Analyzing the Impact of X-Ray Tomography on the Reliability of Integrated Circuits

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Halit Dogan ◽  
Md Mahbub Alam ◽  
Navid Asadizanjani ◽  
Sina Shahbazmohamadi ◽  
Domenic Forte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Integrated Circuits ◽  
Integrated Circuit ◽  
3D Imaging ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Serial Sectioning ◽  
Promising Technique ◽  
Flash Memories ◽  
X Ray ◽  
3D Information ◽  
The Impact

Abstract X-ray tomography is a promising technique that can provide micron level, internal structure, and three dimensional (3D) information of an integrated circuit (IC) component without the need for serial sectioning or decapsulation. This is especially useful for counterfeit IC detection as demonstrated by recent work. Although the components remain physically intact during tomography, the effect of radiation on the electrical functionality is not yet fully investigated. In this paper we analyze the impact of X-ray tomography on the reliability of ICs with different fabrication technologies. We perform a 3D imaging using an advanced X-ray machine on Intel flash memories, Macronix flash memories, Xilinx Spartan 3 and Spartan 6 FPGAs. Electrical functionalities are then tested in a systematic procedure after each round of tomography to estimate the impact of X-ray on Flash erase time, read margin, and program operation, and the frequencies of ring oscillators in the FPGAs. A major finding is that erase times for flash memories of older technology are significantly degraded when exposed to tomography, eventually resulting in failure. However, the flash and Xilinx FPGAs of newer technologies seem less sensitive to tomography, as only minor degradations are observed. Further, we did not identify permanent failures for any chips in the time needed to perform tomography for counterfeit detection (approximately 2 hours).

scholarly journals Evaluation of the Potential Electromagnetic Interference in Vertically Stacked 3D Integrated Circuits

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 748
Author(s):  
Dipesh Kapoor ◽  
Cher Ming Tan ◽  
Vivek Sangwan
Keyword(s):  
Integrated Circuits ◽  
Integrated Circuit ◽  
Electromagnetic Interference ◽  
High Speed ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Near Field ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
3D Ic ◽  
Three Dimensional Integrated Circuit ◽  
The Impact

Advancements in the functionalities and operating frequencies of integrated circuits (IC) have led to the necessity of measuring their electromagnetic Interference (EMI). Three-dimensional integrated circuit (3D-IC) represents the current advancements for multi-functionalities, high speed, high performance, and low-power IC technology. While the thermal challenges of 3D-IC have been studied extensively, the influence of EMI among the stacked dies has not been investigated. With the decreasing spacing between the stacked dies, this EMI can become more severe. This work demonstrates the potential of EMI within a 3D-IC numerically, and determines the minimum distance between stack dies to reduce the impact of EMI from one another before they are fabricated. The limitations of using near field measurement for the EMI study in stacked dies 3D-IC are also illustrated.

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.

scholarly journals Three-dimensional imaging of hold baggage for airport security

2014 ◽  
Vol XL-5 ◽  
pp. 331-336
Author(s):  
S. Kolokytha ◽  
R. Speller ◽  
S. Robson
Keyword(s):  
3D Imaging ◽  
Imaging System ◽  
Tomographic Reconstruction ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Handling Time ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Airport Security ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Common System ◽  
Close Range

This study describes a cost-effective check-in baggage screening system, based on "on-belt tomosynthesis" (ObT) and close-range photogrammetry, that is designed to address the limitations of the most common system used, conventional projection radiography. The latter's limitations can lead to loss of information and an increase in baggage handling time, as baggage is manually searched or screened with more advanced systems. This project proposes a system that overcomes such limitations creating a cost-effective automated pseudo-3D imaging system, by combining x-ray and optical imaging to form digital tomograms. Tomographic reconstruction requires a knowledge of the change in geometry between multiple x-ray views of a common object. This is uniquely achieved using a close range photogrammetric system based on a small network of web-cameras. This paper presents the recent developments of the ObT system and describes recent findings of the photogrammetric system implementation. Based on these positive results, future work on the advancement of the ObT system as a cost-effective pseudo-3D imaging of hold baggage for airport security is proposed.

