Chapter/Index: Introduction | A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
J |
K |
L |
M |
N |
O |
P |
Q |
R |
S |
T |
U |
V |
W |
X |
Y |
Z |
Appendix
Setup and Applications of Electron Beam Probing (eBP)
| A specialized electron microscope for electrical and imaging applications is Thermo Fisher Meridian EX system. The system is designed with a top-down electron microscope column for scanning and imaging, which includes a 3-axis stage for precise positioning and multiple vacuum compatible feedthroughs for applying electrical signals to the Device Under Test (DUT). The system operates in two modes:
- Continuous electron-beam current mode: Primarily used for imaging and probing, but limited by the detector's bandwidth (around 5 MHz).
- Chopped (pulsed) electron-beam mode: Used for higher-frequency measurements.
The system uses stroboscopic electron-beam technique:
- In cases where higher frequencies (beyond 5 MHz) need to be measured, the system uses a pulsed mode.
- This involves a beam blanker, which alternates between two blanked states, causing the electron beam to pass through the aperture momentarily. That is, during the transition between the two blanked states
the electron beam passes over the aperture, allowing a pulse of incident
electrons to travel down the electron microscope column to
reach the IC device being probed. [1]
- This results in precise electron pulses that allow measurement of high-frequency signals or waveforms.
[1] Vickers, J,. et al. (2019) Faliure Analyusis of FinFET
circuitry at 2GHz speedus using voltage Contrast and
stroboscopic techniques on a scanning electron microscope,
ISTFA 2019: Proceedings from the 44th International Symposium for Testing and Failure Analysis, Nov. 10 –
Nov. 14, 2019, Portland, Oregon, USA.
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