Microprobing

This paper is a review of basic microprobing techniques as applied to the failure analysis of monolithic integrated circuits. A detailed discussion of microprobing equipment is given, including electronic equipment, probe stations, manipulators and probeware. Techniques for probe sharpening, topology recognition, sample preparation and microsurgery are discussed. The paper concludes with an example involving the measurement of the threshold voltage of a cell transistor on a 16K EPROM.