Thermally-induced voltage alteration for integrated circuit analysis

• US 6,078,183 A
• Filed: 03/03/1998
• Issued: 06/20/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: National Technology & Engineering Solutions Of Sandia LLC (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sandia Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Cole, Edward I. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Vinh P.
• Application Number:
  US09/034,546
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 324/158.1, 324/73.1, 324/750, 324/752, 324/765, 324/500, 324/537, 250/559.07, 250/309, 250/396, 382/8
• US Class Current: 324/754.23
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2853 Electrical testing of internal connections or -isolation, e.g. latch-up or chip-to-lead connections G01R31/31717 takes precedence; test of chip-to-PCB or lead-to-PCB connections G01R31/66
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/311 of integrated circuits G01R31/31728 takes precedence

Abstract

A thermally-induced voltage alteration (TIVA) apparatus and method are disclosed for analyzing an integrated circuit (IC) either from a device side of the IC or through the IC substrate to locate any open-circuit or short-circuit defects therein. The TIVA apparatus uses constant-current biasing of the IC while scanning a focused laser beam over electrical conductors (i.e. a patterned metallization) in the IC to produce localized heating of the conductors. This localized heating produces a thermoelectric potential due to the Seebeck effect in any conductors with open-circuit defects and a resistance change in any conductors with short-circuit defects, both of which alter the power demand by the IC and thereby change the voltage of a source or power supply providing the constant-current biasing. By measuring the change in the supply voltage and the position of the focused and scanned laser beam over time, any open-circuit or short-circuit defects in the IC can be located and imaged. The TIVA apparatus can be formed in part from a scanning optical microscope, and has applications for qualification testing or failure analysis of ICs.

Claims

1. An apparatus for analyzing an integrated circuit (IC) formed on a semiconductor substrate, comprising:

(a) a constant-current source connected to the IC to supply a constant current and a variable voltage thereto, the voltage provided by the constant-current source to the IC changing in response to a change in a power demand by the IC;

(b) a laser producing a beam with a photon energy less than a bandgap energy of the semiconductor substrate;

(c) means for focusing and scanning the laser beam to irradiate electrical conductors within the IC and thereby change the power demand by the IC when the laser beam irradiates any open-circuit or short-circuit defect in the IC, the focusing and scanning means providing a position signal to indicate the location of the laser beam on the IC; and

(d) display means comprising inputs of the changing voltage and the position signal for indicating the location of each open-circuit or short-circuit defect in the IC.

2. The apparatus in claim 1 further comprising a stage for holding the IC.

3. The apparatus in claim 2 wherein the stage comprises means for heating or cooling the IC.

4. The apparatus in claim 1 wherein the photon energy of the laser is less than 1.1 electron volts (eV).

5. The apparatus in claim 1 wherein the laser beam has a wavelength in the range of 1.2 microns to 2.5 microns.

6. The apparatus in claim 5 wherein the laser is a neodymium:

yttrium-vanadium-oxide laser.

7. The apparatus in claim 6 wherein the wavelength of the laser beam is 1.34 microns.

8. The apparatus in claim 1 further comprising a photodetector for detecting a portion of the laser beam reflected or scattered from the IC.

9. The apparatus in claim 8 wherein the photodetector is a germanium photodetector.

10. The apparatus in claim 8 wherein the display means further includes an input from the photodetector to generate a reflected-light image of the IC.

11. The apparatus in claim 10 wherein the display means provides the reflected-light image superposed with an image of the open-circuit or short-circuit defect.

12. The apparatus in claim 1 further comprising a voltage amplifier, connected between the constant-current source and the display means, for amplifying the changing voltage.

13. The apparatus in claim 12 wherein the voltage amplifier is an ac-coupled voltage amplifier.

14. The apparatus in claim 1 further comprising a switch matrix connected between the constant-current source and the IC for controlling a plurality of electrical connections to the IC.

15. The apparatus in claim 14 wherein the switch matrix is computer controlled.

16. The apparatus in claim 1 wherein the laser beam irradiates the electrical conductors from a device side of the IC.

17. The apparatus in claim 1 wherein the laser beam is transmitted through the semiconductor substrate to irradiate the electrical conductors.

