Correlative In-Situ AFM-in-SEM technique for Advanced Semiconductor Failure Analysis and Material Characterization
Correlative In-Situ AFM-in-SEM technique for Advanced Semiconductor Failure Analysis and Material Characterization
Sunday, October 4, 2026: 9:00 AM
206B (Henry B. González Convention Center)
Summary:
Correlative In-Situ AFM-in-SEM for Advanced Semiconductor Failure Analysis As semiconductor devices scale into complex 3D architectures, failure analysis increasingly demands methods that correlate structural and electrical information at the nanoscale without losing the region of interest. Conventional multi-instrument workflows introduce contamination, misalignment, and measurement variability through repeated vacuum cycles and sample transfers. This tutorial introduces Atomic Force Microscopy integrated within SEM and Focused Ion Beam systems (AFM-in-SEM/FIB), covering its operational principles, practical limitations, and suitability for semiconductor FA — including probe navigation under SEM, working-distance constraints, and integration with common accessories. A central focus is in-situ sample preparation using plasma FIB: gas-assisted delayering with SEM monitoring enables repeated delayering–measurement cycles on identical regions of interest without breaking vacuum, improving reproducibility. The session also introduces electron-beam-assisted techniques such as EBC-AFM and presents representative use cases: C-AFM/EBC-AFM defect localization, transistor-level dopant mapping via in-situ SSRM, and epitaxial-layer profiling. Recent results on advanced technology nodes illustrate both strengths and limitations, and emerging directions such as combining AFM-in-SEM with nanoprobing are outlined. The result is a practical, method-oriented guide for FA engineers and researchers.
Correlative In-Situ AFM-in-SEM for Advanced Semiconductor Failure Analysis As semiconductor devices scale into complex 3D architectures, failure analysis increasingly demands methods that correlate structural and electrical information at the nanoscale without losing the region of interest. Conventional multi-instrument workflows introduce contamination, misalignment, and measurement variability through repeated vacuum cycles and sample transfers. This tutorial introduces Atomic Force Microscopy integrated within SEM and Focused Ion Beam systems (AFM-in-SEM/FIB), covering its operational principles, practical limitations, and suitability for semiconductor FA — including probe navigation under SEM, working-distance constraints, and integration with common accessories. A central focus is in-situ sample preparation using plasma FIB: gas-assisted delayering with SEM monitoring enables repeated delayering–measurement cycles on identical regions of interest without breaking vacuum, improving reproducibility. The session also introduces electron-beam-assisted techniques such as EBC-AFM and presents representative use cases: C-AFM/EBC-AFM defect localization, transistor-level dopant mapping via in-situ SSRM, and epitaxial-layer profiling. Recent results on advanced technology nodes illustrate both strengths and limitations, and emerging directions such as combining AFM-in-SEM with nanoprobing are outlined. The result is a practical, method-oriented guide for FA engineers and researchers.