Using a combination of C-AFM and SCM for failure analysis of SRAM leakage in CMOS process with the addition of a DNW module

The use of scanning probe microscopes (SPM), such as conductive atomic force microscope (C-AFM) and scanning capacitance microscope (SCM) have been widely reported as a method of failure analysis in nanometer scale science and technology. This paper will demonstrate the use of the C-AFM to identify the true SRAM leakage path in CMOS process with the addition of a deep n-well (DNW) module. After taking electrical measurements, the SCM technique is utilized to identify and understand the physical root cause of the electrical failure.