18. The apparatus in claim 1 further comprising an optical filter placed in a path of the laser beam to remove any light having a photon energy equal to or greater than the bandgap energy of the semiconductor substrate.

19. The apparatus in claim 1 wherein the semiconductor substrate comprises silicon.

20. The apparatus in claim 1 wherein the display means further comprises an image processor.

21. The apparatus in claim 1 wherein the means for focusing and scanning the laser beam comprises a scanning optical microscope.

22. An apparatus for analyzing an integrated circuit (IC) formed on a semiconductor substrate, comprising:

(a) a stage for holding the IC and making electrical connections thereto;

(b) a laser generating a laser beam with a photon energy less than a bandgap energy of the semiconductor substrate;

(c) means for focusing and scanning the laser beam onto the IC to irradiate electrical conductors within a portion of the IC and thereby produce by localized heating a thermoelectric potential at the location of any open-circuit defect in the electrical conductors; and

(d) a constant-current source connected to the stage to supply power to the IC, the constant-current source further comprising a voltage that changes in response to the thermoelectric potential produced at the location of the open-circuit defect, the change in voltage thereby indicating the location of the open-circuit defect in the IC.

23. An apparatus for analyzing an integrated circuit (IC) formed on a semiconductor substrate, comprising:

(a) a stage for holding the IC and making electrical connections thereto;

(b) a laser generating a laser beam with a photon energy less than a bandgap energy of the semiconductor substrate;

(c) means for focusing and scanning the laser beam onto the IC to irradiate a short-circuit defect within the IC and thereby produce by localized heating a change in resistance of the short-circuit defect; and

(d) a constant-current source connected to the stage to supply power to the IC, the constant-current source further comprising a voltage that changes in response to the change in resistance of the short-circuit defect, thereby indicating the location of the short-circuit defect in the IC.

24. A method for analyzing an integrated circuit (IC), comprising steps for:

(a) supplying electrical power to the IC from a constant-current source having a constant current and a variable voltage that changes in response to a change in a power demand by the IC;

(b) irradiating electrical conductors within the IC by focusing and scanning a laser beam over a portion of the IC thereby changing the power demand by the IC, the laser beam having a photon energy less than a bandgap energy of a semiconductor substrate wherefrom the IC is formed; and

(c) detecting at least one open-circuit or short-circuit defect within the IC by sensing a position of the focused and scanned laser beam and a change in the variable voltage from the constant-current source.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the step for detecting the open-circuit or short-circuit defect within the IC further comprises forming an image showing the location of the defect in the IC.

26. The method of claim 25 further including steps for forming a reflected-light image of the IC and superposing the reflected light-image with the image of the defect thereby forming a composite image for locating the defect in the IC.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the reflected-light image is generated by detecting a portion of the laser beam reflected or scattered from the IC.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the detecting step comprises detecting the portion of the laser beam reflected or scattered from the IC with a germanium photodetector.

29. The method of claim 24 further comprising a step for holding the IC and making a plurality of electrical connections thereto.

30. The method of claim 29 further comprising a step for controlling the electrical connections to the IC with a switch matrix.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the switch matrix is computer controlled.

32. The method of claim 24 further comprising a step for amplifying the change in the variable voltage prior to the detecting step.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the step for amplifying the change in the variable voltage is performed with an ac-coupled amplifier.

34. The method of claim 24 wherein the photon energy of the laser beam is less than 1.1 electron volts (eV).

35. The method of claim 24 wherein the laser beam has a wavelength in the range of 1.2 microns to 2.5 microns.

36. The method of claim 24 wherein the laser beam is generated by a neodymium:

yttrium-vanadium-oxide laser.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein the a wavelength of the laser beam is 1.34 microns.

38. The method of claim 24 wherein the step of irradiating electrical conductors within the IC comprises irradiating a device side of the IC.

39. The method of claim 24 wherein the step of irradiating electrical conductors within the IC comprises transmitting the laser beam through the semiconductor substrate.

40. The method of claim 24 further including a step for filtering the laser beam and thereby removing any portion of the laser beam having a photon energy greater than or equal to the bandgap energy of the semiconductor substrate.