A Novel Decapsulation Technique for Failure Analysis of Integrated Circuits

Conference paper (2006)

Authors

Q Li Computational Design and Mechanics - Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering
C.I.M. Beenakker Electronic Components, Technology and Materials - EEMCS
CJ Vath III External organisation
Research Group
Computational Design and Mechanics (Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering) (TU Delft)
More Info
expand_more

Published Date

2006

Language

Undefined/Unknown

Reuse Rights

Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.

Faculty

Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering

Department

Precision and Microsystems Engineering

Research Group

Computational Design and Mechanics

Abstract

Failure analysis (FA) is a critical element in Integrated Circuit (IC) manufacturing. As IC advances and new materials are introduced in the semiconductor process, some conventional FA techniques cannot be applied. In this paper, we present a novel FA technique for IC packages with copper wire. It is a low cost and time efficient dry etching technique, where microwave induced plasma (MIP) is utilized to decapsulate the plastic encapsulated microcircuits components. The system does not require any vacuum and is capable to remove the molding compound on the top of the IC chip without destroying the structure on the chip or the wires. The experimental set-up to operate the plasma is described and the results of the experiments are shown to prove the feasibility and the efficiency of the proposed technique.