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Article: SQUIDs locate IC defects.(Superconducting QUantum Interference Devices, integrated circuits)
- Article from:
- Test & Measurement World
- Article date:
- May 1, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. (US). This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Failure analysis benefits from small sensors that locate high-current paths.
The capability to measure small magnetic fields particularly interests people who must locate the causes of semiconductor failures. That's because the strength of a magnetic field relates directly to the amount of current flowing in a circuit, which is an indication of the circuit's "health." Tiny magnetic sensors called SQUIDs (Superconducting QUantum Interference Devices) have come out of the lab and now find use in scanning microscopes that can plot current flow and locate circuit defects.
Although a few companies supply the SQUIDs, electronics, and mechanical components for ...