A review of near infrared photon emission microscopy and spectroscopy

Near infrared photon emission microscopy is an established fault localization technique for microelectronic failure analysis. Near infrared photon spectroscopy has the potential to become a useful defect characterization technique. In this paper, near infrared photon emission microscopy and spectroscopy are reviewed together with the instrumentation developments that allow these techniques to be effectively deployed for microelectronic failure analysis. The measurement results from pn junctions and saturated MOSFETs are correlated with the various photon emission mechanisms. Additional information that can be obtained from NIR systems over visible systems are also presented.