Avoiding SEM-induced Device Degradation Through Semi-Blind Nanoprobing

To evaluate the feasibility and safety of a robot-guided irreversible electroporation (IRE) ablation system for the treatment of pancreatic head carcinoma. A total of 20 cases with pancreatic head carcinoma were divided into two groups: 11 cases in group A with manual probe placement and 9 cases in group B with robotic navigated probe placement. The two groups were compared in terms of planning time before puncture, puncture time, the total time of electrode deployment, number of scans, and punctual accuracy of the single electrode. Each probe was successfully punctured, and no complications were detected. P-values were calculated for all the parameters, using the SPSS 25.0 software and the t test. The new robot can reduce the total operating time as compared to the manual probe placement with the same accuracy in the IRE of pancreatic head carcinoma.

We report on the design of an ion source for the production of single and double charged Helium ions with kinetic energies in the range from 300 eV down to 5 eV. The construction is based on a commercial sputter ion gun equipped with a Wien-filter for mass/charge separation. Retardation of the ions from the ionizer potential (2 keV) takes place completely within the lens system of the sputter gun, without modification of original parts. For 15 eV He(+) ions, the design allows for beam currents up to 30 nA, limited by the space charge repulsion in the beam. For He(2 +) operation, we obtain a beam current of 320 pA at 30 eV, and 46 pA at 5 eV beam energy, respectively. In addition, operating parameters can be optimized for a significant contribution of metastable He*(+) (2s) ions.

We developed a small-size electron gun capable of producing electrons with kinetic energy less than few tens of eV to investigate the slowing down and transport mechanisms of electrons in hydrogen negative ion source plasmas. The maximum extractable beam current density reached 36 μA/cm2 for 1 eV beam energy in a preliminary experiment. Although the present electron current density is still insufficient compared with our target value, 1 mA/cm2, we have found some hints to realize larger beam current density from the electron gun through this study. The measured beam profile along the electron beam axis has shown that the electron beam could travel approximately 7 mm from the electron gun in vacuum. The Particle-In-Cell (PIC) simulation explained the measured beam profile well and indicated that the electron beam has an energy spread as small as 0.1 eV compared to the 1 eV mean energy. The PIC simulation showed a discrepancy from the measurement in the dependence of the electron beam current on the beam extraction voltage of the electron gun. It implies that we should introduce a more realistic filament structure inside the electron gun in the PIC simulation in order to study the transport of low energy electrons more precisely.

STEM and shadow-imaging of biomolecules at 6 eV beam energy

HREELS detection of resonance electron scattering in oriented polytetrafluoroethylene films

We present the results of extended theoretical LDA+DMFT calculations for a new iron-pnictide high temperature superconductor NaFeAs compared with the recent high quality angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) experiments on this system (see arXiv:1409.1537). The universal manifestation of correlation effects in iron-pnictides is narrowing of conducting bands near the Fermi level. Our calculations demonstrate that for NaFeAs the effective mass is renormalized on average by a factor of the order of 3, in good agreement with ARPES data. This is essentially due to correlation effects on Fe-3d orbitals only and no additional interactions with any kind of Boson modes, as suggested in the work mentioned, are necessary to describe the experiment. In addition, we show that ARPES data taken at about 160 eV beam energy most probably corresponds to k z = π Brillouin zone boundary, while ARPES data measured at about 80 eV beam energy rather represents k z = 0. Contributions of different Fe-3d orbitals into spectral function map are also discussed.

FDSOI technologies are very promising candidates for future CMOS circuits as they feature low variability, improved short channel effect and good transport characteristics. In this paper, we review the main electrical techniques and methodologies used to characterize the important MOS device parameters. First, the capacitance-voltage measurements are considered for the vertical stack characterization of FDSOI structures with HK/MG gate, ultra thin film channel, thin box oxide and back plane substrate. Then, the MOSFET parameter extraction methods are illustrated, as well as the transport and mobility assessment using various techniques (I-V, magneto-transport). Finally, the methodology to study the local variability of the electrical characteristics is also discussed.

FDSOI technology has attracted considerable interests in radiation environments for its inherent high SEU tolerance, especially for the advanced nanoscale devices. Hence, the 20 nm basic 6-T SRAM and SEU hardened 8-T SRAM based on the platform of UTBB FDSOI process are set up and simulated by the calibrated double exponential current pulses to fully characterize the SEU sensitivities. A low SEU threshold of 6-T SRAM and an at least ~×20 improvement of SEU threshold of 8-T SRAM are observed. And the calculated radiation resistance of the SRAMs is closely related to the injection nodes. The improved SEU threshold for the 20 nm 8-T SRAM unit is significant for the application of radiation hardened FDSOI SRAMs in space missions.

