The invention relates to a system for decapsulation of plastic integrated circuit packages, comprising a microwave generator, a Beenakker resonant cavity connected to the microwave generator, wherein the said Beenakker cavity has a predefined Q factor and is provided with a tube or tubes for supply of plasma gas and etchant gas or gases and with means for igniting the plasma gas, which Beenakker resonant cavity comprises a coupling antenna loop which is optionally provided with a wire attached to the coupling antenna loop. The said Beenakker resonant cavity is in the scientific literature known as the so-called ^Beenakker-type TMOlO-mode micro- wave resonant cavity' .

The invention also relates to a method which can be implemented with said system, and the invention relates to a separate Beenakker cavity.

Such a system, method and Beenakker cavity are known from the article "Optimization of the Microwave Induced Plasma System for Failure Analysis in Integrated Circuit Packaging" by J. Tang, J.B.J. Schelen, and C.I.M. Beenakker, 2010 11th International Conference on Electronic Packaging Technology & High Density Packaging, pages 1034 - 1038. According to this article the wire that may be attached to the coupling antenna loop is a copper wire.

The said article discloses that decapsulation of plastic IC packages is performed for failure analysis. The goal of decapsulation is to remove only the mold compound and to keep the underlying wire bond and die intact so that these can be subjected to further analysis.

Generally speaking there are two major concerns for a decapsulation method. One is selectivity, which determines the potential damage to the wire bond and die. The other is the etching rate, which determines how fast the IC package can be fully decapsulated. It is hard to meet both requirements simultaneously because in practice they are often found contradictory, especially when it comes to copper wire bond package decapsulation.

The trend in IC packaging is however to use copper as wire bond material due to its good performance and econom- ic advantage. When copper wire bond material is used conventional failure analysis techniques like Xray-analysis and hot nitric acid decapsulation are not suitable.

X-ray analysis relies on the fact that absorption of X-rays by different materials is different. With copper wire bond packages, the wire bond and lead frame material are all made of copper, making it virtually impossible to distinguish the two components.

Hot nitric acid decapsulation generally shows good selectivity and a high etching rate for decapsulation of gold wire bond IC packages. For IC packages that use copper wire bonds, this method is not appropriate. Although modifying the acid mixture composition and process temperature can help to improve the process' selectivity in etching, the copper wire bond is still etched and easily damaged during the decapsula- tion process.

The article further discusses plasma etching as a new and potential technique for IC package decapsulation. Radicals in the plasma can be used to react with epoxy materials in the mold compound of the packaging. By varying the gas mixture compositions, plasma etching can give high selectivity when etching different materials. This high selectivity property makes the method of plasma etching a potentially ideal choice for decapsulation of copper wire bond IC packages .

There are however also some drawbacks with plasma etching. The etch rate of plasma etching is low. Plasma etching systems are commonly used to etch photoresists during IC fabrication. Such system usually uses radiofrequency (13.56 MHz) oxygen plasma, and the etch rate of the epoxy materials is around 1 to 5 micrometer/min . In the mold compound, epoxy material only accounts for about 10-40% mass percentage while the silica filler accounts for about 60~90%. Because the sil ^¬ ica filler does not react with oxygen radicals generated in the plasma, the etch rate of the mold compound in performing plasma etching is even lower.

The article discloses a microwave induced plasma (MIP) system that uses a Beenakker type microwave resonant cavity to sustain an atmospheric plasma for IC package decapsulation. Both the selectivity and the etch rate of this MIP system is high.

According to this article the system operates at atmospheric pressure and comprises a microwave generator

(f=2.45GHz, P<120W) , a Beenakker type microwave resonant cavity, and gas connections. Microwave power is coupled from the generator to the cavity by an antenna loop inside the cavity. An electrical field is generated in the cavity, and a gas discharge tube is inserted through a hole in the center of the cavity for the supply of plasma gas and etching gases.

The plasma gas (notably Argon) can be ignited by an electrical coil and sustained by the cavity at power ranges from 20 W to 120 . Following ignition of the plasma gas, etching gases (notably 02 and CF4) can be added into the plasma. An IC package sample is placed below the gas discharge tube so that the effluent of the plasma can be used for etching.

A known problem is that without additional measures there will be more than 50% power reflection in the plasma, which is harmful to the sustainability of the plasma and should therefore be avoided. For this purpose the Beenakker cavity can according to the article be provided with a copper wire attached to the coupling antenna loop and like the antenna also be made of copper. The length of the copper wire is for instance 1 cm and the diameter of the wire is for in- stance 0.1 cm, resulting in that the copper wire attached to the coupling antenna loop has a length-width-ratio of approximately 10. By this measure the microwave power reflection can be decreased from 50% to less than 15%.

