System consists of motorized grinding and lapping apparatus, sample holder, and electronic control circuit. Low power microscope examines device to pinpoint location of circuit defect, and monitor displays output signal when defect is located exactly

Jacobs, G.

Slaughter, B.

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

July 1971
	 Brief 71-10221 
NASA TECH BRIEF 
Goddard Space Flight Center
	
-liv 
NASA Tech Briefs announce new technology derived from the U.S. space program. They are issued to encourage 
commercial application. Tech Briefs are available on a subscription basis from the National Technical Information 
Service, Springfield; Virginia 22151. Requests for individual copies or questions relating to the. Tech Brief program may 
be directed to the Technology Utilization Office, NASA, Code KT, Washington, D.C. 20546. 
Automatic Cross-Sectioning and Monitoring System Locates Defects

in Electronic Devices 
S
The problem: 
To devise a means of precisely locating fabrica-
tion defects such as shorts or resistive anomalies 
Sensor Leads	 Samøle 
Oscilloscope 
Display 
	
II	
I 
Lapping 
	
II	 Wheel, I LII 
Control 
Unit	 i	 i	 i Motor 
in integrated circuits. The data could be used in 
failure analyses to prevent future occurrences of this 
nature. 
The solution: 
An automatic cross-sectioning and monitoring sys-
tem (see fig) consisting of a motorized grinding and 
lapping apparatus, a sample holder, and an elec-
tronic control circuit. A monitor displays an output 
signal when the exact position of the circuit defect 
has been located. 
How it's done: 
The device to be cross-sectioned is placed on a 
sample holder, and a small input voltage is applied
to the defective circuit. An external control circuit, 
containing a tunnel diode which senses a change in 
the applied signal voltage, is coupled to the de-
fective circuit. The device is then cross-sectioned with 
the grinding and lapping apparatus. When the 
grinding operation has reached the site of the flaw, 
a change in the input voltage occurs and is sensed 
by the tunnel diode in the control circuit. The diode 
signal is monitored and amplified to activate a relay 
which stops the grinding motor action. The device is 
examined with a low power microscope to pin-
point the exact location of the defect. 
Note: 
No additional documentation is available. Specific 
questions, however, may be directed to: 
Technology Utilization Officer 
Goddard Space Flight Center 
Greenbelt, Maryland 20771 
Reference: B71-10221 
Patent status: 
No patent action is contemplated by NASA. 
Source: G. Jacobs and B. Slaughter of

Sperry Rand
under contract to
Goddard Space Flight Center

(GSC-1 1221) 
Category 0 1,02 
This document was prepared under the sponsorship of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration. Neither the United States 
Government nor any person acting on behalf of the United States
Government assumes any liability resulting from the use of the 
information contained in this document, or warrants that such use 
will be free from privately owned-rights.
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19710000220 2020-03-17T02:19:06+00:00Z


Automatic cross-sectioning and monitoring system locates defects in electronic devices

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