Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Levy, M. E..
System for testing integrated circuits uses photoexcitation to determine quality of internal elements inaccessible to electrical tests. Approach prevents direct monitoring of internal operation of circuit by measurements at external terminals and is superior to electron beam scanning due to nondestructiveness.
The new test method was based on the use of a raster-scanned optical stimulus in combination with special electrical test procedures. The raster-scanned optical stimulus was provided by an optical spot scanner, an instrument that combines a scanning optical microscope with electronic instrumentation to process and display the electric photoresponse signal induced in a device that is being tested.
The utility of X-rays as a stimulus for screening high reliability semiconductor microcircuits was studied. The theory of the interaction of X-rays with semiconductor materials and devices was considered. Experimental measurements of photovoltages, photocurrents, and effects on specified parameters were made on discrete devices and on microcircuits. The test specimens included discrete devices with certain types of identified flaws and symptoms of flaws, and microcircuits exhibiting deviant electrical behavior. With a necessarily limited sample of test specimens, no useful correlation could be found between the X-ray-induced electrical response and the known or suspected presence of flaws.
Detection of emission of water molecules at 5126 angstroms from the hypersonic-wave flow fields in a stoichiometric hydrogen-oxygen mixture