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The article focuses on the applications of voltage contrast (VC) measurements in scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) for characterizing and debugging modern integrated circuits (ICs). It explains how VC measurements can probe electrical activity in ICs operating at speeds as high as 2 GHz; discusses the generation of secondary electrons; the factors affecting VC; and its sensitivity, as well as provides examples of VC applications, such as waveform analysis and spectral analysis in ICs.

The article explores scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) and the transmission electron detectors used therein are widely available. Both are generally easy to use, making the collection of imaging and diffraction techniques referred to as scanning transmission electron microscopy in a scanning electron microscope (STEM-in-SEM) more accessible today than ever before.

The article discusses the relevance of superconducting single-photon detector as a time-resolved emission technique used for the accurate localization of failures of the probing waveforms of integrated circuits. Topics include the application of laser voltage probing (LVP) technique to the transistor, the detection of small modulation in the reflected laser light by a fast photodiode, and the combination of LVP with a laser scanning microscope used to test the chip.

The article discusses the three-dimensional (3-D) analysis of flip-chip bump interconnection using repetition of focused ion beam (FIB) etching and secondary electron microscope (SEM). Topics discussed include the copper pillar bonded to copper wiring, the reconstructed 3-D images, and void formation mechanisms such as the Kirkendall effect and solid-phase diffusion.

The article focuses on the usefulness of cryogenic focused ion beam (FIB) technology with scanning electron microscope (SEM) for analyzing the failure of compound semiconductors which allows gallium FIB milling at room temperature. It discusses the preparation of transmission electron microscope (TEM) lamella from indium nitride (InN) nanoparticles and mentions the FIB milling and cryogenic SEM in one system allowing in situ "mill and view" at high resolution at cryogenic temperatures.

The article reports on the development of analytical technique for the assessment and monitoring of mechanical stability of back-end-of-line (BEOL). A new method to assess its mechanical integrity is bump-assisted BEOL stability indentation (BABSI) test for all type of real product dies and test chips. Its application inside a scanning electron microscope provides an investigation of mechanical failure modes and Chip-Package Interaction-related reliability issues.

The article offers brief information on the Ion Beam Microscopy (IBM) which is an alternate method of advancing imaging tools after scanning electron microscope (SEM). It states that SEM is used for advancing imaging tools as it provides a wide range of capabilities including topography, chemical composition and crystallographic properties. It also mentions that IBM uses shorter wavelength as compared with the wavelength of SEM and thus optimizes optical performance.

The article discusses the industrial application of a scanning electron microscope (SEM)-based nanoprobing system. It is noted that this nanoprobing system is equipped with high-speed testing capability and used to distinguish in-die static random access memory (SRAM) bit cells. It is also claimed that fault localization time and the possibility of deprocessing past the fail are both decreased in this technique.

The article focuses on the relevance of implementing defect localization techniques that keep up with technology developments to improve failure analysis (FA). It is stated that a nonoprobing method, with a scanning electron microscope (SEM), achieves higher spatial resolution than the former probing method with an optical microscope. Moreover, fault site localization process is generally performed by selecting a larger candidate area surrounding the fault and then narrow it down to a smaller area, and localizing a specified element with the fault area.

The article offers the author's insights on the success and breakdown of adopting new failure analysis (FA) techniques. The author says that using passive voltage contrast in scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) and focused ion beams (FIBs) was easy to adopt in the FA laboratory. He states that they could train industrial engineers to perform deprocessing method by silicon removal. He discusses signal-to-noise ratio, laser-assisted device alteration (LADA), and soft defect localization (SDL).

The article evaluates several electronic equipments including the NeoScope benchtop scanning electron microscope (SEM) from Jeol Ltd., the Titan ETEM G2, an environmental transmission electron microscope (ETEM), from FEI Co. and the Verios XHR SEM from FEI Co., and also reviews the Educational Outreach Website from Hitachi High Technologies America Inc.

The article presents author's experience of being involved in failure analysis. It focuses on improvements made by the semiconductor industry including field emission system in scanning electron microscope, ion beam technology and multilevel metallization. It mentions that multilevel metallization has led to the development of the emission microscope and drove rapid development of liquid crystal. It also informs about the popcorn effect which produces a new failure mechanism.

The article reports that FEI Co. has announced the availability of its NovaNanoSEM 50 Series of ultrahigh-resolution scanning electron microscopes. It states that the product is designed to provide industry-leading, nanometer-scale resolution and precise analysis on a wide range of samples. It adds that the NovaNanoSEM 50 Series adds technological innovations from industry-leading products of FEI.

The article reports on the launch of a silicon drift detector (SDD) X-Max Extreme by research tool maker Oxford Instruments for field-emission gun (FEG) and ion beam-scanning electron microscope (FIB-SEM) applications, and energy-dispersive spectroscopy data collection at low kilovolt.

The article reports on the partnership between Olympus Canada Inc. and Hitachi High-Technologies Canada to make Olympus the exclusive distributor of the new Hitachi TM3000 tabletop scanning electron microscope (SEM) in Canada.