FEI's plasma FIB system speeds material removal

-- Test & Measurement World, 6/27/2011 7:00:00 AM

FEI claims that its Vion PFIB (plasma focused ion beam) system removes material more than 20 times faster than existing FIB technologies. Vion's fast material removal opens up new markets for FIB-based failure analysis in advanced integrated-circuit packaging applications that use larger-scale structures to connect multiple chips in tightly integrated packages.

"The Vion PFIB is the first FEI product to incorporate plasma source technology," said Rudy Kellner, VP and GM of FEI's Electronics Division. "With more than a microamp of beam current, it can remove material much faster than liquid-metal ion sources that typically max out at a few tens of nanoamps, while still preserving excellent milling precision and imaging resolution at low beam currents." The Vion system's ability to provide site-specific cross-sectional analysis of these new technologies in minutes, rather than hours, not only accelerates process development, but also reduces time-to-market for new products. By combining high-speed milling and deposition with precise control and high-quality imaging, Vion can be used in a variety of critical operations. These applications include failure analysis of bumps, wire bonds, through-silicon vias, and stacked die; site-specific removal of package and other materials to enable failure analysis and fault isolation on buried die; circuit and package modifications to test design changes without repeating the fabrication process or creating new masks; process monitoring and development at the package level; and defect analysis of packaged parts and MEMs devices.

While the plasma source of the Vion system can deliver more than a microamp of current in a well-focused beam, it still maintains good performance at lower currents used for high-precision final cuts and high-resolution (sub-30-nm) imaging. In addition, by introducing various gases, the Vion can selectively etch specific materials or deposit patterned conductors and insulators.

To read more about the Vion PFIB system, go to www.fei.com/products/focused-ion-beams/vion.aspx.

FEI, www.fei.com.