| AVS 62nd International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Scanning Probe Microscopy Focus Topic | Friday Sessions |
| Session SP+AS+MI+NS+SS-FrM |
| Session: | Probe-Sample Interactions |
| Presenter: | Vincent LaBella, SUNY Polytechnic Institute |
| Authors: | C. Durcan, College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering W. Nolting, College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering V. LaBella, SUNY Polytechnic Institute |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
The Schottky barrier is the electrostatic barrier between a metal and a semiconductor that results in rectification and is found in many types of devices such as source drain contacts to sub 20-nm-node transistors. Naturally, the Schottky barrier height can fluctuate across the interface due to variations in bonding, compositional fluctuations in the materials, and the presence of defects. However measuring and mapping these electrostatic fluctuations is impossible with bulk IV or CV techniques. This presentation will demonstrate how the Schottky barrier height can be mapped to nanoscale dimensions using an STM based technique called ballistic electron emission microscopy (BEEM). The STM tip is positioned on a regularly spaced grid and BEEM spectra are acquired from which the barrier height can be extracted. A map and histogram is then generated by measuring and fitting thousands of these spectra. These maps provide detailed insight into the electrostatic fluctuations occurring at the buried interface with nanoscale resolution that cannot be accomplished with other bulk measurements.