High resolution scanning magnetic microscope operable at high temperature

Abstract

A scanning magnetic microscope (SMM) () includes a current source () for imposing an excitation current to a conductor-under-test (CUT) () and, if applicable, a reference current to a proximally located reference conductor (). During accelerated testing, the SMM () corrects thermal drift of the CUT () via the reference conductor (). A sensor () may be cooled by a heat sink () such as a pump () directing an airstream or a coldfinger (). The sensor may switch from a contact to a non-contact mode of scanning the CUT (). The SMM () and methods are useful for measuring electromigration in a CUT () as it occurs, for assembling the images into time lapsed representations such as a shape of the CUT (), for measuring electromigration as a function of a cross sectional area of a wire under a dielectric material (DM) (), for determining electrical parameters of the CUT (), and for optimizing a thickness of a DM () over a CUT (). The SMM () and methods are further useful for measuring morphological changes in a CUT () due to other stressing conditions, such as temperature, excitation current, physical stress(es), hostile environment, aging, semiconductor 'burn-in', or irradiation.