Rapid inductive fault analysis for high-yield circuits

Abstract

Inductive fault analysis (IFA) is a powerful tool for estimating yield loss due to faults caused by particulate contamination during processing. The major disadvantage of IFA is that it is essentially an empirical technique and involves the simulation of millions of identical die in order to arrive at meaningful results. This paper demonstrates that the analysis of high-yield circuits can be speeded up considerably by simulating fewer circuits, but using appropriately scaled defect densities.