scholarly journals Retrieval of 3D information in X-ray dark-field imaging with a large field of view

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Andrejewski ◽  
Fabio De Marco ◽  
Konstantin Willer ◽  
Wolfgang Noichl ◽  
Theresa Urban ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Dark Field ◽  
Large Field ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Dark Field Imaging ◽  
Beam Geometry ◽  
Different Dimensions ◽  
3D Information ◽  
Human Thorax ◽  
Field Imaging

AbstractX-ray dark-field imaging is a widely researched imaging technique, with many studies on samples of very different dimensions and at very different resolutions. However, retrieval of three-dimensional (3D) information for human thorax sized objects has not yet been demonstrated. We present a method, similar to classic tomography and tomosynthesis, to obtain 3D information in X-ray dark-field imaging. Here, the sample is moved through the divergent beam of a Talbot–Lau interferometer. Projections of features at different distances from the source seemingly move with different velocities over the detector, due to the cone beam geometry. The reconstruction of different focal planes exploits this effect. We imaged a chest phantom and were able to locate different features in the sample (e.g. the ribs, and two sample vials filled with water and air and placed in the phantom) to corresponding focal planes. Furthermore, we found that image quality and detectability of features is sufficient for image reconstruction with a dose of 68 μSv at an effective pixel size of $$0.357 \times {0.357}\,\mathrm{mm}^{2}$$ 0.357 × 0.357 mm 2 . Therefore, we successfully demonstrated that the presented method is able to retrieve 3D information in X-ray dark-field imaging.

Three-Dimensional Characterization of the Microstructure of Bioglass/Polyethylene Composite by X-Ray Microtomography

2007 ◽  
Vol 330-332 ◽  
pp. 503-506
Author(s):  
Xiao Wei Fu ◽  
Jie Huang ◽  
E.S. Thian ◽  
Serena Best ◽  
William Bonfield
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Volume Fraction ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Polyethylene Composite ◽  
Bioactive Properties ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
3D Information

A Bioglass® reinforced polyethylene (Bioglass®/polyethylene) composite has been prepared, which combines the high bioactivity of Bioglass® and the toughness of polyethylene. The spatial distribution of Bioglass® particles within the composite is important for the performance of composites in-vivo. Recent developments in X-ray microtomography (XμT) have made it possible to visualize internal and microstructural details with different X-ray absorbencies, nondestructively, and to acquire 3D information at high spatial resolution. In this study, the volume fraction and 3D spatial distribution of Bioglass® particles has been acquired quantitatively by XμT. The information obtained provides a foundation for understanding the mechanical and bioactive properties of the Bioglass®/polyethylene composites.

scholarly journals Three-dimensional virtual histology of human cerebellum by X-ray phase-contrast tomography

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (27) ◽  
pp. 6940-6945 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mareike Töpperwien ◽  
Franziska van der Meer ◽  
Christine Stadelmann ◽  
Tim Salditt
Keyword(s):  
Phase Contrast ◽  
Spatial Organization ◽  
Granular Layer ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Cell Segmentation ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Human Cerebellum ◽  
Conventional Histology ◽  
3D Information ◽  
Phase Contrast Tomography

To quantitatively evaluate brain tissue and its corresponding function, knowledge of the 3D cellular distribution is essential. The gold standard to obtain this information is histology, a destructive and labor-intensive technique where the specimen is sliced and examined under a light microscope, providing 3D information at nonisotropic resolution. To overcome the limitations of conventional histology, we use phase-contrast X-ray tomography with optimized optics, reconstruction, and image analysis, both at a dedicated synchrotron radiation endstation, which we have equipped with X-ray waveguide optics for coherence and wavefront filtering, and at a compact laboratory source. As a proof-of-concept demonstration we probe the 3D cytoarchitecture in millimeter-sized punches of unstained human cerebellum embedded in paraffin and show that isotropic subcellular resolution can be reached at both setups throughout the specimen. To enable a quantitative analysis of the reconstructed data, we demonstrate automatic cell segmentation and localization of over 1 million neurons within the cerebellar cortex. This allows for the analysis of the spatial organization and correlation of cells in all dimensions by borrowing concepts from condensed-matter physics, indicating a strong short-range order and local clustering of the cells in the granular layer. By quantification of 3D neuronal “packing,” we can hence shed light on how the human cerebellum accommodates 80% of the total neurons in the brain in only 10% of its volume. In addition, we show that the distribution of neighboring neurons in the granular layer is anisotropic with respect to the Purkinje cell dendrites.

