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Failure and Yield Analysis (Online Version)

Millions of dollars wasted. Lost competitive advantage. Idle manufacturing lines and customer frustrations.

These are the all-too-common consequences of semiconductor failures. In today's economy, competent failure analysts are vital to solve these problems before their companies suffer the repercussions. However, as circuits grow more and more complicated, engineers can easily find themselves entangled in a semiconductor "labyrinth" -- searching for a microscopic failure among millions of transistors. With the wide spectrum of available analysis tools and the ever-decreasing probability of defect discovery, failure analysis can quickly become overwhelming even for the experienced analyst.

The solution: Failure and Yield Analysis, an online course that covers effective analysis tools and presents systematic process flows that simplify defect localization and characterization. By focusing on a "Do it Right the First Time" approach, the class will give you the appropriate methodology to successfully locate and characterize defects to determine the root cause of failure.

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Item

1-Year Online Training Subscription

(Includes this and other materials.)

Cost

$700

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Please email the printable registration form for online training to us at the email address on the form to complete your order.

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Interested in a version of this course where you can ask questions in real time? Public and In-House versions of this course are available!

What Will I Learn By Taking This Class?

This skill-building series is divided into three segments.

  1. The Process of Failure and Yield Analysis. Participants learn to recognize correct philosophical principles that lead to a successful analysis. This includes concepts like destructive vs. non-destructive techniques, fast techniques vs. brute force techniques, and correct verification.
  2. The Tools and Techniques. Participants learn the strengths and weaknesses of a variety of tools used for analysis, including electrical testing techniques, package analysis tools, light emission, electron beam tools, optical beam tools, decapping and sample preparation, and surface science tools.
  3. Case Histories. Participants identify how to use their knowledge through the case histories. They learn to identify key pieces of information that allow them to determine the possible cause of failure and how to proceed.

The class focuses on practical application to the situations that you face daily, whether you are a manager, an engineer, or a technician working in the semiconductor field, using semiconductor components, or supplying tools to the semiconductor industry.

Course Objectives

  1. The seminar will provide participants with an in-depth understanding of tools, techniques, and processes used in failure and yield analysis.
  2. Participants will be able to determine how to proceed with a submitted request for analysis, ensuring that the analysis is done with the greatest probability of success.
  3. The seminar will identify the advantages and disadvantages of common failure analysis tools and techniques.
  4. The seminar offers a wide variety of video demonstrations of analysis techniques, so the analyst can understand the results they might expect from their equipment.
  5. Participants will be able to identify basic technology features on semiconductor devices.
  6. Participants will be able to identify a variety of failure mechanisms and how they manifest themselves.
  7. Participants will be able to determine appropriate tools to purchase when starting or expanding a laboratory.

Course Outline

Module 1

  1. Introduction
  2. Failure Analysis Principles/Procedures
    1. Philosophy of Failure Analysis
    2. Flowcharts
  3. Gathering Information
  4. Package Level Testing
    1. Optical Microscopy
    2. Acoustic Microscopy
    3. X-Ray Radiography
    4. Hermetic Seal Testing
    5. Residual Gas Analysis
  5. Electrical Testing
    1. Basics of Circuit Operation
    2. Curve Tracer/Parameter Analyzer Operation
    3. Quiescent Power Supply Current
    4. Parametric Tests (Input Leakage, Output voltage levels, Output current levels, etc.)
    5. Timing Tests (Propagation Delay, Rise/Fall Times, etc.)
    6. Automatic Test Equipment
    7. Basics of Digital Circuit Troubleshooting
    8. Basics of Analog Circuit Troubleshooting

Module 2

  1. Decapsulation/Backside Sample Preparation
    1. Mechanical Delidding Techniques
    2. Chemical Delidding Techniques
    3. Backside Sample Preparation Techniques
  2. Die Inspection
    1. Optical Microscopy
    2. Scanning Electron Microscopy
  3. Microprobing
    1. Standard
    2. AFM Probing
    3. Nanoprobing
  4. Photon Emission Microscopy
    1. Mechanisms for Photon Emission
    2. Instrumentation
      1. Frontside
      2. Backside
    3. Interpretation

Module 3

  1. Electron Beam Tools
    1. Voltage Contrast
      1. Passive Voltage Contrast
      2. Static Voltage Contrast
      3. Capacitive Coupled Voltage Contrast
      4. Introduction to Electron Beam Probing
    2. Electron Beam Induced Current
    3. Resistive Contrast Imaging
    4. Charge-Induced Voltage Alteration
  2. Optical Beam Tools
    1. Optical Beam Induced Current
    2. Light-Induced Voltage Alteration
    3. Thermally-Induced Voltage Alteration
    4. Seebeck Effect Imaging
    5. Electro-optical Probing
    6. Laser Voltage Probe (IDS-2K)
  3. Soft Defect Localization
  4. Thermal Detection Techniques
    1. Infrared Thermal Imaging
    2. Liquid Crystal Hot Spot Detection
    3. Fluorescent Microthermal Imaging

Module 4

  1. Chemical Unlayering
    1. Wet Chemical Etching
    2. Reactive Ion Etching
    3. Parallel Polishing
  2. Scanned Probe Techniques
    1. Atomic Force Microscopy
    2. Scanning Capacitance Microscopy
    3. SQUID Microscopy
  3. Analytical Techniques
    1. TEM
    2. EDS/WDS
    3. ESCA/XPS
    4. Auger
    5. SIMS
  4. Focused Ion Beam Technology
    1. Physics of Operation
    2. Instrumentation
    3. Examples
    4. Gas-Assisted Etching
    5. Insulator Deposition
    6. Electrical Circuit Effects
  5. Case Histories