Nevertheless when adding etching gases like oxygen (02) or carbontetrafluoride (CF4) gas into the plasma, the plasma becomes disturbed and becomes unstable. When a small amount of etching gases 02 or CF4 is added, the power reflection raises drastically. When more than 0.5% of the etching gases 02 or CF4 is added, the plasma will become unstable and extinguish. This is a major problem since for plasma etching applications, approximately 1% etching gases 02 or CF4 have to be added into the plasma to achieve satisfactory etching rates.

It is an object of the invention to alleviate this problem that the plasma is unstable and will extinguish, and to provide a system, method and Beenakker cavity which can satisfactorily be applied to provide a stable plasma for de- capsulation of plastic integrated circuit packages.

Accordingly the invention proposes such a system, method and Beenakker cavity which are embodied with the features of one or more of the appended claims.

The invention is based on the insight that by inten- tionally reducing the Q factor of the Beenakker resonant cavity its bandwidth is widened, and the cavity is less sensi ^¬ tive for the disturbing contribution of the supplied etching gases. According to the invention the system for decapsulation of plastic integrated circuit passages is therefore pro- vided with a Q factor of the Beenakker resonant cavity which is set at a predefined value by arranging that the coupling antenna loop and/or the said wire optionally attached to the coupling antenna loop is implemented in a metal or metal alloy different than copper and with a higher resistivity than copper (1.724 x 10 ^~8 ohm.m) , or that at least at part of its surface area the coupling antenna loop and/or the said wire is provided with a coating of a metal or metal alloy different than copper and with a higher resistivity than copper (1.724 x 10 ^"8 ohm.m). If a metal or metal alloy coating is ap- plied to the wire, the core of the wire may be made of metal or of a nonmetal, and even in a material such as glass. With this configuration the plasma can be stable while adding etching gases in the amount of 8%. In comparison: if the cou ^¬ pling antenna loop and the wire which is optionally attached to the coupling antenna loop is made of copper, the addition of 1% etching gas makes that the plasma becomes unstable and extinguishes .

Although in the foregoing Argon is mentioned as the gas for the plasma and 02 and CF4 are mentioned as etching gases, it is also possible to apply other suitable gases such as Helium for the plasma, and C02, C2F6, C3F8, CHF3, SF6, CF3C1, C12, N2 as etching gases. In priciple any suitable etchant gas can be regarded and applied, while the plasma will be stable when operating according to the invention, no matter the etching gas composition.

By applying the features of the invention the reso ^¬ nant spectrum broadens of the system and Beenakker cavity in comparison with the spectrum of the system and Beenakker cavity according to the prior art, so that more etchant gas can be added into the plasma without detuning the cavity and cause instability of the plasma. The invention avoids the ap ^¬ plication of any tuning rods which are known to be applied to control a plasma's spatial uniformity as disclosed in

US2013/0084706. The invention has however nothing to do with controlling the plasma's spatial uniformity, but is aimed at improving the plasma' s stability when etching gases are added to the plasma.

It is preferable that the coupling antenna loop and/or the said wire optionally attached to the coupling antenna loop is made in a metal or metal alloy or has at least at part of its surface area a coating of a metal or metal alloy with a resistivity in the range of 4.0 - 17.0 x 10 ^~8 ohm.m. This ensures an appropriate balance in the reduction of microwave power due to the decreased Q factor on the one hand, and the required maintenance and stability of the plasma in the Beenakker cavity on the other hand.

Suitably the coupling antenna loop and/or or the said wire optionally attached to the coupling antenna loop is made of a metal or coated with a metal selected from the group comprising cadmium, chromium, cobalt, iron, iridium, lithium, magnesium, molybdenum, nickel, niobium, osmium, palladium, platinum, selenium, tantalum, tin, tungsten, or of any alloy of these materials.

Appropriate results at low costs are achieved when the metal of the coupling antenna loop and/or or the said copper wire that is optionally attached to the coupling an- tenna loop, is tin-coated copper.

The benefits of the invention can be promoted by ar ^¬ ranging that an electrical field disturbing clip is mounted on the coupling antenna loop and/or or the said wire that is optionally attached to the coupling antenna loop. This can be applied with same effect independent from any and each of the other features of the system according to the invention for tuning the system's Q factor.

