Parametric defect localization on integrated circuits – From static laser stimulation to real-time variation mapping (RTVM)

Laser stimulation techniques have been intensively used in the last decades to localize defects on integrated circuits. Although static techniques are efficient in many cases, they are not appropriate to tackle complex macro failure modes such as parametric defects. Dynamic laser stimulation techniques overcome these limitations but their implementation requires inserting a tester between the device under test and the fault isolation equipment, which may result in quite long acquisition times.Real-time variation mapping (RTVM) of a parametric failure can be achieved using FPGA-based tester architecture as described in this paper. Several use cases are presented and show the benefits of this implementation in terms of speed and complex failure localization.