Chemical analysis can play a key role in the understanding the root cause of electronic device failures. The identification of the chemical makeup of particles and contaminants plays a vital role in understanding the sources of these contaminants. This session will provide a basic understanding of the physical principles and examples of applications of the analysis techniques most commonly used in the failure analysis of electronic devices.

The most commonly used technique is Energy Dispersive Analysis which has many advantages for failure analysis. Other techniques such as Auger and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy provide better surface analysis. SIMS is commonly used to provide better sensitivity while techniques like Raman and FTIR provide better identification of organic materials. Other complementary techniques will also be discussed.