Diagnostic System Probes Flip-Chip Devices Through Silicon

Schlumberger Automated Test Equipment (ATE), a provider of test and measurement equipment for the semiconductor industry, debuted the IDS 2000 optical probe system for non-destructively acquiring accurate electrical measurements inside flip-chip devices.

Extending the benefits of electron beam technology to microprocessor and high-end logic flip-chip devices, the IDS 2000 system uses infrared lasers to measure electrical signals through the back side of devices. The system requires minimal sample preparation and causes no damage to the device under test. Nodes of interest are quickly accessed and waveforms are measured while executing ATE test patterns in critical new devices, thereby providing a significant improvement in time-to-market.

The IDS 2000 is designed to shorten design cycles of flip-chip devices. The IDS 2000 utilizes the same integrated software environment as all other IDS systems. Docking to any ATE system is made with a 768 pin, 2 GHz bandwidth, interface.

The probe system utilizes the latest submicron CMOS processes, which are currently down to 0.18. It uses infrared lasers to "see through" the device's back side to image and probe transistors, eliminating the need to produce deep holes to access the active regions of CMOS transistors. Once the active regions are imaged, a virtual probe is placed on the device to quickly acquire signals with more than 10 GHz bandwidth thanks to a patented acquisition scheme. Corrective design actions can then be made within days of receiving first silicon instead of months. Pricing for the IDS 2000 system starts at $1.9 million.

Schlumberger Test & Transactions: Phone: 408-437-5314.