Terahertz Emission Microscope Research Articles

Sensitive Characterization of the Graphene Transferred onto Varied Si Wafer Surfaces via Terahertz Emission Spectroscopy and Microscopy (TES/LTEM).

Graphene shows great potential in developing the next generation of electronic devices. However, the real implementation of graphene-based electronic devices needs to be compatible with existing silicon-based nanofabrication processes. Characterizing the properties of the graphene/silicon interface rapidly and non-invasively is crucial for this endeavor. In this study, we employ terahertz emission spectroscopy and microscopy (TES/LTEM) to evaluate large-scale chemical vapor deposition (CVD) monolayer graphene transferred onto silicon wafers, aiming to assess the dynamic electronic properties of graphene and perform large-scale graphene mapping. By comparing THz emission properties from monolayer graphene on different types of silicon substrates, including those treated with buffered oxide etches, we discern the influence of native oxide layers and surface dipoles on graphene. Finally, the mechanism of THz emission from the graphene/silicon heterojunction is discussed, and the large-scale mapping of monolayer graphene on silicon is achieved successfully. These results demonstrate the efficacy of TES/LTEM for graphene characterization in the modern graphene-based semiconductor industry.

Probing photocarrier dynamics in a Bi2Te3–Te eutectic p–n junction with a laser terahertz emission microscope

Bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3)-based heterostructures have attracted considerable attention owing to their interesting anisotropic properties and expected higher thermoelectric performance. Therefore, exploring the nature of the carrier dynamics in these heterostructures has been an important subject in the design and optimization of advanced materials. In the present study, hot carrier injection and its subsequent spatiotemporal behavior in a multilayered crystalline Bi2Te3–Tellurium (Te) eutectic composite were studied using a laser terahertz (THz) emission microscopy (LTEM). The THz emission electric fields at the Bi2Te3–Te interface were polarized perpendicular to the interface. The polarities of these waveforms reveal the direction of the electric field between the Bi2Te3 and Te regions, indicating the carrier types of these components and the p–n junction formed at the interface. In addition, in the Te region, a strong THz emission with an electric field polarized parallel to the interface was observed. This unique THz emission can be qualitatively explained through hot photocarrier anisotropic transport by considering the effective mass of electrons and holes. LTEM clarified the local carrier dynamics in the microstructures and revealed the potential distribution and anisotropic transport properties. These findings contribute to the exploration of eutectic heterostructures as new functional materials and provide new avenues for cutting-edge thermoelectric and photovoltaic devices.

Multifunctional terahertz microscopy for biochemical and chemical imaging and sensing

Laser-excited terahertz emission microscopy (LTEM) has exhibited great potential for studying the dynamic physical properties of various materials and device evaluation. In this study, an up-to-date version of LTEM, the terahertz chemical microscopy, was developed for biochemical and chemical imaging and sensing. By functionalizing a terahertz semiconductor emitter with an ion-sensitive membrane, a DNA aptamer, and a specific polymer, the change in the terahertz signal amplitude attributed to the surface electrical potential change was successfully detected. Accordingly, the measurement of calcium ions (Ca2+), stress biomarker cortisol, and 2, 4, 6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) explosive was achieved. Measured of charged Ca2+ was via the change in the electrical potential of the ion-sensitive membrane with ion accumulation. For non-charged cortisol and TNT measurements, the surface potential change was recorded by the conformational change of the negatively charged DNA aptamer bound to cortisol and the charge-transfer complex formation between TNT and polyethylenimine polymer, respectively. Moreover, the specificity of this sensing approach was demonstrated by molecular docking and measuring the interfering substances such as sodium ions, potassium ions, brain chemicals histamine and dopamine, and TNT analogues. The results showed that the developed multifunctional terahertz microscopy technique can be used for trace biochemical and chemical sensing via visualization of the terahertz amplitude distribution.

Laser Terahertz Emission Microscope for Imaging Grain Heterogeneity: A Case Study of CH3NH3PbI3 Perovskite Semiconductors

Strong terahertz (THz) emission from the methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3) perovskite semiconductors has been observed following above-bandgap photoexcitation, yet local THz responses of crystalline microstructures are absent. We implement laser THz emission microscope (LTEM), yet-to-be applied to the perovskite semiconductors, as a novel and complementary tool to evaluate the electronic and grain heterogeneity of MAPbI3 thin films. Two MAPbI3 samples with different grain sizes are studied. Using this approach, we show that the one with a larger grain size gives more uniform THz radiation. More significant spatial THz intensity fluctuation is observed for the sample with a smaller grain size.

