Defect Analysis - An Important Step To Improving Product Quality, Manufacture Process

By Roy van Rivero


Part of an industry process that plays an imperative role in product manufacturing is defect analysis. This critical step is carried out by the use of advanced technologies, which are capable of examining defects at micro and nano levels. As a result, improved manufacturing process is realized, which is a key component to producing products of better quality. Indeed, defect analysis is of vital importance to delivering better products to the end-users - products that give optimum performance.

One example industry that is benefiting from defect analysis is semiconductor's. With this important step, manufacturers of integrated circuits are now able to detect even the slightest defect and perform the necessary fixing, thereby producing end-products that are of better quality. Because defect analysis involves the examination of semiconductor substrates in micro or nano levels, the process can be really challenging. Fortunately, companies that perform defect analysis have found solutions to this challenge and this is through the use of nano technologies developed by innovative minds in the industry. Some examples of these technologies are FE-SEM, which is utilized to capture the surface topology of any solid material with high spatial resolution; FIB-SEM, which is used for site-specific analysis, deposition, and ablation of materials.

Some microscopes used for defect analysis

Helios NanoLab(TM) DualBeam - this tool is engineered to provide a powerful solution for advanced nanoscale research; it is capable of producing ultra-thin samples for S/TEM and the most precise prototyping capabilities.

Tecnai(TM) TEM - this is designed to give a truly universal imaging and analysis solution intended for life sciences, materials sciences, nanotechnology and the semiconductor and data storage industries.

Magellan XHR SEM - this equipment, without analytical capabilities being compromised, is capable of giving surface-sensitive imaging performance at sub-nanometer resolution.

Advanced methods for defect analysis

3D Metrology - this method is used to measure the interior of complex object non-destructively; a system employed to process control, component qualification, reverse-engineering, as well as tool correction.

Circuit Edit - a process that is used to perform microsurgery on integrated circuit devices; focused ion beam (FIB) tools are used to perform this process.

Failure Analysis - this is done to collect and analyze data to examine the reason of failure and so to perform the needed fixing.

TEM Lamella Preparation - uses focused ion beam, the procedure includes FIB milling and polishing of front side of TEM lamella, then the sample is rotated 180 degrees and the back is milled and polished, and then pick up of TEM lamella with lift-out tool.




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