# US 2025/0164580 A1 · Methods and apparatuses for testing electrical connections of a substrate > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2025/0164580 A1 - Document ID: US20250164580A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 18/839,597 - Filed: 2022-04-05 - Published: 2025-05-22 - Earliest claimed: 2022-04-05 - Applicants: Applied Materials, Inc. - Inventors: Axel WENZEL; Ludwig LEDL; Bernhard G. MUELLER - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250164580A1 ## CPC - G01R 31/2653: {using electron beams} - G01R 31/66: Testing of connections, e.g. of plugs or non-disconnectable joints (testing for incorrect line connections G01R31/55) - G01R 31/307: of integrated circuits - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) ## Abstract A method for testing electrical connections of a substrate is described, the substrate having a first surface contact and a first electrical connection extending from the first surface contact. The method includes: (a) discharging the first surface contact by focusing and deflecting a first electron beam having a first electron energy on the first surface contact; (b) charging the first surface contact by focusing and deflecting a second electron beam having a second electron energy different from the first electron energy on the first surface contact; and (c) inspecting the first electrical connection by detecting signal electrons emitted from the substrate. Further described are apparatuses for testing electrical connections of a substrate using two electron beams of different electron energies in accordance with the methods described herein. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for testing electrical connections of a substrate, the substrate having a first surface contact and a first electrical connection extending from the first surface contact, the method comprising: (a) discharging the first surface contact by focusing and deflecting a first electron beam having a first electron energy on the first surface contact; (b) charging the first surface contact by focusing and deflecting a second electron beam having a second electron energy different from the first electron energy on the first surface contact; and (c) inspecting the first electrical connection by detecting signal electrons emitted from the substrate. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein (a) is conducted before (b), and wherein (a) is again conducted after (c). ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein (a), (b)+(c), and optionally again (a), are conducted in this order for each surface contact of a plurality of surface contacts of the substrate for inspecting a plurality of electrical connections connected to the plurality of surface contacts. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of any of claims 1, wherein a plurality of surface contacts are distributed over a substrate surface area of at least 9 cm2, and the first and second electron beams are deflected successively on the plurality of surface contacts with a beam deflector arrangement, without a movement of the stage. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first electron energy is lower than the second electron energy, wherein the first electron energy is between 1 keV and 3 keV and the second electron energy is between 5 keV and 15 keV. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein (c) comprises conducting voltage contrast measurements based on the signal electrons detected upon impingement of the second electron beam or the first electron beam on the substrate. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of any of claims 1, wherein (c) comprises probing any one or more of the following surface contacts with the second electron beam or the first electron beam after the charging of the first surface contact with the second electron beam: the first surface contact; one or more second surface contacts that ought to be electrically connected to the first surface contact via the first electrical connection; and one or more third surface contacts that ought to be electrically separated from the first surface contact. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of any of claims 1, wherein in (a), the first electron beam propagates along a common electron beam path through a two-beam column while the second electron beam is deselected; and in (b), the second electron beam propagates along the common electron beam path through the two-beam column while the first electron beam is deselected. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of any of claims 1, wherein in (a), the first electron beam propagates through a first beam column, is focused with a first focusing lens of the first beam column, and is deflected on the first surface contact with a first beam deflector of the first beam column; and in (b), the second electron beam propagates through a second beam column, is focused with a second focusing lens of the second beam column, and is deflected on the first surface contact with a second beam deflector of the second beam column. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the first beam column and the second beam column are arranged next to each other and are tilted toward each other. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of any of claim 1, wherein the first electron beam is generated by a first electron source having a first emission tip provided on a first potential, and the second electron beam is generated by a second electron source having a second emission tip provided on a second potential. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of any of claim 1, wherein the substrate is a packaging substrate configured to provide a multi-device in-packageinterconnection, the first electrical connection being a device-to-device electrical interconnect path, the substrate being an advanced packaging (AP) substrate, a panel level packaging (PLP) substrate, a wafer level packaging (WLP) substrate or a micro-LED substrate. ### Claim 13 An apparatus for testing electrical connections of a substrate, comprising: (a) vacuum chamber that houses a stage for placement of a substrate; a first electron source configured to generate a first electron beam having a first electron energy; a second electron source configured to generate a second electron beam having a second electron energy different from the first electron energy; and a controller configured to control the apparatus such that: in a discharging phase (a), the first electron beam is focused and deflected on a first surface contact to discharge the first surface contact; in a charging phase (b), the second electron beam is focused and deflected on the first surface contact to charge the first surface contact; and a first electrical connection connected to the first surface contact is inspected by detecting signal electrons emitted by the substrate with an electron detector during or after the charging phase (b). ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The apparatus of claim 13, comprising a two-beam column providing a common electron beam path for the first electron beam and the second electron beam, the two-beam column comprising a beam selector for selecting one of the first electron beam and the second electron beam for propagation through the two-beam column toward the substrate. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The apparatus of claim 13, comprising a first beam column with a first focusing lens and a first beam deflector for focusing and deflecting the first electron beam and a second beam column with a second focusing lens and a second beam deflector for focusing and deflecting the second electron beam, the first beam column and the second beam column arranged next to each other. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The apparatus of claim 13, comprising a beam deflector arrangement configured to deflect a selected one of the first and second electron beams to a predetermined position on the substrate and/or a focusing lens arrangement configured to focus the selected one of the first and second electron beams on the substrate. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the beam deflector arrangement provides an overlapping deflection area for the first electron beam and for the second electron beam of at least 9 cm2 on the substrate. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The apparatus of any of claim 13, wherein, for inspecting the first electrical connection, the second electron beam is focused and deflected on at least one of the first surface contact, one or more second surface contacts that ought to be electrically connected to the first surface contact, and one or more third surface contacts that ought to be electrically separated from the first surface contact, and the signal electrons respectively emitted by the substrate are detected with the electron detector for conducting voltage contrast measurements. ### Claim 19 An apparatus for testing electrical connections of a substrate, comprising: a vacuum chamber that houses a stage for placement of a substrate; a. first electron source configured to generate a first electron beam having a first electron energy; a second electron source configured to generate a second electron beam having a second electron energy different from the first electron energy; a focusing lens arrangement configured to focus the first electron beam on the substrate in a discharging phase and to focus the second electron beam on the substrate in a charging phase; a beam deflector arrangement configured to deflect the first electron beam on a first surface contact of the substrate to discharge the first surface contact in the discharging phase and to deflect the second electron beam on the first surface contact to charge the first surface contact in the charging phase; an electron detector for detecting signal electrons emitted from the substrate; and an analysis unit for inspecting a first electrical connection extending from the first surface contact based on the signal electrons.