Laser terahertz emission microscopy revealing the local fluctuation of terahertz generation induced by Te inclusion

As a state-of-the-art electro-optical crystal, zinc telluride (ZnTe) is widely used in terahertz (THz) emission by optical rectification. However, the efficiency of THz generation in ZnTe is usually degraded by factors such as harmonic generation, two-photon absorption, and free-carrier absorption. In this work, we first report the effect of micro-scale Te inclusions in ZnTe on the local area THz emission. Unusual THz time-domain waveforms emitted from Te inclusions are observed to last longer than 400 ps, which is attributed to the photocurrent surge (PS) effect. This Te inclusion-associated THz radiation is proved consistent with the incident power and polarization angle dependences. Simultaneously, the Te inclusions embedded in the ZnTe matrix are visualized by laser THz emission microscopy (LTEM). According to the LTEM images, the driving force of the carrier movement is revealed, which is ascribed to the heterojunction field composed of Te and p-ZnTe. Our results not only afford a comprehensive understanding of the THz characteristics of Te inclusions but also put forward LTEM as a promising non-contact evaluation method for evaluating the bulk defects in semiconductors.

Characterization of through-silicon vias using laser terahertz emission microscopy

Three-dimensional (3D) complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) integration could enable device scaling beyond the limits of conventional 2D CMOS technology. Such integration requires vertical electrical connections that pass through silicon substrates and interconnect stacked chips. The fabrication of these through-silicon vias (TSVs) creates new challenges in metrology, including the characterization of the thin isolation film deposited on the sidewalls of the TSVs and thickness characterization for wafer thinning. Here, we show that laser-induced terahertz emission microscopy can be used to characterize TSVs. Terahertz emission is observed through the excitation of a transient electric dipole in the depletion field of the TSV using femtosecond laser pulses. The detected terahertz waveform provides information about the local depletion field and thus structural information about the isolation film. By performing a time-of-flight measurement of the terahertz pulse, we can also extract the silicon wafer thickness. Laser-induced terahertz emission, and time-of-flight measurements of the terahertz pulse, can be used to non-invasively characterize through-silicon vias, which are required for three-dimensional CMOS integration.

Simplified formulas for the generation of terahertz waves from semiconductor surfaces excited with a femtosecond laser

We derive simple formulas to explain terahertz (THz) emission from semiconductor surfaces excited by a femtosecond (fs) laser. Femtosecond optical pulses with energies larger than the bandgap create photocarriers that travel and generate THz radiation, according to the time derivative of the photocurrent. By assuming that only electrons traveling in an ultrafast time scale, less than a few hundred fs, contribute to THz radiation, one can obtain simple expressions for the emission originating from the photocarrier drift accelerated with a built-in field or from the photocarrier diffusion. The emission amplitude of the former is in proportion with the electron mobility, the Schottky-barrier height, and the laser intensity and one of the latter with the laser intensity and diffusion coefficient squared. We also discuss the formula for emission from metal–insulator–semiconductor structures. The derived expressions are useful in understanding the THz emission properties observed by a laser THz emission microscope (LTEM), bringing the LTEM into real applications in the field of semiconductor research and development.

Laser THz emission nanoscopy and THz nanoscopy

We present an experimental and theoretical comparison of two different scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) based techniques in the terahertz regime; nanoscale reflection-type terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz nanoscopy) and nanoscale laser terahertz emission microscopy, or laser terahertz emission nanoscopy (LTEN). We show that complementary information regarding a material's charge carriers can be gained from these techniques when employed back-to-back. For the specific case of THz nanoscopy and LTEN imaging performed on a lightly p-doped InAs sample, we were able to record waveforms with detector signal components demodulated up to the 6th and the 10th harmonic of the tip oscillation frequency, and measure a THz near-field confinement down to 11 nm. A computational approach for determining the spatial confinement of the enhanced electric field in the near-field region of the conductive probe is presented, which manifests an effective "tip sharpening" in the case of nanoscale LTEN due to the alternative geometry and optical nonlinearity of the THz generation mechanism. Finally, we demonstrate the utility of the finite dipole model (FDM) in predicting the broadband scattered THz electric field, and present the first use of this model for predicting a near-field response from LTEN.

