Systems and methods for systematic physical failure analysis (PFA) fault localization

A systematic fault localization system, comprising:

• fault localization circuitry which, in use, receives location information indicating a plurality of electrical fault regions of a plurality of dies of a semiconductor wafer;
• a Graphic Database System (GDS) database which stores GDS clips associated with the plurality of dies;
• Graphic Database System (GDS) decomposition circuitry communicatively coupled to the fault localization circuitry and to the GDS database, the GDS decomposition circuitry, in use:
• accesses, from the GDS database, GDS clips associated with each of the electrical fault regions, each of the GDS clips representing a layer of the dies in a respective one of the electrical fault regions;
• generates merged GDS cross-layer clips for each of the electrical fault regions by merging the GDS clips associated with each of the respective electrical fault regions;
• and
• generates decomposed GDS cross-layer clips associated with the plurality of electrical fault regions by dividing the merged GDS clips into a plurality of decomposed GDS cross-layer clips.

A method, comprising:

• applying, by a wafer testing apparatus, electrical test vectors to a plurality of dies of a semiconductor wafer;
• detecting, by fault localization circuitry, a plurality of electrical fault regions in response to the applying the electrical test vectors;
• retrieving, by Graphic Database System (GDS) decomposition circuitry, GDS clips associated with each of the detected electrical fault regions, each of the GDS clips representing a layer of the dies in a respective one of the electrical fault regions;
• generating, by the GDS decomposition circuitry, merged GDS cross-layer clips for each of the electrical fault regions by merging the GDS clips associated with each of the respective electrical fault regions;
• and
• generating, by the GDS decomposition circuitry, decomposed GDS cross-layer clips associated with the plurality of electrical fault regions by dividing the merged GDS clips into a plurality of decomposed GDS cross-layer clips.