Failure analysis

Failure analysis (FA) entails vast analytical methods and techniques to understand issues that
may occur in the manufacturing or application of TI products. Our FA engineers or analysts are
equipped to address the complex process, as they are proficient in design, process, assembly and
test, and applications, with deep knowledge of physics, electrical, chemical and mechanical
engineering.

TI is equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation and engineering expertise to understand and

resolve problems through semiconductor and packaging analysis. Analysis laboratories are
available globally to support customer returns, reliability failures, manufacturing fallout and
design. These labs include a number of tools that are used for unit analysis, process
characterization, destructive physical analysis, and construction analysis. Our FA sites operate
autonomously, but in partnership across TI sites around the world to share information and
resources.

Failure analysis process

TI’s FA process discovers electrical and physical evidence to clearly identify the cause of failure
through straightforward but sophisticated analytical measurement systems, bench top equipment,
and a range of other techniques. Using appropriate equipment and work processes, the location
of the failure cause is determined, isolated on the die, and physically characterized. The FA team
then collaborates with other engineering disciplines (product, test, design, assembly and process)
to move analysis forward. Progress, results and conclusions are communicated to internal and
external contacts supporting the processes, to implement changes that limit and/or eliminate the
cause of failure.

Information review, failure confirmation

Customer reported failure documentation is very crucial for efficient FA. All customers are
required to submit a Customer Return Information Form, which is retained for review by the FA
analyst. It includes a clear and detailed description of device history, usage, characteristics of the
failure, and any analytical findings prior to returning the device. This information will help the
investigation and ensure resolution in a more timely matter.

The minimum set of background information that a customer should include when reporting a
failure includes:

1. Component handling prior to receipt at TI. Precautions should be taken when removing
and handling components to ensure that electrical or physical damage does not occur and
package testability is maintained.
2. Failure history and failure rate at the customer site. Is this a new product or have any
changes occurred in this time frame?
3. Application conditions under which the failure occurred. Can a customer schematic be
sent to TI?
 4. The application’s failure mode and how it relates to the returned component.

The FA team reviews TI’s historical databases to provide additional perspective and guidance.
After a review of all information, an initial analysis strategy is formed. Confirmation of the
reported failure mode should occur prior to further analysis steps. Good correlation to reported
failure modes insures confidence in any subsequent findings. Bench test equipment, such as
curve tracers or application-based bench testing, and production-level automatic test equipment
('ATE') may be used for electrical characterization.

Non–destructive testing

FA in itself is reverse engineering and can be destructive to the returned product. Since the
package will be at least partially destroyed to expose the die, non–destructive techniques are
carried out first to observe package or assembly-related failure mechanisms. The most common
techniques TI uses are acoustic microscopy and radiographic (XRAY) inspections to look for
internal assembly or molding anomalies.

Internal inspection

TI carries out an internal optical inspection to check for any obvious assembly anomalies or
wafer fabrication issues. Re–testing is also recommended to determine if the failure mode has
changed.

Global isolation

In many cases, TI’s internal inspection will not reveal an obvious failure mechanism. Depending
on the technology and level of testability, the FA lab will utilize one or more technique to isolate
the failure site. The majority of these techniques attempt to observe the properties of the failure
site, such as thermal dissipation or photon emission.

Local isolation

Locally isolating the failure site to a block or single node on the die is a common, but critical
step. However, it can also be time consuming. In most cases, extensive internal probing is
required and is generally iterative, with deprocessing, layer by layer. Deprocessing is the process
of removing one layer of the die at a time, which may entail wet chemistry, dry plasma etching,
and mechanical polishing techniques to reveal the underlying structures. The proper techniques
are critical due to the destructive nature of the process and potential loss of vital information.
During the process, the FA analyst performs probing and other specific techniques to highlight
potential anomalies. From a probing standpoint, the use of layout/schematic navigational tools
and a focused ion beam (FIB) are employed to assist in component and circuit isolation.

Analysis of failure site

Once a potential site has been determined or revealed, documentation and analysis is conducted.
Further analytical techniques are employed depending on whether the morphology or material
composition is required.

Report conclusion

Once analysis is complete, work is documented in a written report stating the relationship of the
physical anomaly to the failure mode, and including sufficient documentation for root cause
analysis.