Scanning thermal failure microscopy of multilayer ceramic capacitors

A high resolution scanning thermal failure microscopy (STFM) was developed based on the commercial atomic force microscopy and used for local heating, local aging of the dielectric layers, and characterizing local electrical reliability and local thermal strains of Multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs). An unusual zigzag leakage current behavior was clearly observed in MLCCs by the STFM approach, which is ascribed to the oxygen vacancy migration across local dozens of grains in the dielectric layers of MLCC during local highly accelerated lifetime test processing. Local thermal strain patterns induced by local AC heating were clearly visible in the dielectric layers of MLCCs. STFM provides an important, promising approach for local failure studies of MLCCs, undoubtedly enrich our insights to the nanoscale electrical degradation behaviors.