Abstract
We describe the application of scattering-type near-field optical microscopy to characterize various semiconducting materials using the electron storage ring Metrology Light Source (MLS) as a broadband synchrotron radiation source. For verifying high-resolution imaging and nano-FTIR spectroscopy we performed scans across nanoscale Si-based surface structures. The obtained results demonstrate that a spatial resolution below 40 nm can be achieved, despite the use of a radiation source with an extremely broad emission spectrum. This approach allows not only for the collection of optical information but also enables the acquisition of near-field spectral data in the mid-infrared range. The high sensitivity for spectroscopic material discrimination using synchrotron radiation is presented by recording near-field spectra from thin films composed of different materials used in semiconductor technology, such as SiO2, SiC, SixNy, and TiO2.
Highlights
Photons with an energy in the range between terahertz (THz) to ultraviolet can induce a large number of light-matter interactions which can be exploited to gain information about various sample properties
We describe the application of scattering-type near-field optical microscopy to characterize various semiconducting materials using the electron storage ring Metrology Light Source (MLS) as a broadband synchrotron radiation source
The high sensitivity for spectroscopic material discrimination using synchrotron radiation is presented by recording near-field spectra from thin films composed of different materials used in semiconductor technology, such as SiO2, SiC, SixNy, and TiO2
Summary
Photons with an energy in the range between terahertz (THz) to ultraviolet can induce a large number of light-matter interactions which can be exploited to gain information about various sample properties. The achievable spatial resolution of these optical techniques is, limited by diffraction [1] to about half of the wavelength This prevents to reach a lateral resolution below a few hundred nm when utilizing photons in the visible range, several microns in the mid-infrared (IR) range, and a few hundred microns in the THz range. This limitation can be circumvented by applying nearfield based techniques [2,3,4], such as scattering-type near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) [5,6,7,8]. The high sensitivity of this technique and its material discrimination capability are demonstrated by the acquisition of nano-FTIR spectra from materials relevant in semiconductor technology such as SiC, SiO2, TiO2 and SixNy
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