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Services Product Analysis

Product Analysis (PA) service includes tear-down and detailed examination of semiconductor device.

This analysis can be helpful for a customer in a different ways:

  • Compare competitor product with similar products within a customer products
  • Find the outstanding features of competitor product
  • Improve the competitive position on the market
  • Benchmark against future technology plans

REATISS provides several fundamental types (levels) of analytical reports to gain a wider understanding of the package and silicon processing techniques utilized by the competitive devices.

PA Level 0. This report gives a general understanding of what is inside the package, reveals the die image, and helps to determine the die manufacturer.

It serves for decision making regarding further analysis steps.

Report contents:
  • Package photos, marking
  • Package X-Ray
  • Photo of die at top metal level
  • Photo of die markings
  • Die and package dimensions
PA Level 1. This report provides results of PA Level 0 supplemented with a layout blocks measurement.

For this purposes the die is de-processed down to Metal1 or Diffusion level. The deliverables can be used for comparison with the customer own product and drawing conclusions regarding the die area utilization.

Report contents:
  • Package photos
  • Package X-Ray
  • Photo of die at top metal level
  • Package X-Ray and die combined image
  • Die and package dimensions
  • Photo of die markings
  • Photo of die at metal 1 / diffusion level
  • Boxing of the different blocks
  • Table account for the total die size per block (Flash, RAM, Analog blocks, Digital, Core area, total die)
PA Level 2. This is the most comprehensive technical examination of a competitor product.
Report helps to receive detailed information on various aspects as the blocks functionality, detailed area utilization measurements, and device technology analysis. Report includes several modules:
  • Technology analysis
    • # of metals, metallization materials
    • Vertical dimension measurements
    • Cross section images showing general device structure
    • Gate length measurements
  • Bond pads
    • Image of die fragment and bond pads
    • Bond pad blowup image
    • # of pads, pads bonded out
    • Pad measurements
  • Standard cell analysis
    • High-resolution top-down image in the sea of gates at M1 or poly
    • Standard cell size measurements
    • Cross section of MOS devices, gate length measurements
  • Functional analysis
    • Major functional block identification
    • Size measurements for major blocks
    • High resolution images of major blocks
  • Memory analysis (Flash, SRAM)
    • High-level structure
    • High-resolution top-down bit cell image at M1 or poly
    • Bit cell size measurements
    • Efficiency calculation
    • Flash cross section, feature size measurements
PA Level 3. This is a focused circuitry analysis of the particular blocks.
Report contents:
  • Digital/analog schematics organized in a hierarchical manner (I/O Buffers, SRAM, FLASH, PLL, ADC, focused extraction of sea of gates etc.)
  • Signal tracing
  • Transistor-level details
  • Access to a high resolution layout image data base (focused areas/full die)
PA PCA. This report delivers detailed package process analysis.

The results received through a package cross sections, material analysis, and physical dimension measurements. A customer may define particular areas of interest in order to perform benchmarking with own product in a most efficient way.

Standard report contents:
  • Package photos
  • Package X-Ray with construction dimensions.
  • Die top metal: die photo, dimensions, marking;
  • Bond pad photos with dimensions; wire measurements.
  • Inspect die edge for chipping/peeling.
  • Package cross-sections (through the leadframe, terminals, die): material analysis, construction detailed photos, measurements.

As a part of service, REATISS provides constant support and response to engineering requests for clarification of the data and additional information on a competitive die/package.