STTR Phase I: Scanning Magnetic Microscope using a Ferromagnetic Flux-Guide Coupled to a SQUID for Nanoscale Current Imaging of Integrated Circuits

STTR 第一阶段：使用与 SQUID 耦合的铁磁磁通导扫描磁显微镜对集成电路进行纳米级电流成像

• 批准号: 0638011
• 负责人: Antonio Orozco
• 金额: $ 14.96万
• 依托单位: NEOCERA, LLC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-01-01 至 2007-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0638011&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: STTR; Phase; Scanning; Magnetic; Microscope

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project will develop a hybrid scanning-SQUID microscope coupled to a magnetic flux-guide to achieve nanoscale imaging of weak buried currents in a large range of packaged microelectronic devices. The manufacture of integrated circuits has become an increasingly complex nanoscale technology. With these dimensions, the propensity for the formation of shorts or high resistance defects (resistive opens) at the metal layers is increasing where "killer defects" may be non-visual and only be a few tens of nanometers in size. This is leading the industry toward a gap between the fault isolation tools of today (many of which are optical and wavelength-limited to 500 nm resolution) and the atomic scale defect imaging tools like AFMs and STMs. The needed tools must have nanoscale resolution and a probe geometry capable of working in milled cavities due to the complex packaging schemes. The goals of this Phase I project are to achieve current images with a sensitivity of ~50 nA and a resolution ~100 nm in milled cavities. This will be achieved through innovative probe design optimized for sensitivity with a submicron tip that can be rapidly scanned in a non-contact mode. Commercially, the technology development that is proposed in this program is of critical interest to major semiconductor manufacturers, as well as all other semiconductor manufacturers working on advanced integrated circuits. For semiconductor companies it will enable the design centers to speed design, Fab labs to accelerate manufacturing process development for new products, and to accelerate time-to-yield. Overall, it means faster time-to-market. For the nation, it means faster introduction of advanced electronics that will have a broad impact across all industries and ultimately improve quality of life and labor productivity.

这个小型企业技术转移（STTR）I阶段项目将开发一个混合扫描式显微镜，并结合磁通量引导，以在大量包装的微电子设备中实现弱埋入电流的纳米级成像。综合电路的制造已成为一种日益复杂的纳米级技术。随着这些维度，在金属层处形成短裤或高电阻缺陷（电阻打开）的倾向正在增加，而“杀手缺陷”可能是非视觉的，并且大小只有几十纳米。这使该行业朝着当今的故障隔离工具（其中许多是光学和波长限制到500 nm分辨率）与原子量量表缺陷成像工具（如AFMS和STM）之间的差距。由于复杂的包装方案，所需的工具必须具有纳米级分辨率和能够在铣削腔内工作的探针几何形状。该阶段I项目的目标是实现敏感性〜50 na的当前图像，在铣削腔中达到了〜100 nm的分辨率。这将通过优化的创新探针设计来实现，以使用亚微米尖端进行灵敏度，该尖端可以在非接触模式下快速扫描。从商业上来说，该计划中提出的技术开发对于主要的半导体制造商以及所有其他从事高级集成电路的半导体制造商而言是至关重要的。对于半导体公司，它将使设计中心能够加快设计中心，可以加速新产品的制造过程开发，并加速收益。总体而言，这意味着上市时间更快。对于国家而言，这意味着更快地引入了高级电子产品，这些电子产品将在所有行业中产生广泛的影响，并最终提高生活质量和劳动生产率。