Chemical and Structural Characterization of Ultrathin Dielectric Films Using AEM

1999 ◽  
Vol 592 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.H.J. Scott ◽  
E.S. Windsor
Keyword(s):  
Integrated Circuits ◽  
Photoelectron Spectroscopy ◽  
Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Analytical Electron Microscopy ◽  
Silicon Oxynitride ◽  
Dielectric Films ◽  
Ion Scattering ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Integrated Intensity ◽  
Medium Energy Ion Scattering

ABSTRACTThe structure of ultrathin silicon oxynitride films, used as gate dielectrics in integrated circuits (ICs), is studied using analytical electron microscopy (AEM). Laterally homogeneous blanket films approximately 2 nm in thickness are characterized in cross section using a 300 keV field emission TEM/STEM. High resolution imaging (HRTEM) is used to investigate the accuracy and precision of film thickness measurements and their comparability to other techniques such as secondary ion mass spectrometry, spectroscopic ellipsometry, x-ray reflectivity, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and medium energy ion scattering. A two dimensional magnification calibration scheme that fits a pair of basis vectors to experimental images is presented, and integrated intensity profiles are used to define film boundaries for measurement. These image processing tools simultaneously improve the repeatability of the measurements and remove subjective operator bias from the measurement process.

Silicon Oxynitride Film Thickness Measurements Using HRTEM and Grazing Incidence X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (GIXPS)

2000 ◽  
Vol 6 (S2) ◽  
pp. 60-61
Author(s):  
John Henry J. Scott ◽  
Eric W. Landree ◽  
Terrence Jach ◽  
Eric S. Windsor
Keyword(s):  
Integrated Circuits ◽  
Photoelectron Spectroscopy ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Grazing Incidence ◽  
Silicon Oxynitride ◽  
Ion Scattering ◽  
Statistical Process ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Medium Energy Ion Scattering

The ability to accurately and precisely measure the thickness of ultrathin (∼ 3 nm) dielectric films, used as gate dielectrics in integrated circuits, is critical to the continued success of the semiconductor manufacturing industry. Many metrology tools have been applied to this problem in the past, but recent research has focussed on ellipsometry, x-ray reflectivity, secondary-ion mass spectrometry, capacitance-voltage curves, medium energy ion scattering, high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and grazing incidence x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (GIXPS). Unfortunately, these techniques disagree about a given film's thickness by amounts larger than their individual precisions. To support the statistical process control methodologies used in production wafer fabrication, these disagreements need to be investigated and the true accuracy and precision of the tools need to be determined. This work compares the ability of two techniques, HRTEM and GIXPS, to measure the thickness of silicon oxynitride films on silicon substrates.

Depth profiling analysis of HfON on SiON ultrathin films by parallel angle resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and medium energy ion scattering

2016 ◽  
Vol 48 (7) ◽  
pp. 436-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurent Fauquier ◽  
Bernard Pelissier ◽  
Denis Jalabert ◽  
François Pierre ◽  
Delphine Doloy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ultrathin Films ◽  
Photoelectron Spectroscopy ◽  
Depth Profiling ◽  
Medium Energy ◽  
Ion Scattering ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Medium Energy Ion Scattering ◽  
Profiling Analysis

Ion microscope and microprobe studies of surfaces and interfaces

1993 ◽  
Vol 51 ◽  
pp. 856-857
Author(s):  
Dale E. Newbury
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Photoelectron Spectroscopy ◽  
Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Analytical Electron Microscopy ◽  
Scanning Tunneling ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Spatially Resolved ◽  
Surfaces And Interfaces ◽  
Ion Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Secondary Ion

Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) in its spatially-resolved forms, the ion microscope and ion microprobe, offers elemental, isotopic, and molecular detection, wide dynamic intensity range spanning major to trace concentrations in the part per million (ppm) range or lower, high lateral spatial resolution in the micrometer to sub-micrometer range, shallow sampling depths to the nanometer range, and the possibility of "microanalytical tomography", the reconstruction of three-dimensional distributions. With this broad range of capabilities, SIMS has special advantages for the characterization of surfaces and interfaces that complement the measurement capabilities of other microanalysis/surface analysis techniques such as electron probe x-ray microanalysis (EPMA), analytical electron microscopy (AEM), Raman and infrared microscopy, scanning Auger electron microanalysis (SAM/AES), and spatially-resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Examples of applications will highlight the special contributions of SIMS to surface/interface characterization studies.1. Surface studiesFigure 1 shows an example of characterization with extreme surface sensitivity. Changes in surface chemistry induced on a passivated silicon surface by scanning tunneling microscopy in air are revealed by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS).

A comparative X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and medium-energy ion-scattering study of ultra-thin, Hf-based high-k films

2010 ◽  
Vol 42 (6-7) ◽  
pp. 1057-1060 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Sygellou ◽  
S. Ladas ◽  
M. A. Reading ◽  
J. A. van den Berg ◽  
T. Conard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Photoelectron Spectroscopy ◽  
Medium Energy ◽  
Ion Scattering ◽  
X Ray ◽  
High K ◽  
Scattering Study ◽  
Medium Energy Ion Scattering
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