Region-of-interest microtomography for component inspection

The authors describe a novel technique for the nondestructive evaluation of microelectronic components using X-ray microtomography. Existing microtomography systems have spatial resolution of order 1 /spl mu/m but require X-ray source brilliance that would become unachievable at higher resolutions. The authors describe an imaging method that reduces the number of X-ray photons required from the source without degrading the resolution. The feasibility of the technique is demonstrated through a series of computer simulations. The results are verified with real data from synchrotron experiments.