Backside observation of large-scale integrated circuits with multilayered interconnections using laser terahertz emission microscope

Abstract

We have developed a laser terahertz emission microscope utilizing excitation laser pulses at 1.06 μm wavelength for the inspection and localization of electrical failures in large-scale integrated circuits with multilayered interconnection structures. The system enables to measure terahertz emission images from the backside of a large-scale integrated circuits chip with a multilayered interconnection structure that prevents the observation from the front side. By comparing the terahertz emission images, we successfully distinguish a normal circuit from damaged ones with different positions of the interconnection defects without any electrical probing.