Generation of highly efficient terahertz radiation in ferromagnetic heterostructures and its application in spintronic terahertz emission microscopy (STEM)

The laser terahertz emission microscopy (LTEM) technique, which breaks through the resolution limitation of terahertz waves from millimeter to micrometer scales, has been widely used in many real application circumstances, such as contactless chip nondestructive testing, biosensing, imaging, and so on. Recently developed spintronic terahertz emitters featuring many unique properties such as high efficiency, easy integration, low cost, large size and so on, may also have great applications in LTEM, which can be called spintronic terahertz emission microscopy (STEM). To achieve high efficiency and good performance in STEM, we propose and corroborate a remnant magnetization method to radiate continuous and stable terahertz pulses in W/CoFeB/Pt magnetic nanofilms without carrying magnets on the transmitters driven by nJ femtosecond laser pulses. We systematically optimize the incidence angle of the pumping laser and find the emission efficiency is enhanced under oblique incidence, and we finally obtain comparable radiation efficiency and broadband spectrum in W/CoFeB/Pt heterostructures compared with that from 1 mm thick ZnTe nonlinear crystals via optical rectification under the same pumping conditions of 100 fs pulse duration from a Ti:sapphire laser oscillator, which was not previously demonstrated under such long pulse duration. We believe our observations not only benefit for a deep insight into the physics of femtosecond spin dynamics, but also help develop novel and cost-effective broadband spintronic terahertz emitters for the applications in STEM.

Nanoscale Laser Terahertz Emission Microscopy

Laser terahertz emission microscopy (LTEM) has become a powerful tool for studying ultrafast dynamics and local fields in many different types of materials. This technique, which relies on acceleration of charge carriers in a material upon femtosecond excitation, can provide insight into the physics of charge transport, built-in fields, grain boundaries or surface states. We describe a new implementation of LTEM with a spatial resolution in the nanoscale regime based on a scattering-type near-field tip-based approach. We observe a spectral reshaping of the signal compared to conventional LTEM, which is analyzed using a resonant antenna model. Our experimental and computational results clarify the importance of the mechanisms for both the plasmonic in-coupling of the near-infrared pulses into the near field and the out-coupling of the generated terahertz pulses. We demonstrate a tip-size-limited spatial resolution of ∼20 nm by imaging a gold nanorod using terahertz emission from the underlying substrate. T...

Adsorption energy of oxygen molecules on graphene and two-dimensional tungsten disulfide

Adsorption of gas molecules on the surface of atomically layered two-dimensional (2D) materials, including graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides, can significantly affect their electrical and optical properties. Therefore, a microscopic and quantitative understanding of the mechanism and dynamics of molecular adsorption and desorption has to be achieved in order to advance device applications based on these materials. However, recent theoretical calculations have yielded contradictory results, particularly on the magnitude of the adsorption energy. Here, we have experimentally determined the adsorption energy of oxygen molecules on graphene and 2D tungsten disulfide using temperature-programmed terahertz (THz) emission microscopy (TPTEM). The temperature dependence of THz emission from InP surfaces covered with 2D materials reflects the change in oxygen concentration due to thermal desorption, which we used to estimate the adsorption energy of oxygen molecules on graphene (~0.15 eV) and tungsten disulphide (~0.24 eV). Furthermore, we used TPTEM to visualize relative changes in the spatial distribution of oxygen molecules on monolayer graphene during adsorption and desorption. Our results provide much insight into the mechanism of molecular adsorption on the surface of 2D materials, while introducing TPTEM as a novel and powerful tool for molecular surface science.

Probing the surface potential of oxidized silicon by assessing terahertz emission

Using laser terahertz emission microscopy, we measured laser-excited terahertz (THz) emission from silicon wafers with silicon-oxide passivation layers, revealing a strong correlation between the THz waveform and the surface potential. The surface potential was electrically tuned by a semitransparent top electrode disc and evaluated by measuring capacitance–voltage characteristics. The waveform changed with external bias and inverted near the flatband voltage, and changes appeared in the peak amplitude were similar to the capacitance–voltage characteristics. These results indicate that by analyzing the waveform of laser-excited THz emission generated by laser terahertz emission microscopy, we could quantitatively measure and map the internal field of surface band bending in semiconductors.

Polarization imaging of imperfect m-plane GaN surfaces

Abstract

Study of photoexcited-carrier dynamics in GaAs photoconductive switches using dynamic terahertz emission microscopy

We propose dynamic terahertz (THz) emission microscopy (DTEM) to visualize temporal–spatial dynamics of photoexcited carriers in electronic materials. DTEM utilizes THz pulses emitted from a sample by probe pulses irradiated after pump pulse irradiation to perform time-resolved two-dimensional mapping of the THz pulse emission, reflecting various carrier dynamics. Using this microscopy, we investigated carrier dynamics in the gap region of low-temperature-grown GaAs and semi-insulating GaAs photoconductive switches of the identical-dipole type. The observed DTEM images are well explained by the change in the electric potential distribution between the electrodes caused by the screening effect of the photoexcited electron-hole pairs.

