Imaging free Carriers in Electronic Material using a Scanning Probe Microscope: Scanning Capacitance Microscopy

In this chapter, we discuss recent developments in the characterization of polarization doped wide bandgap semiconductor (WBS) heterojunctions with an emphasis on characterization by scanning probe microscopy (SPM). Wide bandgap semiconductors, such as SiC and GaN, have a wide variety of applications in electronic and optoelectronic devices [1–6]. The operation of devices made from these materials is dominated by the polarization properties of III-N and SiC semiconductor crystals. For example, polarization doped 2 dimensional electron gas (2DEG) channels in undoped GaN/AlGaN and SiC polytypic heterojunctions have been fabricated with current densites in excess of 1A/mm. Other effects, such as surface charge instability stemming from polarization, offer interesting potentials and challenges.While some of these effects may be studied using more conventional techniques such as currentvoltage (IV) and capacitance-voltage (CV) techniques (described in sections 2 and 3), others require probes capable of investigation on the nanometer scale. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) can be used to investigate such polarizationinduced phenomena with atomic resolution, but involves destructive and laborious sample preparation. SPM techniques offer powerful, non-destructive tools to effectively and conveniently probe electronic materials and devices. Since the discovery of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) in 1981 by Binnig and Rohrer [7], the field of SPM has advanced to encompass a large number of variations including, (i) STM, (ii) Atomic force microscopy (AFM), (iii) Electrostatic force microscopy (EFM), (iv) Scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM), (v) Scanning conduction microscopy (SCM), (vi) Magnetic force microscopy (MFM), (vii) Piezoelectric force microscopy (PFM), and (vii) Near field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM). Of the above modes, the first five modes have been extensively used for semiconductor characterization [8–15]. For WBS characterization, especially III-N, AFM, EFM and SCM modes are the most important due to the strong polarization of III-N and SiC. In the latter half of this chapter, we focus on the characterization of III-N by EFM operated in

Cross-section analysis of electric devices by scanning capacitance microscope

A scanning capacitance microscope (SCM) combines a differential capacitance measurement with an atomic force microscope (AFM). The AFM controls the position and contact force of a scanning probe tip, and a sensor simultaneously measures the capacitance between that tip and the sample under test. The capacitance sensor can detect very small (≈10 −21 F) changes in capacitance. The sensor is electrically connected to an AFM cantilevered tip that has been coated with metal to make it electrically conductive. As the SCM/AFM tip is scanned across the sample surface, simultaneous images of topography and differential capacitance are obtained. Currently, the most common application of SCM is imaging the carrier concentration variations (also known as dopant profiles) qualitatively within transistors that are part of silicon integrated circuits (ICs). Another application that has encouraged the development of commercial SCMs is the need for quantitative two‐dimensional (2‐D) carrier profiling of silicon transistors. This article reviews the history, operating principles, and applications of SCM. Special emphasis is placed on measuring quantitative 2‐D carrier profiles in silicon using SCM. This article also reviews implementation and applications of the scanning capacitance spectroscopy (SCS) technique, the intermittent contact mode of SCM (or IC‐SCM), and two other techniques that can also be classified as scanning capacitance probes: the scanning Kelvin probe microscope (SKPM), when operated at twice its drive frequency, and the scanning microwave microscope (SMWM).

Quantitative dopant profile measurements are performed on a nanometer scale by scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM). An atomic force microscope is used to position a nanometer scale tip at a semiconductor surface, and local capacitance change is measured as a function of sample bias. A new feedback method has been demonstrated in which the magnitude of the ac bias voltage applied to the sample is adjusted to maintain a constant capacitance change as the tip is scanned across the sample surface. A quasi-1D model is used to extract dopant density profiles from the SCM measurements. The inverted SCM dopant profiles are compared with profiles obtained by process simulation and secondary ion mass spectroscopy measurement. Good agreement was found between the SCM measured profile and the lateral profile predicted by SUPREM 4 over the concentration range from 1017 to 1020 cm−3.

