Transmission electron microscopy of semiconductor devices

Abstract

The search for further miniaturization in the semiconductor industry has resulted in the reduction in the dimensions of devices to a size which can no longer be effectively seen by the conventional methods of light microscopy. The use of both transmission and scanning electron microscopy in the field of silicon device characterization has now become an essential ingredient of the design and manufacture of new technologies. It is often the only way in which a device designer can know for certain whether the manufacturing process is producing the required structure. Cross-sectional TEM has therefore become an integral part of both quality control and development.One of the most important areas which resulted in the increased importance of TEM in the semiconductor device field was the development of sample preparation techniques which enable cross-sections through layers of widely differing compositions that are found in the devices structures.