Experimental investigation into the use of micro-extraction fields for electron beam testing

Abstract

In the electron beam testing of integrated circuits, local transverse electric fields cause error to voltage measurements. Presently, the solution is to place a 1-5 kV voltage extraction electrode a few millimetres above the specimen. An alternative method is to use a micro-extraction electrode that is of the same size as the structures to be probed. This paper describes an experimental investigation made into several types of micro-extraction layouts, and shows that they can be used to provide reliable voltage contrast measurements.