Nanolithography and nanoindentation of tantalum-oxide nanowires and nanodots using scanning probe microscopy

In this paper, we present our recent applications of scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM) on specific devices with sampling window as small as 100nm. The dopant related root causes were successfully identified on those devices fabricated with 90nm CMOS technology. The key step in our approach is the development of a sample preparation technique that allows us to precisely x-section through a transistor without being affected by focused ion beam (FIB) artifacts. FIB was used to mark the area of interest with high precision, but it did not expose the devices of interest. Optical microscope and atomic force microscope (AFM) were used to inspect the mechanically polished surface, thus avoiding beam effects from FIB or SEM. In the first application, a doping anomaly was identified in a PFET poly gate, in a single bit failed SRAM cell. In the second application, an asymmetry of a PWell implant profile in a window of 150nm was identified as the cause of leakage in a capacitor array. Our approach may be applied to other scanning probe microscopy (SPM) techniques in the same category, i.e., scanning spreading resistance microscopy (SSRM) or scanning microwave microscopy (SMM).

We used scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM) and scanning spreading resistance microscopy (SSRM) to determine the drift hole mobility in nanometer thick Si∕Si0.75Ge0.25∕Si quantum wells (QWs), from the carrier concentration profiles (obtained by SCM) and the local resistivity values (obtained by SSRM). A relevant decrease of the hole mobility at room temperature was observed when reducing the QW width from 10 nm down to 1 nm. This effect has been explained in terms of the increasing role of surface scattering at the Si∕SiGe interface for lower QW widths.

The scanning Kelvin probe force microscope (SKPM) is a member of the scanning probe microscope (SPM) family, and was derived from the non-contact atomic force microscope (NCAFM) technique. The contact potential difference (CPD) originating from the work function difference between the tip and sample surfaces can be measured using SKPM with simultaneous observation of the topography image. Using SKPM the surface of semiconductor device has been observed to measure the dopant concentration as the CPD difference in two dimensions. Most of the SKPM measurements are acquired in the atmosphere. The lateral resolution is achieved less than 100 nm.On the other hand, Scanning capacitance microscope (SCM) of contact mode is now most popular method to measure the dopant concentration in semiconductor device. However, the lateral resolution of SCM is limited, because of the fact that the contact mode cannot achieve a true atomic resolution, the fact that the capacitance is measured through the insulating layer on surface, and the fact that the tip and sample is damaged by the high electric field to be applied between the tip and sample. So SCM never achieves the atomic level resolution.

In this article, we present a new one-dimensional (1D) dopant profile determination method, which extends to the quantitative three-dimensional (3D) dopant profile extraction. This nondestructive method, which is different from the common scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM) measurement/dopant extraction, can potentially measure real metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor devices having 3D structure. Through SCM modeling, we found that the depletion layer in silicon was of a form of a spherical capacitor with the SCM tip biased. Two-dimensional (2D) finite differential method code with a successive over relaxation (SOR) solver has been developed to model the measurements by SCM of a semiconductor wafer that contains an ion-implanted impurity region. Then, we theoretically analyzed the spherical capacitor and determined the total depleted-volume charge Q, capacitance C, and the rate of capacitance change with bias dC/dV. It is very important to observe the depleted carriers’ movement in the silicon layer by applying the bias to the tip. So, we calculated the depleted-volume charge, considering different factors such as tip size, oxide thickness, and applied bias (dc+ac), which have an influence on potential and depletion charges. Finally, we developed a 1D inversion algorithm to convert the SCM output (dC/dV) into real dopant concentration, comparing the SCM signal output with the calculated dC/dV. Using the inversion modeling, we have quantitatively extracted the 1D dopant profile from the SCM dC/dV vs V curves.

