Combination of focused ion beam (FIB) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) as sub-0.25 /spl mu/m defect characterization tool

A sub-0.25 /spl mu/m defect characterization study was conducted by using in-line inspection machines to locate defects and focused ion beam system (FIB) equipped with a navigation tool to generate cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) samples/sup 4-8/. Two failure analysis cases regarding invisible defects in optical microscope were reported in this work. One described the micro-trench formed at the bird's beak of field oxide, and the other one illustrated the etching pit formation during Poly-Si etching process.