Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for analyzing semiconductor devices using charge-sensitive electron-beam-injected-carrier microscopy

US4755748A · kind A · utility

16Cited by
17References
2Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateJun 5, 1985
Grant dateJul 5, 1988
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 5, 2005

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01R31/305
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

In order to determine whether defects are present in a semiconductor device (103) biased to its normal operating levels, a scanning electron microscope (101) equipped with an electron beam blanker (102) scans the device with a pulsed electron beam. Charge carriers generated within the device in response to each pulse of electrons are collected and amplified by a charge carrier sensitive preamplifier (114) to produce a voltage signal which when applied to a CRT (118) produces an image of the semiconductor. Defects in the device can be located from irregularities in the image and the presence of bias dependent defects can be ascertained by varying the bias current supplied (113) to the device and noting changes in the image.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.