Analysis of Integrated Circuits Using Limited X-rays

Tangent Sciences develops XRadIC as an automated software framework to non-destructively analyze cutting edge microelectronics using photonflux-limited x-ray microscope systems. XRadIC couples on-the-fly sample scanning with online optimized 2D and 3D image analysis algorithms tomaximize overall system throughput by dynamically minimizing the number of viewing angles and exposure times needed to analyze a givenintegrated circuit, while scanning and image analysis of that circuit progresses. XRadIC forms the basis of a scalable, extensible platform forfailure analysis and reverse engineering. Based on rigorous physics-based simulation, XRadIC algorithm development includes image-stitching,limited-view computed tomography, and 3D segmentation and classification for integrated circuit wiring structures. A key innovation goal ofXRadIC is combining iterative computed tomography methods inspired by compressive sensing with segmentation methods, using as a prior, theexpected structures of integrated circuits such as planar wiring, and binary density classification. This optimization enables significant reductions insample analysis times compared with conventional computed tomography algorithms on flux-limited microscope systems. Three phases of effortare proposed, first starting with a simulation based framework (Phase I), which is validated with real data (Phase II), and built into a