Evaluation of scanning capacitance microscopy sample preparation by focused ion beam

SummaryThis chapter is dedicated to scanning probe microscopy, one of the most important techniques in nanotechnology. In general, scanning probe techniques allow the measurement of physical properties down to the nanometer scale. Some techniques, such as the scanning tunneling microscope and the scanning force microscope even go down to the atomic scale. The properties that are accessible are various. Most importantly, one can image the arrangement of atoms on conducting surfaces by scanning tunneling microscopy and on insulating substrates by scanning force microscopy. But also the arrangement of electrons (scanning tunneling spectroscopy), the force interaction between different atoms (scanning force spectroscopy), magnetic domains (magnetic force microscopy), the local capacitance (scanning capacitance microscopy), the local temperature (scanning thermo microscopy), and local light-induced excitations (scanning near-field microscopy) can be measured with high spatial resolution. In addition, some techniques even allow the manipulation of atomic configurations.Probably the most important advantage of the low-temperature operation of scanning probe techniques is that they lead to a significantly better signal-to-noise ratio than measuring at room temperature. This is why many researchers work below 100 K. However, there are also physical reasons to use low-temperature equipment. For example, the manipulation of atoms or scanning tunneling spectroscopy with high energy resolution can only be realized at low temperatures. Moreover, some physical effects such as superconductivity or the Kondo effect are restricted to low temperatures. Here, we describe the design criteria of low-temperature scanning probe equipment and summarize some of the most spectacular results achieved since the invention of the method about 20 years ago. We first focus on the scanning tunneling microscope, giving examples of atomic manipulation and the analysis of electronic properties in different material arrangements. Afterwards, we describeresults obtained by scanning force microscopy, showing atomic-scale imaging on insulators, as well as force spectroscopy analysis. Finally, the magnetic force microscope, which images domain patterns in ferromagnets and vortex patterns in superconductors, is discussed. Although this list is far from complete, we feel that it gives an adequate impression of the fascinating possibilities of low-temperature scanning probe instruments.In this chapter low temperatures are defined as lower than about 100K and are normally achieved by cooling with liquid nitrogen or liquid helium. Applications in which SPMs are operated close to 0 °C are not covered in this chapter.

The occurrence in SCM images of contrast reversal (CR) phenomena (i.e. a non-monotonic relationship between the amplitude of the SCM signal and the local carrier concentration) has been investigated theoretically by a three dimensional (3D) simulation model and experimentally by measurements of calibrated staircase structures. The CR effect is commonly ascribed to an improper DC bias voltage, far away from the flat band voltage, and this assumption has been supported in the past by two-dimensional (2D) simulations. Simulations with a 3D model show that CR phenomena are less likely to occur than foreseen by the 2D model. The experimental dC/dV curves are in better agreement with the 3D simulations. However, CR phenomena are observed sometimes in a sporadic way even when the DC bias voltage is correctly set at the experimental flat band voltage. A sudden degradation of the probe-tip is probably the cause of the sporadic occurrence of CR phenomena.

It is widely acknowledged that Atomic force microscopy (AFM) methods such as conductive probe AFM (CAFM) and Scanning Capacitance Microscopy (SCM) are valuable tools for semiconductor failure analysis. One of the main advantages of these techniques is the ability to provide localized, die-level fault isolation over an area of several microns much faster than conventional nanoprobing methods. SCM, has advantages over CAFM in that it is not limited to bulk technologies and can be utilized for fault isolation on SOI-based technologies. Herein, we present a case-study of SCM die-level fault isolation on SOI-based FinFET technology at the 14nm node.

We describe a sensor for use in a scanning capacitance microscope (SCM) that is capable of “zeptofarad” (10−21 F) capacitance measurement resolution in a 1 Hz bandwidth with a peak-to-peak sense voltage on the probe tip of no more than 300 mV. This sensitivity is based on experimental data and simulation results that are in excellent agreement. The complete sensor incorporates an oscillator (phase locked to a 10 MHz crystal oscillator), a coupled transmission line resonator, an amplifier, and a peak detector. The resonator is fabricated from copper-clad, low-loss dielectric material and its size is such that it is easily incorporated with a scanning probe microscope. The sensor’s use in the SCM enables capacitance resolution that has not previously been possible while retaining the instrumental advantages of imaging at low sense voltages. The performance of this sensor is discussed and compared to alternative scanning capacitance microscopy methodologies.

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