Failure analysis of a VLSI double metal microprocessor using advanced tools

Finding what went wrong in a VLSI chip that failed is difficult due to the technology complexity. The search for the process step causing the failure is key in the analysis procedure. This paper describes the failure analysis of a high performance 32-bit microprocessor chip. In this failure analysis, advanced tools like e-beam and focused ion beam were used. These tools helped in the investigation leading to a full understanding of the failure mode.<
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