Frank Altmann

Areas of research

• Physical failure analysis of Si-based semiconductor devices
• Target preparation and electron microscopy techniques for defect localization in integrated circuits
• Reliability and degradation mechanisms of III/V semiconductor devices in particular GaN HEMTs and LEDs
• Thermal and acoustic defect localization and preparation techniques for system-in-package and 3D integrated devices
• Analysis methods for trusted electronics 
  

Academic/professional resume

Since 2019

Acting Head of business unit »Materials and Components of Electronics«, Fraunhofer IMWS

2010 - 2019

Deputy Head of business unit »Materials and Components of Electronics«, Fraunhofer IMWS

Since 2007

Lecturer at the Merseburg University of Applied Sciences in the Master's program »Mechatronics, Industrial Engineering, Physical Technology«

Since 2006

Group Manager »Diagnostics of Semiconductor Technologies«, Fraunhofer IMWS

2001 - 2006

Project Manager for »Diagnostics of Semiconductor Technologies«, Fraunhofer IMWS

1997 - 2001

Research associate in the group »Diagnostics of Semiconductor Technologies«, Fraunhofer IMWS

1991 - 1996

Studies in Physics (Diploma Physicist) at the Technical University of Dresden, subject of the thesis: »Measurement of mechanical stress in microcomponents with convergent diffraction in TEM«, in cooperation with the Fraunhofer IMWS, 1996

Activities in committees and professional organizations

2023

general chair ISTFA

2022

Appointment as spokesperson for the "Quality and Reliability of Integrated Circuits" technical committee in the "Micro- and Nanoelectronics" division of the Information Technology Society (ITG) of the Association for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies (VDE)

Awards

2022

Appointed spokesman for the "Quality and Reliability of Integrated Circuits" technical committee in the "Micro- and Nanoelectronics" division of the Information Technology Society (ITG) in the Association for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies (VDE)

2019

»Attendees‘ Best Paper« at  International Symposium for Testing and Failure Analysis (ISTFA) for »Machine learning assisted signal analysis in Acoustic Microscopy for non-destructive defect identification«, jointly with Michael Kögel and Sebastian Brand

2019

Outstanding Interactive Presentation Paper at Electronic Components Technology Conference (ECTC) for works on the non-destructive assessment of porosity in silver-sintered compounds by means of sound waves, jointly with Sebastian Brand, Bianca Böttge, Michael Kögel and Falk Naumann

2019

Best Paper at IEEE International Reliability Physics Symposium (IRPS) for »New Access to Soft Breakdown Parameters of Low-k Dielectrics Through Localisation-Based Analysis«, jointly with N. Herfurth, A. Beyreuther, E.  Amini, C. Boit, Michél Simon-Najasek, Susanne Hübner, R. Herfurth, C.  Wu, I.  De Wolf and K. Croes

2018

Supplier-Award of Micronas-TDK, jointly with Michél Simon-Najasek

2018

EUREKA Innovation Award in the »Large cooperation SME collaboration« category, jointly with Matthias Petzold and Sebastian Brand

2018

Best Poster Award at 25th IEEE International Symposium on the Physical and Failure Analysis of Integrated Circuits for contribution to available and newly developed failure analysis techniques suitable for 3D packaged devices, jointly with Sebastian Brand and Matthias Petzold

2017

Best Student Paper Award at 18. International Conference on Electronic Packaging Technology for »On reproducing the copper extrusion of throughsilicon-vias from the autonomic scale«, jointly with Matthias Petzold and Falk Naumann

2017

Awards at the International Symposium for Test and Failure Analysis (ISTFA) for 3D localization of liner breakthroughs within Cu-filled TSV's by backside LIT and PEM defocus series (jointly with Christian Große, I. Wolf and Sebastian Brand) and for Acoustic and photoacoustic inspection of silicon vias in the GHz frequency band (jointly with Sebastian Brand, Michael Kögel, A. Khaled, I. DeWolf, M. J. Moore, E. M. Strohm and M. C. Kolios)

2016

Best Paper at ESREF 2016 for »Correlation of gate leakage and local strain distribution in GaN/AlGaN HEMT structures«, jointly with Andreas Graff, Michél Simon-Najasek and David Poppitz

2015

Hugo Junkers Award in »Most innovative alliance« category for »Fault detection in highly integrated microelectronic systems using lock-in thermography«, jointly with Max Planck Institute for Microstructure Physics, Ortwin Breitenstein, Christian Große and Falk Naumann

2014

Best Paper at ESREF for »Advanced FIB sample preparation techniques for high resolution TEM investigations of HEMT device structures«, jointly with Jörg Jatzkowski and Michél Simon-Najasek

2014

Best Paper Award at ESREF for »Advanced FIB sample preparation techniques for high resolution TEM investigations of HEMT device structures«, jointly with Michél Simon-Najasek, Susanne Hübner and Andreas Graff

2014

Outstanding Paper at 40th International Symposium for Testing and Failure Analysis for »Localization of weak points in thin dielectric layers by electron beam absorbed current (EBAC) imaging«

2013

ENIAC Innovation Award at European Nanoelectronics Forums for »European research project ESiP (EfficientSiliconMulti-Chip System-in-Package Integration)«, jointly with Matthias Petzold

2012

Outstanding Paper at 37th International Symposium for Testing and Failure Analysis (ISTFA) for »Use of lock-in thermography for non-destructive 3D defect localization on system in package and stacked-die technology«, jointly with Michael Krause, Matthias Petzold and Christian Schmidt

2012

Best Session Paper Award at Electronic Components and Technology Conference ECTC for »Characterization and failure analysis of TSV interconnects: From non-destructive defect localization to material analysis with nanometer resolution«, jointly with Michael Krause, Matthias Petzold and Christian Schmidt

Publications

Graff, A.; Simon-Najasek, M.; Hübner, S.; Lejoyeux, M.; Altmann, F.; Gao, V.Z.; Rampazzo, F.; Meneghini, M.; Zanoni, E.; Lambert, B.

Microelectronics Reliability (2023)

Brand, S.; Kögel, S.; Altmann, F.; DeWolf, I.; Khaled, A.; Moore, M. J.; Strohm, E. M.; Kolios, C.
Microelectronics Reliability (2017)

Acoustic and photoacoustic inspection of Through-Silicon Vias in the GHz-frequency band

Brand, S.; Kögel, S.; Altmann, F.; DeWolf, I.; Khaled, A.; Moore, M. J.; Strohm, E. M.; Kolios, C.
ASM International, Electronic Device Failure Analysis Society (2017)

Correlation of gate leakage and local strain distribution in GaN/AlGaN HEMT structures

Broas, M.; Graff, A.; Simon-Najasek, M.; Poppitz, D.; Altmann, F.; Jung, H.; Blanck, H.
Microelectronics reliability 64 (2016)

Failure analysis strategies for multistacked memory devices with TSV interconnects

Altmann, F.; Grosse, C.; Naumann, F.; Beyersdorfer, J.; Veches, T.
ASM International; 43rd International Symposium for Testing and Failure Analysis (2015)

Localization of weak points in thin dielectric layers by Electron Beam Absorbed Current (EBAC) imaging

Jatzkowski, J.; Simon-Najasek, M.; Altmann, F.
Electronic Device Failure Analysis Society (2014)

Non-destructive defect depth determination at fully packaged and stacked die devices using Lock-in Thermography

Schmidt, C.; Altmann, F.; Schlangen, R.; Deslandes, H.
Proceedings of 17th International Symposium on the Physical and Failure Analysis of integrated Circuits (2010)