25.4 A Micromachined Heterogeneously Integrated Active-Probe Enabling Non-Disruptive In-Situ Measurements from DC to 50GHz

Failure analysis and debugging of densely integrated microsystems becomes increasingly difficult as these systems scale in size and speed. These interfaces are tight pitch and parasitic sensitive, limiting the use of traditional $(50\Omega)$ test equipment. A microscale high-Z and high-speed probe placed close to the test point minimizes capacitive and inductive loading which minimizes signal path distortion. Through heterogeneously integrating a high performance RF sense amp with a micromachined probe substrate, this work creates a probe that is capable of non-disruptive probing in micron-scale interfaces enabling testing of complex HI assemblies and monolithic devices.

Failure analysis and debugging of densely integrated microsystems becomes increasingly difficult as these systems scale in size and speed. These interfaces are tight pitch and parasitic sensitive, limiting the use of traditional test equipment. A microscale high-Z and high-speed probe placed close to the test point minimizes capacitive and inductive loading which minimizes signal path distortion. Through heterogeneously integrating a high performance RF sense amp with a micromachined probe substrate, this work creates a probe that is capable of non-disruptive probing in micron-scale interfaces enabling testing of complex HI assemblies and monolithic devices.