Contact-free fault location and imaging with on-chip terahertz time-domain reflectometry

We demonstrate in a first experimental study the application of novel micro-machined optoelectronic probes for a time-domain reflectometry-based localization of discontinuities and faults in electronic structures at unprecedented resolution and accuracy (± 0.55 µm). Thanks to the THz-range bandwidth of our optoelectronic system--including the active probes used for pulse injection and detection--the spatial resolution and precision of high-end all-electronic detection systems is surpassed by more than one order of magnitude. The new analytic technology holds great promise for rapid and precise fault detection and location in advanced (3D) integrated semiconductor chips and packages.