Application of Scanning Probe Microscopy Techniques for Structural and Electrical Characterization of Dielectrics, Carbon Nanotubes and Nanoelectronic Devices

Abstract

The challenges in the metrology of nanoelectronic structures demand for powerful and cost-efficient diagnostic techniques. In recent years, scanning probe microscopy techniques, like atomic force microscopy (AFM), have become indispensable tools for non-destructive characterization at the nanometer scale. More recently, the topographic imaging capabilities of the AFM have been extended by implementing current sensing techniques so that a direct correlation of a feature location with its electrical signature is possible. Several examples on the application of combined AFM and conductive AFM techniques will be presented in order to illustrate the potential of the SPM technique for structural and electrical characterization of semiconductor surfaces, dielectrics, carbon nanotubes as well as fabrication of nanoelectronic devices.