Optical Tools for IC Failure Analysis

The dense metallization and flip-chip packaging of advanced integrated circuits have necessitated the development/improvement of optical beam tools for fault localization. This tutorial reviews several of these new tools with an explanation of the physics involved and numerous examples. The tools described include OBIC, LIVA, SEI/TIVA, PICA, LVP, and SDL.

Edward Cole, Jr.

Edward Cole, Jr. received the B.S. (1981), M.S. (1985), and Ph.D. (1987) in physics from the University of North Carolina. He joined the Failure Analysis Department of Sandia National Laboratories in 1987. His research interests are in the development and improvement of non-destructive IC failure analysis tools, with emphasis on electron and optical beam techniques and he has published frequently in the field of failure analysis. In 1995 Dr. Cole was named a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories. He has served on the executive and management committees of the ISTFA and IRPS conferences, chairing the ISTFA'96 event. He is currently the immediate past president of the Electronic Device Failure Analysis Society (EDFAS).