Residual gas analysis as a failure analysis tool for microelectronic devices

Moisture measurement is the most important information obtained during the residual gas analysis (RGA) of microelectronic packages containing cavities. The MIL-STD-883, Method 1018.2 specification has a moisture requirement of 5000 ppmv maximum. In addition to moisture analysis during RGA, several other gases are also analyzed; most common gaseous species analyzed are nitrogen oxygen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, argon, helium, fluorocarbons, methane, and ammonia. Based on this, conclusions can be made regarding the internal atmosphere, sources of moisture, hermeticity of the package, outgassing from the die attach epoxy material or other organic materials, etc., during failure analysis of devices that fail to meet the moisture requirements or do not reflect the anticipated gas composition.