Single-bit failure analysis at a nanometer resolution by conductive atomic force microscopy

Failure analysis (FA) at nanometer or micrometer scale on integrated circuit (IC) becomes progressively more challenging as the complexity of new IC devices increases and their sizes decrease. In this paper, conductive atomic force microscopy (CAFM) was employed as an alternative technique for single-bit failure analysis. Using CAFM current imaging, one can screen out each failure bit and locate its position quickly and simply by applying suitable bias during CAFM scanning. Furthermore, using CAFM current–voltage (I–V) measurements, one can acquire the full electrical characteristic of each failure bit, which is very useful to determine the associated mechanism of the physical defect. The results show that CAFM current imaging together with the I–V measurement can be a suitable candidate for FA at the single-bit level.

► Conductive atomic force microscopy (CAFM) is an alternative for failure analysis.
► Each failure bit can be analyzed quickly and simply at a single-bit level.
► The position of each failure bit can be located by CAFM imaging.
► The electrical characteristic can be acquired by CAFM current–voltage measurements.