Layout Based Full Chip Thermal Simulations of Stacked 3D Integrated Circuits

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashok Raman ◽  
Marek Turowski ◽  
Monte Mar
Keyword(s):  
Integrated Circuits ◽  
Integrated Circuit ◽  
Hot Spots ◽  
Heat Dissipation ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
3D Ic ◽  
Localized Heating ◽  
3D Integrated Circuits ◽  
Thermal Simulations

This paper presents full-chip scale detailed thermal simulations of three-dimensional (3D) integrated circuit (IC) stacks. The inter-layer dielectric (ILD) and inter-metal dielectric (IMD) materials inside 3D IC stacks may cause extensive localized heating. The influence of multiple layers of dielectrics on heat trapping inside the 3D stack is analyzed. Different methods to minimize such localized heating are studied. It is shown that the use of thermal vias is very effective in heat dissipation from the hot spots. Comparisons are made between several 3D IC configurations to verify these conclusions.

scholarly journals The microstructure investigation of plant architecture with X-ray microscopy

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenting Zhang ◽  
Tao Guo ◽  
Ke Chen ◽  
Ting La ◽  
Philipp Alexander Bastians ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
3D Imaging ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Plant Morphology ◽  
Plant Tissues ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Observation Method ◽  
Microscopy Techniques ◽  
Non Destructive

ABSTRACTBackgroundIn recent years, the plant morphology has been well studied by multiple approaches at cellular and subcellular levels. Two-dimensional (2D) microscopy techniques offer imaging of plant structures on a wide range of magnifications for researchers. However, subcellular imaging is still challenging in plant tissues like roots and seeds.ResultsHere we use a three-dimensional (3D) imaging technology based on the ZEISS X-ray microscope (XRM) Versa and analyze several plant tissues from different plant species. The XRM provides new insights into plant structures using non-destructive imaging at high-resolution and high contrast. We also developed a workflow aiming to acquire accurate and high-quality images in the context of the whole specimen. Multiple plant samples including rice, tobacco, Arabidopsis and maize were used to display the differences of phenotypes, which indicates that the XRM is a powerful tool to investigate plant microstructure.ConclusionsOur work provides a novel observation method to evaluate and quantify tissue specific differences for a range of plant species. This new tool is suitable for non-destructive seed observation and screening.

Steps Toward Automated Deprocessing of Integrated Circuits

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.L. Principe ◽  
Navid Asadizanjani ◽  
Domenic Forte ◽  
Mark Tehranipoor ◽  
Robert Chivas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Image Processing ◽  
Integrated Circuits ◽  
3D Imaging ◽  
Time Data ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Ongoing Work ◽  
Real Time Data ◽  
Instrument Control ◽  
Sem Imaging ◽  
Control Image

Abstract This paper discusses the development of an extensible programmatic workflow that leverages evolving technologies in 2D/3D imaging, distributed instrument control, image processing, and automated mechanical/chemical deprocessing technology. Initial studies involve automated backside mechanical ultra-thinning of 65nm node IC processor chips in combination with SEM imaging and X-ray tomography. Areas as large as 800μm x 800μm were deprocessed using gas-assisted plasma FIB delayering. Ongoing work involves enhancing the workflow with “intelligent automation” by bridging FIB-SEM instrument control and near real-time data analysis to establish a computationally guided microscopy suite.

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