About the Speaker

Lloyd Peto started his Career developing application for the NEW FIB Microscopy technique in the early 90’s. Then opened the commercial Fib labs for FEI Company in Cambridge and then Munich before moving into Business Development in the US and Europe.He then moved into Lithography and introduced the IBL platform for Raith GmbH and saw the first tools installed. He Founded NanoScope Services with colleague Alan Miller and for 20 years has been supporting Semiconductor Companies with Nano-Surgery, Failure analysis and Reliability testing from their lab in Bristol UK.

The Upside and Challenges of using FIB Nano-Surgery to fix 1^st Silicon designs

Overview

Modelling can only take an IC designer so far. When a layout error is found in 1^st Silicon there are two options available. Model a layout change and risk it, or implement FIB Nano-Surgery to prove the metal fix will solve the problem. 1 in 3 metal changes do not fix the problem as diagnosed, leading to a significant financial and time to market burden for the Design house. FIB Fixes are non-trivial and require a systematic approach by a microscopy expert

Key Points

• There are significant commercial and technical advantages to using FIB to prove metal mask changes prior to committing to a mask change
• The construction and dimensions of semiconductor devices (especially digital) has made direct interventions with Focused Ion Beam Microscopes significantly more complex
• A careful strategy is now required for all stages of an intervention – including opening the devices so it remains testable after the intervention, the fix itself, and the exit and testing strategy