2D-mapping of dopant distribution in deep sub micron CMOS devices by electron holography using adapted FIB-preparation

Abstract

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is a widely used tool for analysis of very large scale integrated (VLSI) semiconductor devices. As a special TEM-feature, off-axis electron holography obtains information about the electrical characteristics of a specimen, which are connected to the dopant concentration in the bulk material. Compared with conventional TEM, application of electron holography for dopant profiling demands a higher quality of specimen preparation, e.g. in terms of thickness homogeneity. Since preparation by means of focused ion beam (FIB) has become an industrial standard for TEM-investigations, its facilities are investigated for meeting the high holographic demands. It turned out that, besides many advantages like precision and speed, the use of FIB for preparation introduces new specific problems, e.g. it is hardly possible to visualize doped areas of semiconductors on a classical, thin FIB specimen. Additionally, some artifacts of FIB-preparation have no great importance for normal TEM analysis, but do significantly influence the results of holographic analysis. In order to satisfy the higher demands of preparation for holography, a special procedure for FIB-preparation has been newly developed.