Delayering is a process that is used for preparing a thin die for failure analysis and isolating faults after it is removed from its package. To delayer a sample, its size must be decreased as it reduces edge rounding and increases control of planar polishing. Making sure that the area of interest is at the center rather than at the edge of the sample before polishing also helps make the process more successful.
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Figure 1. LatticeAx indent and cleaving system.
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Figure 2. Diamond wedge indenter close to the sample surface.
It is difficult to handle small and thin samplesthat are less than 10 mm in size and less than 100 microns thick. A fabless semiconductor company switched from their current sawing and hand cleavage process to a faster and cleaner process using the LatticeGear LatticeAx indent and cleaving system.
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Figure 3. Left. Sketch of wedge indenter separating the sample Right. Sample downsized using the LatticeAx.
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Figure 4. Left. Thin sample after downsizing using sawing. Right. Thin sample after cleaving with the LatticeAx
Process description
The sample is placed on the LatticeAx system and a diamond wedge indenter is first positioned precisely on the sample. As the indenter is lowered, a defect is created on the sample that causes propagation of the cleave, forming a neatly cleaved sample without any damage.
Cleaving a thin die with the LatticeAx
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by LatticeGear.
For more information on this source, please visit LatticeGear.