Guenther Benstetter

Influence of the manufacturing process on the electrical properties of thin (<4 nm) Hafnium based high-k stacks observed with CAFM

Abstract In this work, the dependence of the electrical characteristics of some thin ( 2 , HfSiO and HfO 2 /SiO 2 stacks on their manufacturing process is studied at the nanoscale. Topography, current maps and current–voltage ( I – V ) characteristics have been collected by conductive atomic force microscope (CAFM), which show that their conductivity depends on some manufacturing parameters. Increasing the annealing temperature, physical thickness or Hafnium content makes the structure less conductive.

Kelvin probe force microscopy – An appropriate tool for the electrical characterisation of LED heterostructures

Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are commercially important devices in opto-semiconductor industry. The light emitting properties of LEDs degrade with time of operation and may lead to device failure. Even though the stability and reliability of LEDs are important topics, they are not well researched with AFM to date. This work demonstrates that Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM) is an appropriate method to identify specific sites of increased degradation in a semiconductor heterostructure. Furthermore, the study shows that KPFM provides the metrological basis for further investigations with respect to the progress of degradation and its physical background. In this study, KPFM has been used to measure the potential gradient over cross-sectioned LED heterostructure in operation at different states of degradation. The results show significant differences between new and aged LEDs, markedly at specific layers of the LED heterostructure.

Intermittent-contact scanning capacitance microscopy versus contact mode SCM applied to 2D dopant profiling

This study compares two different methods of scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM). The first and approved one operates in contact mode and the second novel one in intermittent-contact (IC) mode. Measurements were performed on several samples and the results are compared. New technical expertises on the novel intermittent-contact method are shown and in conclusion assets and drawbacks of this SCM method are emphasized.

Intermittent contact scanning capacitance microscopy-An improved method for 2D doping profiling

In the present study an improved method for 2D doping profiling of semiconductor device structures is presented. The method combines the capabilities of scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM) with the advantages of intermittent contact atomic force microscopy (IC-AFM) and is called intermittent contact scanning capacitance microscopy (IC-SCM). Compared with standard SCM, IC-SCM provides mechanically stable measurement conditions because tip wear is nearly eliminated. Furthermore, background signals without local information are suppressed by demodulating the SCM signal at higher harmonics of the tapping tip frequency. Both, reduced tip wear and higher harmonics demodulation yield improved spatial image resolution at less tip degradation compared with standard SCM.

Characterization of the photocurrents generated by the laser of atomic force microscopes

The conductive atomic force microscope (CAFM) has become an essential tool for the nanoscale electronic characterization of many materials and devices. When studying photoactive samples, the laser used by the CAFM to detect the deflection of the cantilever can generate photocurrents that perturb the current signals collected, leading to unreliable characterization. In metal-coated semiconductor samples, this problem is further aggravated, and large currents above the nanometer range can be observed even without the application of any bias. Here we present the first characterization of the photocurrents introduced by the laser of the CAFM, and we quantify the amount of light arriving to the surface of the sample. The mechanisms for current collection when placing the CAFM tip on metal-coated photoactive samples are also analyzed in-depth. Finally, we successfully avoided the laser-induced perturbations using a two pass technique: the first scan collects the topography (laser ON) and the second collects the current (laser OFF). We also demonstrate that CAFMs without a laser (using a tuning fork for detecting the deflection of the tip) do not have this problem.

Numerical Study of Hydrodynamic Forces for AFM Operations in Liquid

For advanced atomic force microscopy (AFM) investigation of chemical surface modifications or very soft organic sample surfaces, the AFM probe tip needs to be operated in a liquid environment because any attractive or repulsive forces influenced by the measurement environment could obscure molecular forces. Due to fluid properties, the mechanical behavior of the AFM cantilever is influenced by the hydrodynamic drag force due to viscous friction with the liquid. This study provides a numerical model based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and investigates the hydrodynamic drag forces for different cantilever geometries and varying fluid conditions for Peakforce Tapping (PFT) in liquids. The developed model was verified by comparing the predicted values with published results of other researchers and the findings confirmed that drag force dependence on tip speed is essentially linear in nature. We observed that triangular cantilever geometry provides significant lower drag forces than rectangular geometry and that short cantilever offers reduced flow resistance. The influence of different liquids such as ultrapure water or an ethanol-water mixture as well as a temperature induced variation of the drag force could be demonstrated. The acting forces are lowest in ultrapure water, whereas with increasing ethanol concentrations the drag forces increase.

A review of ULSI failure analysis techniques for DRAMs 1. Defect localization and verification

Abstract In this paper defect localization and verification procedures for ULSI DRAMs are described. The analytical process can be grouped into three subsequent phases: component based, die based and local techniques. Beginning with non-destructive localization methods on component level, such as X-ray and scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM), subsequent depackaging of the component enables more extensive electrical probing and physical defect localization at die level. The techniques applied at that level are liquid crystal, optical beam-induced current (OBIC), photo emission microscopy (PEM) and focused ion beam (FIB) to narrow down the failing area. The final fail location is determined after subsequent unlayering steps. Electrical microprobing and FIB techniques are utilized to verify the precisely localized fail within the previously determined area.

Intermittent-contact capacitance spectroscopy – A new method for determining C(V) curves with sub-micron lateral resolution

This study introduces a novel method to measure C(V) characteristics of local MOS structures based on scanning probe microscopy (SPM) techniques. The new method operates in intermittent-contact (IC) mode and combines both the advantages of contact mode C(V) spectroscopy and intermittent-contact scanning capacitance microscopy. As a consequence, on the one hand dopant concentration and dopant type can be indicated simultaneously, on the other hand tip wear is reduced significantly.

Displacement current sensor for contact and intermittent contact scanning capacitance microscopy

In this study a displacement current capacitance sensor (DCCS) for scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM) is introduced. It can be used for both intermittent contact (IC) and contact-SCM operation. Based on I/V conversion and subsequent lock-in amplification a displacement current can be detected and used as a measure for dopant concentration. Therefore a periodic variation of the AFM tip substrate capacitance is required. This can be achieved either by a periodic tip oscillation (IC-SCM) or an applied AC voltage between tip and sample (contact-SCM). The advantage of the DCCS is the linearity, which makes it possible to detect absolute dopant concentrations.