Fully-integrated dynamic fault imaging system for failure analysis and performance enhancement of VLSI

Advances in electron-beam dynamic fault imaging (DFI) are reviewed. DFI is a powerful technique for diagnosing failure mechanisms in VLSI devices, and is particularly helpful in situations where there is little knowledge of the device under test. It provides direct automated comparison of images from a failing die and a fully functional or `golden´ die, greatly, increasing diagnosis productivity. A number of key problems historically associated with this technique are discussed