Exploring the Advantages and Process of Wet Chip Decapsulation

Overview

Integrated circuits consist of several tiny transistors interconnected using metallic wires that are encapsulated in protective materials. The top layer of this encapsulation can be removed to expose the circuitry underneath, and this process is known as chip decapsulation. There are two primary methods of chip decapsulation: mechanical and chemical. Chemical decapsulation has two sub-methods known as wet and dry decapsulation. In this article, we will focus on wet chip decapsulation.

Wet Chip Decapsulation

The wet decapsulation method is the most widely used, mainly because it is less costly than dry decapsulation. Wet decapsulation involves using an acid mixture, which is typically composed of hydrochloric acid and nitric acid. The mixture is heated to high temperatures to hasten the process of removing the protective encapsulation layer.

Wet decapsulation is mostly used when a decapsulation process that doesn’t damage the die’s and packages of the integrated circuits is needed. It also allows for further inspection of certain internal parts of thy circuitry.

The Advantages of Wet Chip Decapsulation

The use of wet chip decapsulation offers several unique advantages. First, it allows for the recovery of a complete circuit, including power/ground planes and signal circuits, thus making it useful in the analysis of the performance of the devices. Second, wet decapsulation is relatively inexpensive when compared to dry decapsulation processes that require expensive instrumentation. Finally, wet decapsulation does not produce fragments, cracks or stress to the package, making it possible for the die or the substrate placement to be re-used.

The Process of Wet Chip Decapsulation

Wet chip decapsulation requires careful execution to be successful. It involves six primary steps, as summarized below:

Preparation of the sample: Pre-clean the sample to minimize contamination and ensure good adhesion of the die to the substrate.

Mechanical support: This involves mounting the sample in either a castable resin or a holder.

Etching and photoresist deposition: This step deposits a layer of photosensitive material over the sample, which acts as a mask for selective etching of the encapsulation.

Selective etching: Etch the areas of the encapsulation not covered by the mask and remove the mask material with the help of acetone.

Remove encapsulant residue: This step involves washing the sample with a mixture of dilute hydrochloric (HCl) acid and water to remove the residual encapsulant layer.

Final wash: The final step is washing the sample with deionized water and drying it with dry nitrogen.

Conclusion

The use of wet chip decapsulation offers significant benefits such as low cost, selective etching, and the recovery of a complete circuit, including power/ground planes and signal circuits. Additionally, the process produces no stresses or cracks to the package, which means that the substrate placement can be reused for other applications. Overall, we believe that wet chip decapsulation is a useful tool in chip analysis and research and will continue to play an essential role in many electronic applications. To enhance your learning experience, we suggest checking out mechanical chip decapsulation https://decaplab.com/decapsulation-faq/. You’ll find additional and relevant information about the topic discussed.

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