Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world leader in serving science, has introduced the Thermo Scientific™ Meridian™ EX System— an electron-beam-based failure analysis solution designed to enable precise fault localization on advanced semiconductor logic technologies.

As semiconductor manufacturers adopt more complex architectures to deliver higher performing, energy efficient semiconductors, they are pushing the boundaries of existing failure analysis solutions. Where optical fault isolation tools can still be used for mainstream semiconductors, advanced logic devices now require new solutions to isolate and identify subtle electrical defects which may be fully obscured by metal interconnects on the backside and frontside of the device.

Thermo Fisher’s new Meridian EX System uses an electron beam to probe the device under test. The much smaller wavelength of electron beams versus lasers can help users achieve a 10X spatial resolution improvement compared to commercially available optical laser-based fault isolation solutions. This improvement helps eliminate “cross-talk” from adjacent circuits to deliver more reliable characterization data.

In addition, Meridian EX’s electron beam can enable users to capture dynamic data off metal interconnects, such as power distribution layers, which optical fault isolations systems cannot.

“Chip manufacturers are developing devices with smaller features, new power distribution architectures and new materials, resulting in an increased number of process defects that must be localized and characterized,” said Mohan Iyer, vice president and general manager, semiconductor, at Thermo Fisher Scientific. “As an industry leader in failure analysis workflows and applications, we’re proud to help semiconductor manufacturers address key fault isolation challenges by introducing the Meridian EX and adding electron beam probing technology to Thermo Fisher’s suite of advanced device analysis workflows.”

Features include:

• A new, dedicated electron column design enables precision, through metal probing.
• A new, high-speed beam switching sub-system enables localization of subtle chip defects.
• Industry standard Thermo Scientific Meridian software interface for ease of use and rapid integration into existing lab failure analysis workflows.