M. Huettinger, U. Papenberg, J. Touzel, Infineon Technologies AG, Munich, Germany; A. Janeiro, R. Guedes, C. Caldeira, C. Ribeiro, P. Rocha, Infineon Technologies AG, Mindelo, Portugal

Summary: Abstract: Damages on the top metal layer caused by the package processes in the backend result often in not punctual electrical failure like column select fails. So, X-sections through an exact address cannot be performed. Decapping from the front side of the die by removing the package (Top-Down preparation) only uncovers the area with the damaged structures of the die. Any root cause linked with the package is gone. So a preparation preserving the package at the failure (Bottom-Down preparation) is neces-sary. This paper presents a preparation method for investigations and assessment of backend related problems by removal of the Si-die from the back side, letting package and con-nections layers free for a quick and reliable review.