Application of high-resolution X-ray microscopy to image backend-of- line structures

Conference: Smart Systems Integration 2008 - 2nd European Conference & Exhibition on Integration Issues of Miniaturized Systems - MOMS, MOEMS, ICS and Electronic Components
04/09/2008 - 04/10/2008 at Barcelona, Spain

Proceedings: Smart Systems Integration 2008

Pages: 7Language: englishTyp: PDF

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Authors:
Zschech, Ehrenfried (AMD Saxony LLC & Co. KG, Dresden, Deutschland)
Braun, Stefan (Fraunhofer-Institut für Werkstoff- und Strahltechnik, Dresden, Deutschland)
Yun, Wenbing (Xradia Inc., Concord/CA, USA)

Abstract:
One of the challenges to process control and failure analysis in semiconductor industry is the nondestructive visualization of sub-50nm features and defects. The availability of high-brilliance X-ray sources, high-precision X-ray focusing optics and very efficient CCD area detectors have contributed essentially to the development of transmission X-ray microscopy (TXM) and X-ray computed tomography (XCT) to reach a spatial resolution of 50nm and below. High-resolution X-ray microscopes with rotating anode X-ray sources that can be installed in an analytical lab next to a semiconductor fab have been developed recently. These unique TXM/XCT systems provide an imporlant new capability of nondestructive 3D imaging of internal circuit structures without destructive sampie preparation such as crosssectioning. In this paper, the potential of TXM/XCT lab systems for failure localization in micro- and nanoelectronic structures and devices is discussed. Applications to backend-of-Iine structures seem to be realistic in near future, e. g., to visualize voids and residuals in on-chip metal interconnects without physical modification of the chip.