CANBERRA, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Scientists in Australia have developed a breakthrough technique to observe what is happening inside electronic chips while they are operating without dismantling or interrupting them.
The technique uses terahertz waves, a safe and non-ionizing form of electromagnetic radiation, to detect tiny movements of electrical charge inside fully packaged semiconductor devices, said a statement from Australia's Adelaide University on Thursday.
"This research is a first step towards a long-standing problem in electronics. We can now observe electrical activity inside a working semiconductor device from the outside, without damaging it or interrupting its operation," said Professor Withawat Withayachumnankul, group leader of the university's Terahertz Engineering Laboratory.
The team, working with partners from the United States and Germany, demonstrated that terahertz waves can non-invasively detect current changes inside components like diodes and transistors, with sensitivity beyond previous noise limits.
Semiconductors power everything from smartphones and medical devices to vehicles and power grids, but once sealed, their inner workings are hard to observe, said Withayachumnankul, co-author of the study published in the IEEE Journal of Microwaves.
"Because terahertz radiation is non-ionizing and safe, the technique also offers a safer alternative to inspection methods that rely on X-rays or invasive probing," paving the way for smarter, self-diagnosing next-generation chips, he said. ■
