| AVS 60th International Symposium and Exhibition | |
| Helium Ion Microscopy Focus Topic | Thursday Sessions |
| Session HI-ThP |
| Session: | Aspects of Helium Ion Microscopy Poster Session |
| Presenter: | A. Gölzhäuser, Bielefeld University, Germany |
| Authors: | H. Vieker, Bielefeld University, Germany K. Rott, Bielefeld University, Germany U. Werner, Bielefeld University, Germany A. Beyer, Bielefeld University, Germany G. Reiss, Bielefeld University, Germany A. Gölzhäuser, Bielefeld University, Germany |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
The recently developed helium-ion microscope allows remarkable surface resolution with the secondary-electron (SE) detector. Simultaneously, backscattered ions can be detected that allow imaging with a substantially higher elemental contrast. This Rutherford backscattered ion (RBI) contrast depends mainly on the elemental composition of the investigated sample surface. The escape depth of backscattered ions is much larger than for secondary electrons. Thus whole layers with a wide range of thicknesses will contribute to a RBI image, whereas the SE image is far more surface sensitive.
In this contribution we examine RBI imaging as a tool to characterize thickness variations of layered samples with well defined compositions. The homogeneity of gold layers on silicon substrates is investigated and compared to simulations. The achievable spatial resolution as well as the use of reference samples to measure layer thicknesses will be addressed.