P. Tangyunyong, R. McFarland, R. S. Flores, S. Pearson, M. O. Sanchez, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM

Summary: In this paper, we describe a modified soft defect localization (SDL) technique, PSDL (pseudo-soft defect localization), to localize pseudo-soft defects in integrated circuits (ICs). Similar to soft defects, functional failures due to pseudo-soft defects are sensitive to operating parameters (such as voltages, frequencies and temperatures) and/or laser exposures. Pass/fail states in pseudo soft defect failures are, however, not fully reversible after laser exposure or after changing operating parameters. PSDL uses the methodology of conventional SDL and/or TIVA in combination with a new scanning scheme for defect localization. An example will be shown to demonstrate the use of this technique to localize pseudo-soft defects