Methodology to quickly isolate functional failures associated with integrated circuit manufacturing defects
US5500603A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 31, 1994 |
| Grant date | Mar 19, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 31, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01R31/307
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
According to the present invention, the functionality and possible process-related defects of an integrated circuit device are quickly assessed and isolated using a special testing methodology. Utilizing a test chip, an Electron Beam (E-Beam) is used to locate defective circuitry of the integrated circuit at functional levels, and an emission microscope is used to locate possible DC leakage related to silicon which is indicative of process-related defects. Using the methodology of the present invention on a test chip rather than a real production device means that the functional analysis time may be reduced from weeks to less than one hour.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.