| AVS 59th Annual International Symposium and Exhibition | |
| Applied Surface Science | Tuesday Sessions |
| Session AS-TuP |
| Session: | Applied Surface Science Poster Session |
| Presenter: | B. Sgammato, Thermo Fisher Scientific, UK |
| Authors: | B. Sgammato, Thermo Fisher Scientific, UK A.E. Wright, Thermo Fisher Scientific, UK A. Bushell, Thermo Fisher Scientific, UK |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Microelectronic devices typically consist of elaborate three-dimensional structures, and careful control of chemical and structural properties is required for effective operation. Structures such as pads and bond pads must be carefully assessed for correct size, composition, layering and contamination levels. Supporting structures and substrates must also have the correct composition, integrity and electronic properties.
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is a surface-sensitive material characterisation technique that offers sensitive chemical state information, and is already established as a method of choice for the analysis of microelectronic devices. Parallel XPS imaging offers high spatial resolution for observing the lateral distribution of chemical states at the surface of a material, and recent advances in spectroscopic imaging allow the generation of quantitative chemical state images for maximal information content.
Depth profiling, typically with ion beams, allows the gradual removal of material from a sample surface, so that XPS can be used to probe further than its characteristic nanometre-scale analysis depth.
The combination of spectroscopic parallel imaging and depth profiling, using the Thermo Scientific Escalab250Xi, permits unmatched spatial resolution combined with layering information, and permits the clear identification of subsurface structures and chemical states. The powerful, intuitive Avantage software datasystem makes data processing straightforward, so that profile information from small parts of the sample are simple to generate.