The usefulness of FIB technology for device modification is commonly r
ecognized in the industry. Yet, very little is known concerning the re
liability of these circuit changes. This paper presents the reliabilit
y assessment of a ''standard'' FIB repair on digital CMOS circuits. Th
e overall conclusion is positive : the lifetime of a ''standard'' FIB
repair is found to be more than a few months, which is largely suffici
ent for prototyping. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd