FA Instruments - Products for Analytical Microscopy

FA Instruments, Inc. is committed to building a corporation that is recognized as an industry leader in test and failure analysis equipment as well as technical support and service. Our core competencies include Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Visual C++ programming coupled with a specialized understanding of Analytical Test and Failure Analysis of Semiconductors. Our relevant and significant past experiences include, inventor of the “vibe coupler", "portable emission microscope” and technical creator of the FA1000, which was marketed by Alpha Innotech Corporation. The original FA1000 liquid cooled camera was a huge success, selling on approximately 100 Emission Microscopes and almost 1500 systems for Life Sciences. Our core competencies make it possible to provide straightforward, powerful tools for the Failure Analysis community.

FA Instruments specializes in failure analysis tools to investigate faults, defects and damage to semiconductors with scientific grade systems for Photon Emission detection in the visible to NIR range. We also manufacture “SIFT” Stimulus Induced Fault Testing systems.

FA Instruments specializes in the following failure analysis techniques:

Frontside photoemission microscopy

Moire Thermal Imaging

Backside photoemission microscopy

SIFT: (Stimulus Induced Fault Testing)

In addition, FA Instruments offers the coherent laser light source designed by Jim Colvin Consulting Services that has proven to be a superior light source for backside photon emission applications. This unit in standard configuration houses three lasers at 670nm for front side imaging in the visible range, 1064nm for imaging the backside through the silicon substrate and 1300nm for near-IR backside imaging with MCT or other mid-IR cameras.

Our recent publications include:

•    "Frequently Asked Questions and the Future of Failure Analysis"; Guest Columnist, EDFA Vol 7, No.2
•    “ESD Failure Analysis Methodology”, an invited review paper for Microelectronics Reliability; November 1998.
•    “BGA and Advanced Package Wire to Wire Bonding for Backside Emission Microscopy”, ISTFA 99.
•    “Identification and Analysis of Parasitic Depletion Mode Leakage in a Memory Select Transistor”, ISTFA 2000.
•    “Functional Failure Analysis by Induced Stimulus”, ISTFA 2002.
•    “Atomic Force Microscopy: Modes and Analytical Techniques with Scanning Probe Microscopy”, ISTFA 2004 Desk Reference.

Patents:

US7323888 System and method for use in functional failure analysis by induced stimulus

US5764409: Elimination of vibration by vibration coupling in microscopy applications.
US5892539: Portable Emission Microscope Workstation for Failure Analysis.
US5970167: Integrated Circuit Failure Analysis Using Color Voltage Contrast.
US6112004: Emission Microscopy System and Method.
US6134365: Coherent Illumination System and Method.
US6245586: Wire-to-Wire Bonding System and Method.
US6608291: Induction Heating Apparatus.
Two more currently pending.