Analysis of Dendrite Images Formed by Electrochemical Migration in a Semiconductor Sensor

摘要

Dendrites were observed in the failure of semiconductor sensor devices. EDX analysis showed that the dendrites grown from bare sensor dice consisted of tin metal. The tin dendrites exhibited massive and dense branches. Dendrites grown from mechanically decapped parts consisted of silver. The silver dendrites exhibited delicate, lace-like structure. Binary and grey scale images of dendrites were analyzed for fractal dimension number and branch density. The tin dendrites had a higher, statistically significant branch density number than silver, due to tin’s more intricate branching pattern. Fractal numbers can be used to differentiate between tin and silver dendrites, even in the absence of EDX analysis equipment.