Corresponding with the foregoing disclosure the in- vention is also embodied in a method for decapsulation of plastic integrated circuit packages, comprising the steps of

- providing a microwave generator;

- providing a Beenakker resonant cavity connected to the microwave generator, which Beenakker resonant cavity com- prises a coupling antenna loop;

- providing the Beenakker resonant cavity with a tube or tubes for supply of plasma gas and etchant gas or gases and with means for igniting the plasma gas;

- optionally providing a copper wire to the coupling antenna loop, and

- providing that the Beenakker resonant cavity is set at a predefined value of its Q factor by embodying the coupling antenna loop and/or the said wire optionally attached to the coupling antenna loop in a metal or metal alloy different than copper and with a higher resistivity than cop ^¬ per (1.724 x 10 ^"8 ohm.m), or providing that at least at part of its surface area the coupling antenna loop and/or the said wire is coated with a metal or metal alloy different than copper and with a higher resistivity than copper (1.724 x 10 ^"s ohm.m) .

Preferably the metal or metal alloy has a resistivity in the range of 4.0 - 17.0 x 10 ^"8 ohm.m. A suitable selection can be made from the group comprising cadmium, chromium, cobalt, iron, iridium, lithium, magnesium, molybdenum, nick- el, niobium, osmium, palladium, platinum, selenium, tantalum, tin, tungsten, or any alloy of these materials. Preferably the metal of the coupling antenna loop and/or the said wire that is optionally attached to the coupling antenna loop is made of tin-coated copper. The benefits of the invention are promoted by disturbing an electrical field in the Beenakker cavity by mounting a clip on the coupling antenna loop and/or or the said wire that is optionally attached to the coupling antenna loop.

The invention will hereinafter be further discussed with reference to the attached drawing of a nonlimiting exemplary embodiment of a system according to the invention.

In the drawing:

-figure 1 depicts a schematic representation of a system according to the invention;

-figure 2 shows a diametrical cross-section of a Beenakker cavity according to the invention;

-figure 3 depicts an electrical field distribution along the diameter of the Beenakker cavity shown in figure 2;

-figure 4 depicts the Beenakker cavity shown in fig ^¬ ure 2 completed with the optional copper wire attached to the coupling antenna loop of the Beenakker cavity; and

-figure 5 provides a comparative graph of the reso- nance characteristics of a Beenakker cavity as modified ac ^¬ cording to the invention with a conventional Beenakker cavity.

Whenever in the figures the same reference numerals are applied, these numerals refer to the same parts. It is further remarked that the figures resemble the figures shown in the above-mentioned article "Optimization of the Microwave Induced Plasma System for Failure Analysis in Integrated Circuit Packaging" by J. Tang, J.B.J. Schelen, and C.I. .

Beenakker, 2010 11th International Conference on Electronic Packaging Technology & High Density Packaging, pages 1034 -

1038. The figures are however deemed helpful in understanding the invention which basically concerns features that as such cannot be shown in a figure.

Referring first to figure 1 a system 1 is shown for decapsulation of one or more plastic integrated circuit packages 2. The system 1 comprises a microwave generator 3, a Beenakker resonant cavity 4 connected to the microwave generator 3. The Beenakker cavity 4 is provided with a supply tube 5 for supply of plasma gas (notably Ar) and etchant gas or gases (notably 02 and CF4) . There are also (not shown) means for igniting the plasma gas by an electrical field. A preferable field strength distribution of this electrical field is shown in figure 3, which shows on the X-axis the radial position along the diameter of the Beenakker cavity 4 shown in figure 2, and along the Y-axis the electrical field strength at the respective radial positions. Figure 3 shows that the electrical field has its highest strength in the central portion of the Beenakker cavity 4, at which also the plasma gas and etchant gases enter the cavity. At the bottom the Beenakker cavity 4 is provided with an exit tube 6 to re ^¬ lease the effluent of the plasma towards the plastic inte- grated circuit package 2 underneath the cavity 4 and which is intended to be decapsulated.

Figure 2 shows that the Beenakker resonant cavity 4 comprises a coupling antenna loop 7 which, according to what is shown in figure 4, can be optionally provided with a (cop- per or other material) wire 8 attached to the coupling antenna loop 7. Said wire 8 has a length-width-ratio of at least approximately 10, such as for instance a length of 1-2 cm and a diameter of 0.1 cm.

The invention is embodied in the feature that the Q factor of the Beenakker resonant cavity 4 is set at a predefined value by arranging that the coupling antenna loop 7 and/or the said wire 8 optionally attached to the coupling antenna loop 7 is implemented in a metal or metal alloy dif ^¬ ferent than copper and with a higher resistivity than copper (1.724 x 10 ^~8 ohm.m) , or that at least at part of its surface area the coupling antenna loop 7 and/or the said wire 8 is provided with a coating of a metal or metal alloy different than copper and with a higher resistivity than copper (1.724 x 10 ^"8 ohm.m) .

Best results are achieved when the coupling antenna loop 7 and/or the said wire 8 optionally attached to the cou ^¬ pling antenna loop 7 is made in a metal or metal alloy or has at least at part of its surface area a coating of a metal or metal alloy with a resistivity in the range of 4.0 - 17.0 x lCT ⁸ ohm.m.

