Light Emission Spectral Analysis: The Connection Between the Electric Field and the Spectrum

Recent advances in spectrometers now give sufficient sensitivity to measure the spectral content of the very weak light emission produced by failing semiconductor devices. This article examines light spectra from the most common defect classes in order to demonstrate the strengths and weakness of spectral analysis in the context of semiconductor failure investigations. The conclusion is that signature analysis may not provide a definitive root cause, but it can help confirm the root cause after further analysis is performed.