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Title: The use of the charge-induced voltage alteration technique to analyze precursors to dielectric breakdown

Abstract

Charge-Induced Voltage Alteration (CIVA) is a new scanning electron microscopy technique to rapidly localize open conductors on integrated circuits (ICs). CIVA uses a constant current source to power the IC under test and produces an image by monitoring the variation in voltage supplied to the IC as a function of electron beam position. This concept of observing supply voltage changes as in CIVA has been applied to Tunneling Current Microscopy (TCM). TCM has been used to localize oxide defects in biased, large area MOS capacitors before oxide breakdown by measuring the fluctuations in current with electron beam position. These changes are normally on the order of 10 nA. Conventional current amplifiers normally limit the applied voltage thereby reducing the operational range of the TCM technique unless special circuit modifications are employed. By using a constant current source and monitoring the voltage changes across the capacitor being analyzed, there are no voltage limitations. Signal magnitudes on the order of 5 mV have been recorded from capacitor defects using the CIVA setup. A detailed description of the CIVA acquisition system used for TCM and a comparison with conventional TCM are provided. Images of oxide defects before breakdown are presented to show that,more » while the two approaches are comparable wid each has its own strengths and weaknesses, the CIVA approach is a superior technique for precursor localization.« less

Authors:
;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
10185099
Report Number(s):
SAND-92-0462C; CONF-920971-1
ON: DE92040960
DOE Contract Number:  
AC04-76DP00789
Resource Type:
Conference
Resource Relation:
Conference: Microelectronic processing,San Jose, CA (United States),21-25 Sep 1992; Other Information: PBD: [1992]
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
42 ENGINEERING; 47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION; INTEGRATED CIRCUITS; SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY; BREAKDOWN; ELECTRICAL TESTING; ELECTRON BEAMS; SIGNALS; SILICON OXIDES; DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES; IMAGE PROCESSING; 426000; 440800; COMPONENTS, ELECTRON DEVICES AND CIRCUITS; MISCELLANEOUS INSTRUMENTATION

Citation Formats

Barton, D L, and Cole, Jr, E I. The use of the charge-induced voltage alteration technique to analyze precursors to dielectric breakdown. United States: N. p., 1992. Web.
Barton, D L, & Cole, Jr, E I. The use of the charge-induced voltage alteration technique to analyze precursors to dielectric breakdown. United States.
Barton, D L, and Cole, Jr, E I. 1992. "The use of the charge-induced voltage alteration technique to analyze precursors to dielectric breakdown". United States.
@article{osti_10185099,
title = {The use of the charge-induced voltage alteration technique to analyze precursors to dielectric breakdown},
author = {Barton, D L and Cole, Jr, E I},
abstractNote = {Charge-Induced Voltage Alteration (CIVA) is a new scanning electron microscopy technique to rapidly localize open conductors on integrated circuits (ICs). CIVA uses a constant current source to power the IC under test and produces an image by monitoring the variation in voltage supplied to the IC as a function of electron beam position. This concept of observing supply voltage changes as in CIVA has been applied to Tunneling Current Microscopy (TCM). TCM has been used to localize oxide defects in biased, large area MOS capacitors before oxide breakdown by measuring the fluctuations in current with electron beam position. These changes are normally on the order of 10 nA. Conventional current amplifiers normally limit the applied voltage thereby reducing the operational range of the TCM technique unless special circuit modifications are employed. By using a constant current source and monitoring the voltage changes across the capacitor being analyzed, there are no voltage limitations. Signal magnitudes on the order of 5 mV have been recorded from capacitor defects using the CIVA setup. A detailed description of the CIVA acquisition system used for TCM and a comparison with conventional TCM are provided. Images of oxide defects before breakdown are presented to show that, while the two approaches are comparable wid each has its own strengths and weaknesses, the CIVA approach is a superior technique for precursor localization.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/10185099}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1992},
month = {Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1992}
}

Conference:
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