Analysis tools for microminiaturized circuits

This article points out the need for new instrumental methods to cope with the present requirements of material and structure analysis and characterization of microminiaturized circuits. Primarily, it describes briefly a few principal instruments and techniques utilized in such analysis and characterization, and it discusses some materials used in microminiaturized semiconductor assemblies, especially silicon and the contact metallurgy, and methods for obtaining information concerning its structure and chemistry. Since the entire gamut of metallographic and chemical techniques cannot be covered here, the article is limited to the X-ray and electron optics methods used in semiconductor and interconnection studies.