Decapsulating IC Packages with a Laser

Status: Planned ( Tech Tree)

Commercially available laser-based decapsulation systems all seem to use fibre lasers with a wavelength of 1064 nm and power of around 20 W to 30 W. They all provide the ability to control both the pulse width as well as the pulse repetition frequency. The systems listed below all list the following potential applications:

• Semiconductor failure analysis
• IC decapsulation and removing large filler mold compounds, such as resin and plastics
• Expose Wire Bonds

Controller Board: | JCZ LMCV2/LMCV4 | Laser: | JPT (M7?) MOPA | Type: | Fibre | Nominal Average Output Power: | 60 W | Central Emission Wavelength: | 1064 nm | Pulse Width: | 2 ns - 500 ns | Pulse Repetition Frequency: | 1 kHz - 4000 kHz | Maximum Pulse Energy: | 2 mJ |

https://store.commarker.com/products/omni-x-xe-10w-laser-upgrade-kit

On the Siliconpr0n wiki, there is a page that losely documents previous experiments with fibre, CO2, and blue light (~ 450 nm). The TLDR:

• Fibre: bulk material for standard packages (PDIP, COB, etc.). Laser apparently damages the die surface, if all packaging material is removed.
• CO2: Mixed results, with fused glass spheres becoming a problem. Seems to work for COB.
• Blue Light: can work for all package types but apparently slow.

• Effective Laser Decapsulation Employing the Digital ICO Laser and HAZ-Methodology (look into /documents in the NAS for a PDF copy)
• Laser Engraving Power, Speed & Frequency Explained A very basic guide into laser engraving featuring MOPA fibre lasers.
• Q-switched Lasers