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

这个小企业技术转让（STTR）第一阶段项目将开发一个混合扫描SQUID显微镜耦合到磁通量指南，以实现在大范围的封装微电子器件的弱埋电流的纳米级成像。集成电路的制造已成为日益复杂的纳米级技术。利用这些尺寸，在金属层处形成短路或高电阻缺陷（电阻性开路）的倾向增加，其中“杀手缺陷”可能是不可见的并且尺寸仅为几十纳米。这导致了当今的故障隔离工具（其中许多是光学和波长限制为500 nm分辨率）与原子级缺陷成像工具（如AFM和STM）之间的差距。由于复杂的封装方案，所需的工具必须具有纳米级分辨率和能够在铣削腔中工作的探针几何形状。该项目第一阶段的目标是在研磨腔中实现灵敏度约为50 nA、分辨率约为100 nm的电流图像。这将通过创新的探头设计来实现，该设计针对亚微米尖端的灵敏度进行了优化，可以在非接触模式下快速扫描。在商业上，该计划中提出的技术开发对主要半导体制造商以及所有其他致力于先进集成电路的半导体制造商至关重要。对于半导体公司来说，它将使设计中心能够加快设计速度，使晶圆厂实验室能够加速新产品的制造工艺开发，并加快成品率。总的来说，这意味着更快的上市时间。对国家来说，这意味着更快地引入先进的电子产品，这将对所有行业产生广泛的影响，并最终提高生活质量和劳动生产率。

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.