Based on this preferable range the material can be selected from the following table provided below (possible selections are underlined) .

Table of resistivity values (ohm.m)

Aluminum 2.65 x 10 ^"

Antimony 41.8 x 10 B

Beryllium 4.0 x 10 ^' 0

Bismuth 115 x 10 ^"B

Brass - 58% Cu 5.9 x 10 ^~a

Brass - 63% Cu 7.1 x 10 ^~a

Cadmium 7.4 x 10 ^"

Carbon (graphite) ¹ ' 3 - 60 x

Cast iron 100 x 10

Chromium 13 x 10 ^_t

Cobalt 9 x 10 ^' "

Constantan 49 x 10 ^" °

Copper 1.724 x 10 ^"

Germanium ¹ ' 1 - 500 x 10 ^"J

Gold 2.24 x 10 ^"B

Graphite 800 x 10 ^"M

Iridium 5.3 x 1Q ^'¾

Iron 9.7 x 10 ^"a

Lead 20.6 x 10 ^"B

Lithium 9.28 x 10 ^~a

Magnesium 4.45 x 10 ^"B

Manganese 185 x 10 ^~a

Mercury 98.4 x 10 ^"s

Mica 1 x 10 ^iJ

Mild steel 15 x 10 ^~a

Molybdenum 5.2 x 10 ^"a

Nickel 6.85 x 10 ^'a

Nickeline 50 x 10 ^"B

Nichrome (alloy of nickel

and chromium) 100 - 150 x 10 ^"

Niobium (Columbium) 13 x 10 ^' "

Osmium 9 x 10 ^" °

Palladium 10.5 x 10 ^"

Phosphorus 1 x 10 ^1Z Platinum 10.5 X 10 ^" °

Plutonium 14 1.4 X 10 ^"

Rhodium 4. 6 x : 1 0 ^"a

Selenium 12 .0 X 10 ^"B

Silver 1. 59 X 10 ^"B

Sodium 4. 2 x : 1 0 ^"H

Solder 15 X 10 -B

Tantalum 12 .4 X 10 ^"3

Thorium 18 X 10 -8

Tin 11 .0 X 10 ^"B

Titanium 43 X 10 -a

Tungsten 5. 65 X 10 ^"a

Uranium 30 X 10 -a

Vanadium 25 X 10 -B

Zinc 5. 92 X 10 ^"B

From this table it follows that the coupling antenna loop 7 and/or or the said wire 8 optionally attached to the coupling antenna loop 7 is suitably made from a metal or coated with a metal selected from the group comprising cadmium, chromium, cobalt, iron, iridium, lithium, magnesium, molybdenum, nickel, niobium, osmium, palladium, platinum, selenium, tantalum, tin, tungsten, or any alloy of these materials .

From a cost perspective the metal of the coupling antenna loop 7 and/or or the said copper wire 8 optionally attached to the coupling antenna loop 7 is preferably tin- coated copper.

One manner to further promote the benefits of the invention is to disturb an electrical field in the Beenakker cavity by mounting a clip on the coupling antenna loop 7 and/or the said wire 8 that is optionally attached to the coupling antenna loop 7. The way this should be implemented is clear to the skilled person and requires no further eluci- dation.

Finally reference is made to figure 5. Figure 5 pro ^¬ vides a comparative graph of resonance characteristics of a Beenakker cavity according to the prior art and a Beenakker cavity according to the invention. On the X axis a frequency sweep of 2 GHz up to 3 GHz is shown, whereas on the Y axis the cavity's response in Sll parameter is shown. The graph indicated with arrow A relates to the response of the Beenakker cavity according to the prior art. The graph indicated with arrow B relates to the response of the Beenakker cavity according to the invention. Evidently the Beenakker cavity according to the invention exhibits a lower Q factor than the Beenakker cavity according to the prior art considering its lower peak and wider bandwidth. This lower Q factor is re- sponsible for the improved stability of the plasma in the

Beenakker cavity according to the invention when etching gases are supplied to the cavity.

Although the invention has been discussed in the foregoing with reference to an exemplary embodiment of the apparatus of the invention, the invention is not restricted to this particular embodiment which can be varied in many ways without departing from the gist of the invention. The discussed exemplary embodiment shall therefore not be used to construe the appended claims strictly in accordance there- with. On the contrary the embodiment is merely intended to explain the wording of the appended claims without intent to limit the claims to this exemplary embodiment. The scope of protection of the invention shall therefore be construed in accordance with the appended claims only, wherein a possible ambiguity in the wording of the claims shall be resolved using this exemplary embodiment.