Application of 3D X-ray in Root Cause Investigation of Catastrophic EOS/EIPD
Application of 3D X-ray in Root Cause Investigation of Catastrophic EOS/EIPD
Wednesday, October 7, 2026: 2:00 AM
Summary:
Catastrophic electrical over stress or electrically induced physical damage (EOS/EIPD) to semiconductor devices is difficult to attribute to a root cause. This is primarily due to an apparent lack of remaining evidence as the majority may be destroyed in the high temperature event commonly associated with EOS/EIPD. This makes implementation of a standard failure analysis (FA) approach of exposing and imaging a die challenging requiring a different approach. This paper will demonstrate through case studies a physically non-destructive FA methodology led by applying 3D x-ray computed tomography to either directly provide the data to show root cause or guide the FA flow to drive to root cause.
Catastrophic electrical over stress or electrically induced physical damage (EOS/EIPD) to semiconductor devices is difficult to attribute to a root cause. This is primarily due to an apparent lack of remaining evidence as the majority may be destroyed in the high temperature event commonly associated with EOS/EIPD. This makes implementation of a standard failure analysis (FA) approach of exposing and imaging a die challenging requiring a different approach. This paper will demonstrate through case studies a physically non-destructive FA methodology led by applying 3D x-ray computed tomography to either directly provide the data to show root cause or guide the FA flow to drive to root cause.