AVS 66th International Symposium & Exhibition
    New Challenges to Reproducible Data and Analysis Focus Topic Wednesday Sessions
       Session RA+AS+BI-WeA

Paper RA+AS+BI-WeA12
Mapping Local Physical Properties by Combining ToF-SIMS Analysis with Advanced Scanning Probe Microscopy

Wednesday, October 23, 2019, 6:00 pm, Room A124-125

Session: Addressing Reproducibility Challenges using Multi-Technique Approaches
Presenter: Maiglid Andreina Moreno Villavicencio, CEA-LETI, France
Authors: M.A. Moreno Villavicencio, CEA-LETI, France
N. Chevalier, CEA-LETI, France
J.-P. Barnes, CEA-LETI, France
P. Kermagoret, ST Microelectronics, France
F. Lorut, ST Microelectronics, France
B. Gautier, Université de Lyon, France
Correspondent: Click to Email
The continuous miniaturization and complexity of micro-devices have pushed existing characterization techniques to their limits. The correlation of techniques has emerged to overcome this issue and provide precise and accurate characterization. We have focused our research on combining and studying the applications of two specific techniques: time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The ToF-SIMS is a high-performance technique to chemically analyze a sample in 3-dimensions with a lateral resolution of 100 nm. On the other hand, the AFM is a high-resolution technique to obtain maps of the topography and local physical properties with a lateral resolution of 10 nm.

A ToF-SIMS / AFM methodology that combine the topographical information with the chemical composition has been established [1]. It was used to achieve a topography-corrected 3D ToF-SIMS data set and maps of local sputter rate where the effect of roughness and vertical interfaces are seen. However, the correlation of these characterization techniques is not limited to these applications. Indeed, by using advanced operation modes of the AFM, maps of diverse physical properties of the sample can be obtained at the same time as the topography.

We have explored the combination of ToF-SIMS analysis with three AFM advanced modes: piezoresponse force microcopy (PFM), scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM) and scanning spreading resistance microscopy (SSRM). These operation modes respectively allow to map ferroelectric domains, to locally measure capacitance variations and to image the sample surface resistivity.

The combined ToF-SIMS / AFM methodology was applied ex-situ per individual AFM mode on diverse samples for applications focused on micro-electronics. We will present here some promising results highlighting the strength and the perspectives of the expansion of this combination to other applications.

[1] M.A. Moreno et al, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 36 (2018) 03F122.