Electron Beam Testing And Its Applications To VLSI Technology

Abstract

With the recent advances in instrumentation, automation and spectrometer design, the Electron Beam Tester is fast becoming a standard tool for design verification and failure analysis of Very Large Scale Integrated Circuit (VLSI) technology products. This paper presents a brief overview of the principles of operation and a discussion of the different testing modes.The application of voltage contrast to VLSI technology is illustrated with a few typical examples taken from failure analysis and design verification stages of memory and microprocessor products.Present limitations and future trends of Electron Beam Testing are discussed.