FIB based open via analysis and repair
US7786436B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 21, 2007 |
| Grant date | Aug 31, 2010 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 15, 2028 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01L22/12
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An improved method, apparatus, and control/guiding software for localizing, characterizing, and correcting defects in integrated circuits, particularly open or resistive contact/via defects and metal bridging defects, using FIB technology. An apparatus for identifying an abnormal discontinuity in a contact/via in an integrated circuit comprising a focused ion beam system to scan the ion beam over the contact/via to do remove or deposit via material, a detector to collect a secondary particle signal from the contact/via material that gets removed, a sub-system for storing the secondary particle signal from the contact/via in time as well as x-y scan position, a sub-system for correlating secondary particle signals and identifying discontinuities in the correlated secondary particle signals, a sub-system for optimizing the display of the abnormal discontinuity; and a computer to implement software aspects of the system.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.