Nano-Probing System : Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation

	The Hitachi NE4000 nanoEBAC is an electron beam based probing system for electrical characterization and EBAC analysis and imaging of microelectronic device interconnects, materials, and components.

Features

	Provides high quality EBAC images with Hitachi's patented high performance EBAC amplifiers. Intuitive GUI (Graphical User Interface) with various image and color processing functions. Field Proven, low chromatic aberration, Cold Field Emission (CFE) electron gun for low accelerating voltage imaging and reduced beam damage of the circuit. High precision nano-probe units. Coarse positioning of probes is accomplished by an integrated in-chamber CCD camera system.

	EBAC technique offers a quick and effective method to identify interconnect opens, and high resistance and shorts without direct probing techniques of lower level layers. EBAC utilizes the electron beam to pass through the dielectric layers allowing the lower level metallization layer to absorb the electron beam current. The electron beam accelerating voltage of the FESEM controls the probing depth of penetration through the dielectric layers. A single probe is placed on the exposed, upper layer metallization to complete the circuit and allow electron flow through the interconnect. Observation of high resistance and shorts due to Seebeck effect is possible by using two probes and Hitachi patented differential EBAC amplifiers.

	Application Data (Sample courtesy of Renesas Electronics Corporation)

	EBAC image of a 4 layer Aluminum interconnect using the color display function *Current amplifier image

Probe unit
Unit number	4
Driving method	Piezoelectric
Fine stroke range	5μm (X,Y)
Coarse stroke range	6mm (X,Y)
Specimen stage / Base stage
Specimen size	25mm × 25mm × 1mm thick or less
Traverse position	Measurement / Specimen exchange position
Specimen exchange	Air-locked exchange chamber
Prober navigation	Stage traverse to probe position
Prober navigation	Measurement position memory
Probe coarse adjustment
CCD image display	Image display from lateral direction
Electron optics
Electron gun	Cold field emission electron source
Accelerating voltage	0.5kV to 30kV
Resolution	15nm (at 2kV, WD=15mm)
Image shift	±150μm (at 2kV, WD=15mm)
EBAC amplifier / Image display
Amplifier type	Current amplifier / Differential amplifier
Image display	SEM / EBAC (Single / Parallel / Overlay)
Image processing	Black and white reversal display, color display, brightness adjustment, slow scan integration, belt scan

Main unit	1,100 (W) × 1,550 (D) × 1,750 (H)mm, 850kg
Display unit	1,000 (W) × 1,005 (D) × 1,200 (H)mm, 265kg