Accurate nanoelectronic investigations of functional materials for optoelectronics application (via PinPoint C-AFM)
SPEAKERS
  • Andrea Cerreta
    Principal Scientist at Park Systems Europe
Authors
Andrea Cerreta

With the downscaling of electronic devices to the nanoscale, an accurate, high-resolution characterization of structural and electronic properties becomes increasingly important. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) offers real space imaging with a nanometer resolution, and not only measures the topographic features, but can simultaneously detect nanomechanical and electrical properties.

Scanning Capacitance Microscopy (SCM) is a versatile tool in the semiconductor industry for failure analysis and measuring doping profiles with the advantage of being a non-destructive method with high spatial resolution. Applications range from characterizing ion implanted semiconductors, electrical properties of Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (MOS) devices and non-volatile ultra-high density memories.

In this webinar, we will explore the capabilities of SCM for electronic device applications. We will show the additional options that can be added to traditional SCM using our SmartScan(TM) software for improving measurement results and repeatability. In particular, we will show PinPoint(TM) measuring mode in combination with SCM. PinPoint(TM) is the nanomechanical mode from Park Systems which allows to completely remove the lateral impact of AFM measurements from the electrical scan. This heavily increases the repeatability as the tip/sample interaction is much more controlled and not impacted by lateral movement. Furthermore, nanomechanical properties can be recorded at the same time as the SCM signal is measured.

Combining SCM with Park Systems’ PinPoint(TM) mode allows overcoming these issues. PinPoint(TM) avoids the lateral movement of the tip on the sample surface and thus, prevents damage to the tip and sample. Furthermore, the well-defined tip-sample contact reduces topographic crosstalk. We will demonstrate those measurements live on our Park Systems’ NX10 High Resolution AFM on a SRAM sample.