Grigore Moldovan -  Electrical analysis in Electron Microscopy

Grigore Moldovan -  Electrical analysis in Electron Microscopy

A new kind of analysis is emerging in electron microscopy alongside the traditional areas of structure characterization and micro-analysis, focused on high-resolution investigation of electrical properties of devices in order to determine their functional components and measure their electrical parameters. As a field in its own right, electrical analysis consists of a coherent collection of dedicated techniques, hardware and algorithms, and it is applied across scales from bulk material to nanodevices, from routine failure analysis to fundamental research. 

A general introduction to this emerging field will be given, including techniques such as Electron Beam Induced Current (EBIC), Electron Beam Absorbed Current (EBAC), Resistive Contrast Imaging (RCI), Electron Beam Induced Resistance Change (EBIRCH) and Differential Phase Contrast (DPC). Examples will be used to illustrate typical results, ranging from basic pn junctions, solar cells, PVs, LEDs, power transistors and CMOS devices, to research of novel nanodevices such as nanowires.

The complete analysis workflow will be discussed using the example of a SiGe nanowire with Al contact structures investigated with TEM. This will illustrate how in-situ electrical analysis is employed to determine the internal electric fields, doping of the nanowire and to measure diffusion length of minority carriers. This analysis allows development of an electrical model and therefore for electrical characterization and extraction of device parameters.