combined with manual probing and a thorough understanding of the circuit to locate the defect. By combining probing of that circuit block with the mapping and emission results, the authors were able to understand the photon emission spots and the laser signal injection microscopy (LSIM) signatures to be effects of the defect. It also helped them narrow down the search for the defect so that LSIM on a small part of the circuit could lead to the actual defect.


Author(s):  
Y. N. Hua ◽  
Z. R. Guo ◽  
L. H. An ◽  
Shailesh Redkar

Abstract In this paper, some low yield cases in Flat ROM device (0.45 and 0.6 µm) were investigated. To find killer defects and particle contamination, KLA, bitmap and emission microscopy techniques were used in fault isolation. Reactive ion etching (RIE) and chemical delayering, 155 Wright Etch, BN+ Etch and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were used for identification and inspection of defects. In addition, energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX) was used to determine the composition of the particle or contamination. During failure analysis, seven kinds of killer defects and three killer particles were found in Flat ROM devices. The possible root causes, mechanisms and elimination solutions of these killer defects/particles were also discussed.


Author(s):  
Chris Eddleman ◽  
Nagesh Tamarapalli ◽  
Wu-Tung Cheng

Abstract Yield analysis of sub-micron devices is an ever-increasing challenge. The difficulty is compounded by the lack of in-line inspection data as many companies adopt foundry or fab-less models for acquiring wafers. In this scenario, failure analysis is increasingly critical to help drive yields. Failure analysis is a process of fault isolation, or a method of isolating failures as precisely as possible followed by identification of a physical defect. As the number of transistors and metal layers increase, traditional fault isolation techniques are less successful at isolating a cause of failures. Costs are increasing due to the amount of time needed to locate the physical defect. One solution to the yield analysis problem is scan diagnosis based fault isolation. Previous scan diagnosis based techniques were limited with little information about the type of fault and confidence of diagnosis. With new scan diagnosis algorithms it is now possible to not only isolate, but to identify the type of fault as well as assigning a confidence ranking prior to any destructive analysis. This paper presents multiple case studies illustrating the application of scan diagnosis as an effective means to achieve yield enhancement. The advanced scan diagnostic tool used in this study provides information about the fault type as well as fault location. This information focuses failure analysis efforts toward a suspected defect, decreasing the cycle time required to determine root cause, as well as increasing the over all success rate.


Author(s):  
V. Skibchyk ◽  
V. Dnes ◽  
R. Kudrynetskyi ◽  
O. Krypuch

Аnnotation Purpose. To increase the efficiency of technological processes of grain harvesting by large-scale agricultural producers due to the rational use of combine harvesters available on the farm. Methods. In the course of the research the methods of system analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, system-factor and system-event approaches, graphic method were used. Results. Characteristic events that occur during the harvesting of grain crops, both within a single production unit and the entire agricultural producer are identified. A method for predicting time intervals of use and downtime of combine harvesters of production units has been developed. The roadmap of substantiation the rational seasonal scenario of the use of grain harvesters of large-scale agricultural producers is developed, which allows estimating the efficiency of each of the scenarios of multivariate placement of grain harvesters on fields taking into account influence of natural production and agrometeorological factors on the efficiency of technological cultures. Conclusions 1. Known scientific and methodological approaches to optimization of machine used in agriculture do not take into account the risks of losses of crops due to late harvesting, as well as seasonal natural and agrometeorological conditions of each production unit of the farmer, which requires a new approach to the rational use of rational seasonal combines of large agricultural producers. 2. The developed new approach to the substantiation of the rational seasonal scenario of the use of combined harvesters of large-scale agricultural producers allows taking into account the costs of harvesting of grain and the cost of the lost crop because of the lateness of harvesting at optimum variants of attraction of additional free combine harvesters. provides more profit. 3. The practical application of the developed road map will allow large-scale agricultural producers to use combine harvesters more efficiently and reduce harvesting costs. Keywords: combine harvesters, use, production divisions, risk, seasonal scenario, large-scale agricultural producers.


Author(s):  
S. Pragati ◽  
S. Kuldeep ◽  
S. Ashok ◽  
M. Satheesh

One of the situations in the treatment of disease is the delivery of efficacious medication of appropriate concentration to the site of action in a controlled and continual manner. Nanoparticle represents an important particulate carrier system, developed accordingly. Nanoparticles are solid colloidal particles ranging in size from 1 to 1000 nm and composed of macromolecular material. Nanoparticles could be polymeric or lipidic (SLNs). Industry estimates suggest that approximately 40% of lipophilic drug candidates fail due to solubility and formulation stability issues, prompting significant research activity in advanced lipophile delivery technologies. Solid lipid nanoparticle technology represents a promising new approach to lipophile drug delivery. Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) are important advancement in this area. The bioacceptable and biodegradable nature of SLNs makes them less toxic as compared to polymeric nanoparticles. Supplemented with small size which prolongs the circulation time in blood, feasible scale up for large scale production and absence of burst effect makes them interesting candidates for study. In this present review this new approach is discussed in terms of their preparation, advantages, characterization and special features.


Author(s):  
M. E. J. Newman ◽  
R. G. Palmer

Developed after a meeting at the Santa Fe Institute on extinction modeling, this book comments critically on the various modeling approaches. In the last decade or so, scientists have started to examine a new approach to the patterns of evolution and extinction in the fossil record. This approach may be called "statistical paleontology," since it looks at large-scale patterns in the record and attempts to understand and model their average statistical features, rather than their detailed structure. Examples of the patterns these studies examine are the distribution of the sizes of mass extinction events over time, the distribution of species lifetimes, or the apparent increase in the number of species alive over the last half a billion years. In attempting to model these patterns, researchers have drawn on ideas not only from paleontology, but from evolutionary biology, ecology, physics, and applied mathematics, including fitness landscapes, competitive exclusion, interaction matrices, and self-organized criticality. A self-contained review of work in this field.


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