One example discloses a test-point access structure within a semiconductor, including: a target test-point configured to be coupled to a circuit within the semiconductor; a first doped region within the semiconductor configured to generate a first signal in response to an energy beam transmitted by a circuit editing (CE) tool; a second doped region within the semiconductor configured to generate a second signal in response to the energy beam transmitted by the CE tool; and a target pad coupling the target test-point to the first doped region; wherein the CE tool is configured to remove material from the semiconductor in response to the first signal and the second signal.

A system includes an inert gas supply, a soak chamber, a test chamber, a transfer zone, and a heater. The soak chamber soaks an integrated circuit (IC) device in the inert gas prior to testing. The test chamber includes contact pins for testing the IC device in the inert gas by contacting the contact pins to leads of the IC device. The transfer zone is to transfer the IC device from the soak chamber to the test chamber. The heater heats the inert gas supplied to the soak chamber and the test chamber.

Described herein are a system and method of preparing integrated circuits (ICs) so that the ICs remain electrically active and can have their active circuitry probed for diagnostic and characterization purposes using charged particle beams. The system employs an infrared camera capable of looking through the silicon substrate of the ICs to image electrical circuits therein, a focused ion beam system that can both image the IC and selectively remove substrate material from the IC, a scanning electron microscope that can both image structures on the IC and measure voltage contrast signals from active circuits on the IC, and a means of extracting heat generated by the active IC. The method uses the system to identify the region of the IC to be probed, and to selectively remove all substrate material over the region to be probed using ion bombardment, and further identifies endpoint detection means of milling to the required depth so as to observe electrical states and waveforms on the active IC.

A structure for performing analysis includes a first opening formed on a back side of a substrate and passing through the substrate, a second opening connected with a bottom of the first opening and penetrating into a first dielectric layer formed on a front side of the substrate, a first conductive layer formed on a sidewall of the second opening and a contact element in the first dielectric layer, and a second conductive layer formed on a second dielectric layer. The first conductive layer contacts the second conductive layer electrically.

Described herein are a system and method of preparing integrated circuits (ICs) so that the ICs remain electrically active and can have their active circuitry probed for diagnostic and characterization purposes using charged particle beams. The system employs an infrared camera capable of looking through the silicon substrate of the ICs to image electrical circuits therein, a focused ion beam system that can both image the IC and selectively remove substrate material from the IC, a scanning electron microscope that can both image structures on the IC and measure voltage contrast signals from active circuits on the IC, and a means of extracting heat generated by the active IC. The method uses the system to identify the region of the IC to be probed, and to selectively remove all substrate material over the region to be probed using ion bombardment, and further identifies endpoint detection means of milling to the required depth so as to observe electrical states and waveforms on the active IC.

A method for inspecting a semiconductor device structure is provided. The method includes receiving a semiconductor device structure having a to-be-inspected feature. The semiconductor device structure has a first surface and a second surface. The method also includes applying a polymer-containing solution over the first surface of the semiconductor device structure. The method further includes disposing a transparent substrate over the first surface of the semiconductor device structure and the polymer-containing solution. In addition, the method includes irradiating the polymer-containing solution with a light to form an adhesive layer between the transparent substrate and the semiconductor device structure. The adhesive layer bonds the transparent substrate and the semiconductor device structure. The method also includes inspecting the to-be-inspected feature.

A method for inspecting a semiconductor device structure is provided. The method includes receiving a semiconductor device structure having a to-be-inspected feature. The semiconductor device structure has a first surface and a second surface. The method also includes applying a polymer-containing solution over the first surface of the semiconductor device structure. The method further includes disposing a transparent substrate over the first surface of the semiconductor device structure and the polymer-containing solution. In addition, the method includes irradiating the polymer-containing solution with a light to form an adhesive layer between the transparent substrate and the semiconductor device structure. The adhesive layer bonds the transparent substrate and the semiconductor device structure. The method also includes inspecting the to-be-inspected feature.

Reverse decoration can be used to detect defects in a device. The wafer can include NAND stacks or other devices. The defect can be a channel bridge, a void, or other types of defects. Reverse decoration can preserve a defect and/or can improve defect detection. A portion of a layer may be removed from a device. A layer also may be added to the device, such as on the defect, and some of the layer may be removed.

Programmable integrated circuits may be used to perform hardware emulation of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) design. The ASIC design may be loaded onto the programmable integrated circuit. During hardware emulation operations, an emulation host may be used to coordinate testing of the DUT on the programmable device. Circuit design tools may be used to extract parasitics from the ASIC design, compute low-level interconnect delays, convert the interconnect delays to higher-level port-to-port delays, convert the port-to-port delays to timing constraints, and generate corresponding configuration data for programming the programmable integrated circuit to emulate the ASIC design. The programmable integrated circuit may then be tested for functional and performance integrity.

A method of pressing solder bumps using a pressing apparatus before testing a wafer, including loading the wafer into the pressing apparatus, where the wafer includes a number of chips, and the wafer is aligned with respect to a test head of the pressing apparatus. The test head includes a substrate which has pressing structures arranged across a surface of the substrate facing the wafer. The pressing structures contact the solder bumps, where the solder bumps include a first surface topology and the pressing structures include a pressing surface topology prior to the contact. The caused contact includes altering a shape of each of the plurality of solder bumps, such that the plurality of solder bumps then a second surface topology after the caused contact, and the second surface topology of the solder bumps matches the pressing surface topology after the caused contact.