A. Reverdy, NXP Semiconductors, Caen, France; P. Perdu, CNES - French Space Agency, Toulouse, France; M. De La Bardonnie, NXP Semiconductors, Crolles, France; H. Murray, LaMIP, Caen, France; P. Poirier, NXP Semiconductors, CAEN, France; B. Domengès, CNRT-CNRS, Caen, France

Summary: Modulated Thermal Laser Stimulation (MTLS) has been established as a key technique to accurately localize defects at elementary structure level in deep submicron technologies. It has been achieved by Thermal Time Constant analysis (TTC) which allows knowing the dynamics of thermal exchanges. In this paper, we demonstrate for the first time the efficiency of this technique on 45 nm Back End Of the Line (BEOL) test structure in image mode and we underline the efficiency of the developed technique to differentiate artifacts and true defects in 45 nm BEOL structures.