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Hitachi High-Tech in Singapore
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  2. Products & Services
  3. Electron Microscopes / Atomic Force Microscopes
  4. Electron Microscopes (SEM/TEM/STEM)
  5. Nano-probing System
  6. Nanoscale Device Characteristics Analysis System Nano-Prober NP6800

Nanoscale Device Characteristics Analysis System Nano-Prober NP6800

Nanoscale Device Characteristics Analysis System Nano-Prober NP6800

The Hitachi NP6800 is a SEM-based dedicated probing system designed to meet the analytical needs of the 10-nm design node semiconductor device and beyond.
The precision piezoelectric-driven actuator is equipped with X, Y and Z axes probe movements allowing the probes to be controlled very precisely for measuring the electrical characteristics of a single MOS transistor.
The design concept was to create an easy-to-use probing system (like an optical probing system) while maintaining this same ease of operation even under the vacuum environment through our intuitive probe operation design.

Overview

  • This SEM-based probing system is used for analyzing defects and failures that can develop during the manufacturing process of any nanoscale semiconductor devices.
  • The NP6800 Nano-Prober employs an optimized cold field-emission electron source, an eight-prober system, a temperature-controlled stage from -40 F to 302 F (-40 deg. to 150 deg.), an AC measurement system (optional) for gate-resistance detection, an EBAC system for short and open failure localization, and probe and specimen exchange units for the highest throughput.
  • The NP6800 Nano-Prober was developed as a dedicated nano-probing system for not only high-throughput operation, but also the high-stability measurements of nano-scale semiconductor devices. The system is capable of evaluating electrical characteristics, EBAC, EBIC, pulse IV, and the temperature requirements of nanoscale devices.
14nm SRAM image Accelerating voltage: 0.5kV
14nm SRAM image
Accelerating voltage: 0.5kV
Cross section image
Cross section image
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Features

This dedicated nano-probing system was co-developed with a number of semiconductor manufacturing companies for

  • Improved probe stability and current for increased S/N and EBAC performance
  • Increased electrical image shift to ±75 µm
  • Eight-probe handling system
  • Specimen-temperature controllable stage (-40°C to 150°C)
  • CCD camera for both top-down and side views to assist with smoother probing
  • A high-precision specimen stage for improved positioning accuracy
  • An in-situ probe exchange system
  • Electron Beam Absorbed Current (EBAC) function
  • Voltage-applied EBAC function (Dynamic Induced EBAC "DI-EBAC") (Optional)
  • Pulsed IV measurement for diagnosing resistive gate electrode defects (Optional)

User-Friendly Interface

Fully controllable GUI
Fully controllable GUI

User-Friendly Design

Top-down CCD camera image for optimizing the position of probes to the specimen in the X and Y axes
Top-down CCD camera image for optimizing the position of probes to the specimen in the X and Y axes
Side-view CCD camera image for optimizing the position of probes to the specimen in the Z axis
Side-view CCD camera image for optimizing the position of probes to the specimen in the Z axis

Premium Image Quality

EBAC image of a multi-layer circuit Accelerating voltage: 20kV
EBAC image of a multi-layer circuit Accelerating voltage: 20kV

High-Resolution and High-Quality Imaging Performance

High-quality and high-resolution image for high-precision probe positioning
High-quality and high-resolution image for high-precision probe positioning

Specifications

Applicable device technology node 7 nm node device
Probe unitNumber of probe 8
Driving method Piezoelectric
Fine stroke range 5 µm (X,Y)
Coarse stroke range 3 mm (X), 5 mm (Y)
Specimen stage /
Base stage
Specimen size 15 mm x 15 mm or smaller (1 mm thick or less)
Traverse position

Measurement / Specimen exchange / Probe exchange

Specimen /
probe exchange

Air-lock exchange chamber equipped
Probe navigation Stage traverse to probe position
Measurement position memory
Probe coarse adjustment
Probe coarse adjustmentCCD image display

Top-down and side image displays

Electron opticsElectron gun

Cold field emission electron source

Accelerating voltage 0.5 kV to 30 kV
Image shift

±75 µm (at Vacc=1.0 kV, WD=5 mm)

EBAC amplifier /
Image display
Amplifier type

Current amplifier / Differential amplifier

Image display SEM / EBAC (Single / Parallel / Overlay)
Image processing

Black and white reversal display, color display, brightness adjustment, slow scan integration, belt scan

Dimensions and Weight

Dimensions and Weight 1,190(W) × 1,377(D) × 1,800(H)(mm), 990 kg
Display Unit 1,000(W) × 1,004(D) × 1,200(H)(mm), 265 kg
EBAC unit 600(W) × 1,000(D) × 1,760(H)(mm), 150 kg

Utility requirement

Room temperature 15~25°C
Humidity 60% RH or less
Power AC100 V±10% 5 kVA (M5 crimp terminal)
Grounding 100Ω or less

Application Data

Electrical evaluation results of a 14nm SoC SRAM

Ids-Vgs characteristics of 14nm SoC SRAM

Ids-Vgs characteristics of 14nm SoC SRAM

Static Noise Margin evaluation results of a 22 nm SoC SRAM

SEM image of SNM measurements with eight probes

SEM image of SNM measurements with eight probes

SNM characteristics of a 22nm SoC SRAM

SNM characteristics of a 22nm SoC SRAM

Temperature measurements taken with the heating and cooling stages from -40°C to 150°C.

Ids-Vgs characteristics of a 45nm SoC SRAM

Ids-Vgs characteristics of a 45nm SoC SRAM

Pulse IV measurement (Optional)

Output signal from a single transistor obtained after pulse input

Output signal from a single transistor obtained after pulse input

EBAC analysis of a Cu Via-chain test pattern with high resistance

EBAC analysis of a Cu Via-chain test pattern with high resistance

Voltage-applied EBAC (Dynamic Induced EBAC named DI-EBAC) analysis of MOS transistor with gate leakage

Voltage-applied EBAC (Dynamic Induced EBAC named DI-EBAC) analysis of MOS transistor with gate leakage

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