Semiconductors

Electronic Circuit

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Foreign matter can cause various defects in electronic circuit boards, so it is important to identify the source. Using HORIBA's μXRF technology, it is possible to identify the elemental species of minute foreign particles and obtain data useful for identifying the source. μXRF can also measure the thickness of thin metal films, and can contribute to controlling the thickness of wiring on electronic boards with a width of several tens of micrometers.

Film Thickness and Quality | Elemental Analysis | Foreign Object Detection/Analysis

Film Thickness and Quality

In the advancement of thin film technology through miniaturization, we propose solutions for achieving high film deposition control, such as in-situ evaluation during the film deposition process and evaluation of thin films at the Ångström order level.

Thin film analysis in liquid: Analysis using a spectroscopic ellipsometer liquid measurement cell
In situ thin film evaluation: In-chamber wafer analysis by incorporating analytical parts into the chamber

Membrane information obtained using a spectroscopic ellipsometer

A flexible printed circuit with Cu contacts

We carried out plating thickness and composition analysis on dual-layer NiP/Au plating on Cu contacts on a flexible printed circuit using a HORIBA X-ray analytical microscope. We successfully detected Au of ultra-thin layer without any sample preparation. The thickness results of Au and NiP plating were consistent with the provided values and with good repeatability.

The combination of microbeam and thickness measurement capability makes the XGT-9000 a useful tool for the QC of semiconductors, which feature thin and narrow patterns. Thickness sensitivity depends on elements traced, but can be at the Angstrom level.

Elemental Analysis

Simultaneous imaging of transmission X-rays and fluorescent X-rays is effective to find defects inside electronic components. The XGT-9000 Series is also an effective screening tool for RoHS testing. It can perform elemental mapping to find suspicious components on a complex sample, and analyze them to obtain the concentration of the elements regulated through RoHS. The XGT-9000 Series software can display compliance with the RoHS thresholds with a clear pass/fail result.

High resolution optical image of metal fragments

Fast analysis of microscopic metal particles is an important application for engineering (e.g. engine wear analysis). Micro-XRF scanning and spot analysis of specific fragments identifies their chemical composition.

The combination of the XGT-5000’s ground breaking spatial resolution and sensitivity means it is the instrument of choice for fast analysis of electronic components, whether for analysis of restricted harmful elements (the WEEE/RoHS ‘lead free’ legislation), trouble shooting, or R&D. With a beam size of 10 µm even the smallest features on a populated circuit board can be accurately analysed, allowing microscopic contaminants to be identified, wiring/soldering defects to be located, and elemental composition of parts and components to be checked. In addition, the capability for simultaneous XRF and transmission x-ray mapping allows information to be obtained on parts not visible to the eye, for example, circuitry encased in plastic.

μ-XRF is a non-destructive analytical technique which can inspect defects, even non-visible ones, inside a sample because of the high penetration of X-rays. This application note introduces failure analysis to detect ion migration, voids, and foreign matter on electronics using the XGT-9000, with key features of the vertical irradiation of a 10 μm probe and the simultaneous imaging of fluorescent X-rays and transmission X-rays.

Troubleshooting and defect analyses of components embedded within opaque resins are described, on both individual components and complete circuit boards. Quantitative analysis to the ppm level is ideally suited for ensuring compliance to the WEEE/RoHS directives.

Foreign Object Detection/Analysis

Defects in wafers can also be caused by foreign matter, and we will introduce a method of microscopic elemental analysis to identify the cause of defects.