# US 11,307,250 B2 · Creating time-resolved emission images of integrated circuits using a single-point single-photon detector and a scanning system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,307,250 B2 - Document ID: US11307250B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/559,589 - Filed: 2019-09-03 - Published: 2021-03-04 - Granted: 2022-04-19 - Earliest claimed: 2019-09-03 - Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation - Applicants: International Business Machines Corporation - Inventors: Franco Stellari; Peilin Song - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11307250B2 ## CPC - G01R 31/311: of integrated circuits {(G01R31/31728 takes precedence)} - G06T 2207/30148: Semiconductor; IC; Wafer - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL ## Abstract A Scanning Time-Resolved Emission (S-TRE) microscope or system includes an optical system configured to collect light from emissions of light generated by a device under test (DUT). A scanning system is configured to permit the emissions of light to be collected from positions across the DUT in accordance with a scan pattern. A timing photodetector is configured to detect a single photon or photons of the emissions of light from the particular positions across the DUT such that the emissions of light are correlated to the positions to create a time-dependent map of the emissions of light across the DUT. The scanning system is configured to update the time-dependent map of the emissions based on combinations of the emissions of light at certain locations. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of improving time-resolved emission (TRE) waveforms representing an electronic device, wherein the TRE waveforms represent photons detected by a photodetector at respective scan locations on the electronic device, the method comprising: obtaining a list of the scan locations, wherein each scan location corresponds to a pixel of interest; constructing a first waveform for an initial one of the scan locations, wherein the first waveform represents a measurement of the photons detected by the photodetector at the initial one of the scan locations; constructing a second waveform by combining a measurement of the photons detected at a subsequent location in the list of scan locations and those used in constructing the first waveform; and advancing to a next location in the list of scan locations and updating the first waveform to be equal to the second waveform upon determining that a signal-to-noise ratio of the first waveform is less than or equal to a signal-to-noise ratio of the second waveform. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising updating a pseudo image of the electronic device generated from the TRE waveforms, wherein the pseudo image includes the pixel of interest, which has at least one of a color and an intensity determined using the first waveform updated to be equal to the second waveform. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: constructing a third waveform for the next location, wherein the third waveform represents a measurement of the photons detected by the photodetector at the next location; constructing a fourth waveform by combining a measurement of the photons detected at a location subsequent to the next location and those used in constructing the third waveform; and advancing to a further location in the list of scan locations and discarding the fourth waveform upon determining that a signal-to-noise ratio of the third waveform is greater than a signal-to-noise ratio of the fourth waveform. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising iterating through the list of scan locations prior to updating a pseudo image of the device generated from the TRE waveforms. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising iterating through the list of scan locations until an increase in the signal-to-noise ratio is less than a threshold. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising iterating through a list of pixels of interest, including the pixel of interest, each pixel of interest being associated with a respective list of scan locations. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: extracting drift information for the electronic device using an updated first waveform, the updated first waveform corresponding to the first waveform updated to be equal to the second waveform; and correcting, by a scanner, for mechanical drift of the electric device using the drift information. ### Claim 8 A method of improving time-resolved emission (TRE) waveforms corresponding to photon emissions of an electronic device during a test, the method comprising: identifying a plurality of locations on the electronic device having equivalent emission signals, wherein the emission signals correspond to photon emissions of the electronic device detected during the test; mapping the locations onto a pseudo two-dimensional image of the electronic device; combining measurements of photons detected at the locations having the equivalent emission signals to create an improved TRE waveform; attributing the improved TRE waveform to each of the locations having the equivalent emission signals; extracting drift information for the electronic device using at least one of the improved TRE waveforms attributed to respective locations of the pseudo two-dimensional image of the electronic device; and correcting, by a scanner, for mechanical drift of the electric device using the drift information. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising generating an improved pseudo two-dimensional image of the electronic device using the improved TRE waveform for each of the locations having the equivalent emission signals. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the improved TRE waveform has a higher signal-to-noise ratio than any of the emission signals of the locations. ### Claim 11 A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising computer executable instructions which when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method of improving time-resolved emission (TRE) waveforms representing an electronic device, wherein the TRE waveforms represent photons detected by a photodetector at respective scan locations on the electronic device, the method comprising: obtaining a list of the scan locations, wherein each scan location corresponds to a pixel of interest; constructing a first waveform for an initial one of the scan locations, wherein the first waveform represents a measurement of the photons detected by the photodetector at the initial one of the scan locations; constructing a second waveform by combining a measurement of the photons detected at a subsequent location in the list of scan locations and those used in constructing the first waveform; and advancing to a next location in the list of scan locations and updating the first waveform to be equal to the second waveform upon determining that a signal-to-noise ratio of the first waveform is less than or equal to a signal-to-noise ratio of the second waveform. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising updating a pseudo image of the electronic device generated from the TRE waveforms, wherein the pseudo image includes the pixel of interest, which has at least one of a color and an intensity determined using the first waveform updated to be equal to the second waveform. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising: constructing a third waveform for the next location, wherein the third waveform represents a measurement of the photons detected by the photodetector at the next location; constructing a fourth waveform by combining a measurement of the photons detected at a location subsequent to the next location and those used in constructing the third waveform; and advancing to a further location in the list of scan locations and discarding the fourth waveform upon determining that a signal-to-noise ratio of the third waveform is greater than a signal-to-noise ratio of the fourth waveform. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising iterating through the list of scan locations prior to updating a pseudo image of the device generated from the TRE waveforms. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising iterating through the list of scan locations until an increase in the signal-to-noise ratio is less than a threshold. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising iterating through a list of pixels of interest, including the pixel of interest, each pixel of interest being associated with a respective list of scan locations. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising: extracting drift information for the electronic device using an updated first waveform, the updated first waveform corresponding to the first waveform updated to be equal to the second waveform; and correcting, by a scanner, for mechanical drift of the electric device using the drift information.