Defect analysis of a semiconductor die is enhanced in a manner that makes
possible the viewing of spatial manifestations of the defect from
virtually any angle. According to an example embodiment of the present
invention, substrate is removed from a semiconductor die while
simultaneously obtaining images of the portions of the die from which
substrate is being removed. The images are taken at various points in the
substrate removal process, recorded and combined together to form a
three-dimensional image of selected portions of the die. The image is
then used to view the selected portions, and the nature of one or more
defects therein are analyzed.