Nanometer scale imaging of cobalt silicide in air using atomic force microscope and scanning tunneling microscope

Abstract

Nanometer scale images were obtained on cobalt silicide (CoSi 2) surfaces in air using an atomic force microscope (AFM) and a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). Consecutive STM scans over the same area of the CoSi 2 sample recorded image distortion. The degradation of STM image may be related to oxidation of the silicide surface as revealed by AES. In contrast, AFM images of the silicides were obtained repeatedly without any image distortion with nanometer scale resolution. This AFM can be routinely used to generate grain size and surface roughness data for process control.