physica status solidi (b)Volume 153, Issue 1 p. K31-K33 Short Note An Application of Feynman's Variational Principle to the Calculation of Subband Energies and Wave Functions W. Magnus, W. Magnus Advanced Semiconductor Processing, Process and Device Modelling Group, Interuniversity Microelectronics Center (IMEC), Leuven Search for more papers by this authorC. Sala, C. Sala Advanced Semiconductor Processing, Process and Device Modelling Group, Interuniversity Microelectronics Center (IMEC), Leuven Search for more papers by this authorK. de Meyer, K. de Meyer Advanced Semiconductor Processing, Process and Device Modelling Group, Interuniversity Microelectronics Center (IMEC), Leuven Research Associate of the National Fund for Scientific Research (NFWO) of Belgium and Professor at the K. U. Leuven.Search for more papers by this author W. Magnus, W. Magnus Advanced Semiconductor Processing, Process and Device Modelling Group, Interuniversity Microelectronics Center (IMEC), Leuven Search for more papers by this authorC. Sala, C. Sala Advanced Semiconductor Processing, Process and Device Modelling Group, Interuniversity Microelectronics Center (IMEC), Leuven Search for more papers by this authorK. de Meyer, K. de Meyer Advanced Semiconductor Processing, Process and Device Modelling Group, Interuniversity Microelectronics Center (IMEC), Leuven Research Associate of the National Fund for Scientific Research (NFWO) of Belgium and Professor at the K. U. Leuven.Search for more papers by this author First published: 1 May 1989 https://doi.org/10.1002/pssb.2221530149Citations: 5 B-3030 Leuven, Belgium. AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume153, Issue11 May 1989Pages K31-K33 RelatedInformation

Developing methods to understand and control defect formation in nanomaterials offers a promising route for materials discovery. Monolayer MX2 phases represent a particularly compelling case for defect engineering of nanomaterials due to the large variability in their physical properties as different defects are introduced into their structure. However, effective identification and quantification of defects remain a challenge even as high-throughput scanning transmission electron microscopy methods improve. This study highlights the benefits of employing first principles calculations to produce digital twins for training deep learning segmentation models for defect identification in monolayer MX2 phases. Around 600 defect structures were obtained using density functional theory calculations, with each monolayer MX2 structure being subjected to multislice simulations for the purpose of generating the digital twins. Several deep learning segmentation architectures were trained on this dataset, and their performances evaluated under a variety of conditions such as recognizing defects in the presence of unidentified impurities, beam damage, grain boundaries, and with reduced image quality from low electron doses. This digital twin approach allows benchmarking different deep learning architectures on a theory dataset, which enables the study of defect classification under a broad array of finely controlled conditions. It thus opens the door to resolving the underpinning physical reasons for model shortcomings and potentially chart paths forward for automated discovery of materials defect phases in experiments.

The paper presents radiation tolerance of the transistor TEG (TrTEG5) test structure fabricated in 200 nm fully depleted silicon on insulator technology dedicated to production of SOI detectors. The chip was irradiated with 60Cobalt gamma-ray source to total dose of 1.175 kGy at a rate of 67.8 Gy/h. During irradiation, current-voltage characteristics of seventeen different transistors were measured so as to investigate factors affecting radiation resistance. Transistors' threshold voltage shift and transconductance change as a function of the deposited dose are presented. After irradiation all transistors manifested correct operation and threshold voltage change of around 200 mV fall within the limits of specified technological mismatch.

Should we bravo?

In this work we demonstrate the application of a unique type of scatterometer to the measurement of advanced geometry semiconductor devices. Known as a dome scatterometer, the technology is capable of measuring multiple diffraction orders at multiple angles of incidence, thereby providing a means for gathering a large amount of scatterometry data in a short period of time. Dome scatterometers are also capable of measuring light scattered as a function of both theta (zenith) and phi (azimuth) incident angles, and for a variety of polarimetric configurations, all of which provide more information about the scattering structure and contribute to improved sensitivity. A dome scatterometer can also measure a grating structure regardless of its orientation, so that horizontal and vertical structures can be measured without the need for a wafer rotation. Prior to initiating measurements with the dome scatterometer, we surveyed available laser sources and modeled their expected sensitivity theoretically to determine the best illumination wavelength for the applications we intended to study. Our findings demonstrated that a wavelength around 405nm is suitable for a wide variety of applications, but provides the best improved sensitivity for etch applications. We then modified our dome scatterometry optical system to accommodate a Using a 405nm laser, and performed measurements were performed on several types of grating structures. Examples of the excellent signal-to-noise ratio of dome scatterometry measurements across these applications are provided. Measurement data from applications including patterned photoresist, patterned poly lines and back-end trench interconnect structures will be presented. Comparisons to metrology tools such as AFM and CD-SEM will be made. Precision data will also be summarized, and the extendibility of dome scatterometry will be discussed.

Significance of activation functions in developing an online classifier for semiconductor defect detection

This article comprehensively reviews the technological advancements, emerging materials, processing techniques adopted (atomic layer deposition, atomic layer etching, and neutral beam etching), geometric influences, and fabrication challenges in the development of advanced semiconductor devices. These technologies are recognized for their precision at the atomic scale and are crucial in fabricating next-generation silicon photonics optoelectronic devices. They also play an important role in the development of RF/power third-generation compound semiconductors and advanced semiconductor devices. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) offers superior control over thin film growth, ensuring uniformity and material conformity. Atomic layer etching (ALE) enables precise layer-by-layer material removal, making it ideal for high-aspect-ratio structures. Neutral beam etching (NBE) minimizes surface damage, a key factor in maintaining device reliability, particularly for GaN-based semiconductors. This article also assesses the role of these technologies in enhancing semiconductor device performance, with a focus on overcoming the limitations of traditional methods. The combined application of ALD, ALE, and NBE technologies is driving innovations in advanced semiconductor fabrication, making these processes indispensable for advancements in areas such as micro-LEDs, optical communication, and high-frequency, high-power electronic devices.