Semiconductors & Electronics
Failure Analysis and Advanced Packaging Solutions
Semiconductor manufacturers require non-destructive sample preparation and precision processing of delicate structures. Femtosecond lasers enable rapid bulk milling for TEM sample pre-preparation, laser lift-off for flexible electronics, and contamination-free wire stripping.
Key Benefits
Industry-Specific Processes
TEM Sample Pre-Preparation (Bulk Milling)
Rapid bulk material removal prior to final FIB thinning. Laser removes 99% of surrounding material in minutes, leaving a <5 μm lamella for final FIB polish to electron transparency.
Technical Specifications
- Application: Rapid bulk milling & chunk extraction prior to final FIB polish
- Pre-prep precision: Leaves < 5 μm lamella for final thinning
- Throughput: 10-20 bulk samples/hour (reducing FIB time by 90%)
- Advantage: Eliminates deep Ga+ ion implantation during massive material removal
Laser Lift-Off (LLO)
Debonding of thin functional layers from carrier substrates for flexible OLED displays and power electronics.
Technical Specifications
- Substrates: Sapphire, glass
- Layer materials: GaN, organic semiconductors
- Damage-free separation
Polymer Ablation & Wire Stripping
Selective removal of polymer coatings from copper traces without damaging the underlying conductor.
Technical Specifications
- Selectivity: >1000:1
- Wire diameter: 10-100 μm
- No Cu oxidation
Wafer Dicing
Stealth dicing of silicon, GaN, and SiC wafers with minimal kerf loss and zero chipping.
Technical Specifications
- Kerf width: < 10 μm
- Die strength: Improved vs. blade dicing
- No subsurface damage
Case Study
TEM Sample Preparation Throughput Increase
Challenge
A leading semiconductor fab required faster failure analysis turnaround for 7nm node defects. Traditional FIB-only TEM sample preparation took 4-6 hours per sample and introduced deep Ga contamination during bulk milling.
Solution
Adoption of femtosecond laser-based bulk pre-preparation (removing 99% of surrounding material in 5 minutes) followed by final FIB thinning to 50-100 nm dramatically increased sample preparation speed while eliminating deep ion implantation artifacts.
Results
- Total sample preparation time (Laser bulk milling + final FIB polish) reduced from 5 hours to 20 minutes
- FIB time reduced by 90% (from 5 hours to 10 minutes for final thinning)
- Eliminated deep Ga+ contamination from bulk material removal (critical for SIMS analysis)
- Throughput increased by 15x
- Enabled same-day failure analysis reports
Enables Compliance With Industry Standards
- SEMI Standards for Equipment and Materials
- IPC-A-600 - Acceptability of Printed Boards
- JEDEC Standards for Semiconductor Reliability
- ISO 9001 Quality Management
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