Optical Nanoprobe Electrical Microscopy

Abstract This paper describes novel concepts in equipment and measurement techniques that integrate optical electrical microscopy and scanning probe microscopy (SPM) capabilities into a single tool under the umbrella of optical nanoprobe electrical (ONE) microscopy. Optical imaging ONE microscopy permits non-destructive measurement capability that was lost more than a decade ago, when the early metal levels became electrically inaccessible to microprobers. SPM imaging techniques do not have sensitivity to many types of defects, and nanoprobing all of the transistors in an area pinpointed by optical electrical microscopy is often impractical. Thus, in many cases, ONE microscopy capability will permit analytical success instead of failure.