EMERGING FA TECHNIQUES AND CONCEPTS: Pairing Laser Ablation and Xe Plasma FIB-SEM: An approach for precise end-pointing in large-scale Physical Failure Analysis in the Semiconductor Industry
EMERGING FA TECHNIQUES AND CONCEPTS: Pairing Laser Ablation and Xe Plasma FIB-SEM: An approach for precise end-pointing in large-scale Physical Failure Analysis in the Semiconductor Industry
Wednesday, November 3, 2021
West Hall 1-2 (Phoenix Convention Center)
Summary:
This paper presents optimized workflows for large-volume PFA of microelectronic devices. The workflows are implemented by combining a stand-alone ps-laser ablation tool with a Xe Plasma FIB-SEM system. In this synergy, the ps-laser is used to quickly remove large volumes of bulk material while the Xe Plasma FIB-SEM is used for precise end-pointing to the feature of interest and – if needed – for fine surface polishing after laser. This setting approach enables quick access to deeply buried structures thus increasing dramatically throughput in sample preparation as well as productivity since both the laser tool and the Xe Plasma FIB can run independently and continuously. A novel workflow for damage-free and delamination-free sample preparation of AMOLED displays for PFA purposes is one of the highlighted applications.
This paper presents optimized workflows for large-volume PFA of microelectronic devices. The workflows are implemented by combining a stand-alone ps-laser ablation tool with a Xe Plasma FIB-SEM system. In this synergy, the ps-laser is used to quickly remove large volumes of bulk material while the Xe Plasma FIB-SEM is used for precise end-pointing to the feature of interest and – if needed – for fine surface polishing after laser. This setting approach enables quick access to deeply buried structures thus increasing dramatically throughput in sample preparation as well as productivity since both the laser tool and the Xe Plasma FIB can run independently and continuously. A novel workflow for damage-free and delamination-free sample preparation of AMOLED displays for PFA purposes is one of the highlighted applications.