rmbs news
E-Beam Analysis Probes Innards Of Chips
(03/08/99, 11:26 a.m. ET)
Semiconductor Business News
OTTAWA -- A new competitive analysis service using electron-bean technology has been launched by Semiconductor Insights here to probe inside advanced ICs and the performance of intellectual-property cores.
The electron-beam analysis (EBA) technique measures internal signals of ICs while they operate, uncovering aspects of the operations of devices that may go unnoticed, according to the consulting company.
The consultancy said its EBA service is used to determine the performance of new 256-megabit Double Data Rate (DDR) DRAMchips, Rambus memories, and embedded DRAM chips from a number of manufacturers, including Samsung Electronics and Micron Technology. Investigations of the new sub-2.0 V flash memory devices from Intel and rival Advanced Micro Devices are also pending, according to Semiconductor Insight.
The EBA technique is a contactless, non-invasive method of analyzing the internal signals of an IC. It can be used to analyze a single node, a circuit section, or the entire chip while a device is operating, according to Semiconductor Insight. The consultancy said it uses EBA's ability to examine circuit paths and measure propagation delays to uncover internal functions that were previously hidden.
This capability, said the consultancy can aid further understanding and analysis of leading-edge semiconductor design techniques, helping Semiconductor Insights' clients evaluate the merits or problems of their competitors' technology.
"The goal of our consulting services is to work with our clients to develop their technology strategy," said Derek Nuhn, vice president of sales and marketing at Semiconductor Insight. |
