International Business Machines Corporation

Paul Davis Bell

Mark Eliot Masters

Allen W Brouillette

Todd McMullin

Glenn L Bomberger

David S Patrick

Richard W Wasielewski

Methods for nanoprobing a device structure of an integrated circuit. The method may include scanning a primary charged particle beam across a first region of the device structure with at least one probe proximate to the first region and a second region of the device structure is masked from the primary charged particle beam. The method may further include collecting secondary electrons emitted from the first region of the device structure and the at least one probe to form a secondary electron image. The secondary electron image includes the first region and the at least one probe as imaged portions and the second region as a non-imaged portion. Alternatively, the second region may be scanned by the charged particle beam at a faster scan rate than the first region so that the second region is also an imaged portion of the secondary electron image.

Methods of operating a nanoprober to electrically probe a device structure of an integrated circuit

An integrated circuit device structure having probe pad extensions in electrical communication with the wire bond pads and a method for performing failure analysis thereon. The invention provides an improved probing system for wire bond packages such that neither the wire nor the wire bond from the pads on the chip surface need be removed during testing procedures. Included in the integrated circuit device is a plurality of conductive pads having a first area for receiving a wire bond and a second area for receiving a probe, wherein the second area abuts, and is an electrical communication with the first area.

Structure and method for probing wiring bond pads

Integrated circuit having wirebond pads suitable for probing

A method and apparatus for reducing the risk of environmental contamination from mercury spillage during carry over between processing tanks during the gold ball bond removal process by providing a self-contained, compact, environmentally safe system for use with toxic chemicals and liquids. The present invention provides a self-contained, integrally molded enclosure upper and lower chambers separated by a partition. The partition has a plurality of stations integrally formed therein, each of which is capable of containing a chemical liquid. The method comprises dipping a slide containing the semiconductor chip first into a toxic liquid, then into a first decontamination station and finally into a second decontamination station.

Mercury process gold ballbond removal apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Colchester, VT, United States of America

Paul Davis Bell