Important Considerations for SEM Total Dose Testing

The kilovolt electron beam utilized in a scanning electron microscope has been of interest as a tool for total dose screening of semiconductor devices for hardness assurance because of its convenience and because devices can be selectively irradiated directly at the wafer level. A number of factors such as the depth-dose distribution of kilovolt electrons, the dose-rate, uniformity of exposure, and device biasing must be considered when applying this technique. This paper is devoted to these and other aspects of SEM total dose testing.