AVS 59th Annual International Symposium and Exhibition
    Electron Transport at the Nanoscale Focus Topic Friday Sessions
       Session ET+SS+GR+SP-FrM

Paper ET+SS+GR+SP-FrM6
An In Situ Technique for Using Ballistic Electron Emission Microscopy to Measure Hot Electron Transport at Metal Semiconductor Interfaces

Friday, November 2, 2012, 10:00 am, Room 16

Session: Electron Transport at the Nanoscale: Development of Theories and Techniques
Presenter: R. Ralsano, University at Albany-SUNY
Authors: R. Ralsano, University at Albany-SUNY
V.P. LaBella, University at Albany-SUNY
Correspondent: Click to Email
Ballistic electron emission microscopy (BEEM) is a scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) technique that can measure transport of hot electrons through materials and interfaces with high spatial and energetic resolution. BEEM requires an additional contact to ground the metal base layer of a metal semiconductor junction. Performing BEEM in situ with the sample fabrication requires a custom built STM or modifying a commercial one to facilitate the extra contact, which leaves the technique to highly trained experts. This presentation will describe our work to develop a special silicon substrate that has the extra contact and oxide hard mask built in to enable in situ BEEM without modifications to the STM. Electrically isolated contact traces are lithographically patterned ex situ onto the silicon substrate. Then a hard mask is grown and lithographically patterned and connected to the BEEM sample plate which is then inserted into the ultra-high vacuum chamber. The metal is then deposited on top of the hard mask and then mounted in situ onto the STM for BEEM measurements. BEEM measurements comparing both in situ and ex situ deposited films will be presented.