Chipworks Inc.

Global Intellectual Strategies

Pierrette M Breton

Michael William Phaneuf

Julia Elvidge

Ray Haythornthwaite

Dick James

David F Skoll

Terry Ludlow

Alexei Ioudovski

Louise Weaver

Bryan Socransky

A method, system, and apparatus use in locating a structure in an integrated circuit are provided. Electrical activities are induced in the IC for producing respective unique electromagnetic radiation patterns that collectively contain information on the location of the structure. The electromagnetic radiation patterns are detected, and an area of interest for locating the structure is determined from correlations in the electromagnetic radiation patterns. Once the area of interest is identified a user can more easily locate the structure on the integrated circuit by focusing on the area of interest.

Method, system, and apparatus for use in locating a structure in an integrated circuit

A method of imaging an integrated circuit using a focused ion beam system is presented. According to the method an integrated circuit is imaged in plan-view using a focused ion beam system. Circuit information is then extracted absent processing. In another embodiment, a method and system for imaging an entire IC automatically without removing the IC from the imaging system and requiring minimal operator intervention is presented. The method employs a focused ion beam system to image an exposed layer of an integrated circuit and then to etch a portion of the exposed layer in situ. Imaging and etching are repeated until substantially the entire integrated circuit is imaged. A processor is used to assemble the layers into a three-dimensional topography of the integrated circuit. Because of known relationships between layers, the mosaicing is facilitated and the final topography is more reliable than those produced by currently known computer implemented methods.

Automatic focused ion beam imaging system and method

A method of analysing integrated circuits is provided. The method provides for scanning the integrated circuit with a beam in order to image an upper layer of the integrated circuit and performing chemical analysis on the upper layer of the integrated circuit. The chemical information and the imaging information are correlated and used to reverse engineer the integrated circuit.

Automated method of circuit analysis

Growing community of inventors

Stittsville, Canada

Pierrette M Breton