Comparison between laser terahertz emission microscope and conventional methods for analysis of polycrystalline silicon solar cell

A laser terahertz emission microscope (LTEM) can be used for noncontact inspection to detect the waveforms of photoinduced terahertz emissions from material devices. In this study, we experimentally compared the performance of LTEM with conventional analysis methods, e.g., electroluminescence (EL), photoluminescence (PL), and laser beam induced current (LBIC), as an inspection method for solar cells. The results showed that LTEM was more sensitive to the characteristics of the depletion layer of the polycrystalline solar cell compared with EL, PL, and LBIC and that it could be used as a complementary tool to the conventional analysis methods for a solar cell.

Recent progress on the development of a laser terahertz emission microscope and its prospects for industrial applications

Recent progress on the development of a laser terahertz emission microscope and its prospects for industrial applications

Scanning laser THz imaging system

The laser terahertz (THz) emission microscope (LTEM) is a unique inspection tool which can directly two-dimensionally map the THz pulse emission from a variety of electric materials and devices. Thus, two-dimensional mapping directly yields various physical information by visualizing the distributions of electric field, supercurrent, ferroelectric domain structures, magnetic fluxes, etc. Based on techniques created for conventional LTEM, we have developed a more highly functional laser THz imaging system, including a scanning laser THz (near-field) imaging system having the performance of high-speed and high-resolution, a scanning probe LTEM coupled with an atomic force microscope for high-resolution imaging, and a dynamic THz emission microscope to investigate the ultrafast carrier dynamics two-dimensionally in the sample. These systems offer diverse characteristics, making them suitable for various applications. We take a look at these systems and some typical applications.

Laser terahertz emission microscopy studies of a polysilicon solar cell under the illumination of continuous laser light

Terahertz wave-emission properties of a polysilicon solar cell excited by femtosecond laser pulses were visualized by laser terahertz emission microscopy (LTEM). The effects on the terahertz emissions of continuous-wave (cw) laser illumination of the solar cell at two wavelengths (808 and 365 nm) were examined under conditions of reverse and zero bias. The amplitude of the terahertz pulses in the presence of illumination was lower than that in its absence, and it decreased with increasing illumination power. The photovoltaic effect was smaller for cw laser illumination at the shorter wavelength. These phenomena can be explained in terms of screening of the electric field in the depletion layer of the p−n junction, as a result of the presence of photoexcited carriers. In addition, the LTEM images permitted the visualization of the crystalline grain structure of the solar cell and the dynamics of photocarriers, and they reflected the local electric field distribution in the cell. LTEM was therefore shown to be a promising technique for the evaluation and inspection of solar cells.

Observation of impurity diffusion defect in IGBT using a laser terahertz emission microscope technique

This paper describes a technique for observing impurity diffusion defects in IGBTs using laser terahertz emission microscopy (LTEM). In this method, femtosecond laser pulses are applied to the p-n junction of a trench IGBT structure and terahertz (THz) waves emitted from the wiring connected to the p-n junction are observed by a photoconductive antenna. Furthermore, covering the measurement sample with aluminum foil blocks opposite-phase THz waves emitted from the sample and improves the detection sensitivity of the THz waves emitted from the IGBT wiring. This technique enables impurity diffusion defects, which were created by deliberately omitting a portion of the resist pattern used in the IGBT emitter n+ ion implantation process, to be recognized as contrast differences on an LTEM image.

The combinational or selective usage of the laser SQUID microscope, the non-bias laser terahertz emission microscope, and fault simulations in non-electrical-contact fault localization

Recently, in the field of fault localization of LSI chips, several non-electrical contact techniques have been proposed. The techniques include the laser SQUID microscope (L-SQ) and the non-bias laser terahertz emission microscope (NB-LTEM). Both techniques have pros and cons. The L-SQ, for examples, can localize open defects in some cases, but it requires closed circuit. The NB-LTEM can localize open defects and short defects, and not requires closed circuit. The NB-LTEM, however, cannot localize open defects in some cases. The fault simulation specially designed for the L-SQ or the NB-LTEM makes it precise or efficient to localize defects. The combinational or selective usage of the L-SQ, the NB-LTEM and the related simulations makes it possible to localize defects in many cases. In this paper, we would like to review our results and organize them from the viewpoint of failure mode and defect sites.