The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 30, 2003
Filed:
Oct. 15, 2001
Terence Kane, Wappingers Falls, NY (US);
Lawrence S. Fischer, Poughkeepsie, NY (US);
Steven B. Herschbein, Hopewell Junction, NY (US);
Ying Hong, San Jose, CA (US);
Michael P. Tenney, Poughkeepsie, NY (US);
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
A method and structure for the electrical characterization of a semiconductor device comprising, first, forming a hole having a diameter less than 0.15 &mgr;m, wherein the hole is created using focused ion beam (FIB) etching, and through at least a protective cap layer formed over the device. The FIB etching occurs in an electron mode using a beam current less than 35 &rgr;A with an aperture size less than 50 &mgr;m, and at an acceleration voltage of about 50 kV. Second, the surface of the hole is coated with a metal, preferably using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and preferably using a FIB device. Third, a metal pad is deposited, preferably by FIB CVD, over the hole. Fourth, the pad is probed to determine characteristics and/or detect defects of the electrical device. The present invention allows for electrical characterization without causing damage to the device or its features.