Plasma profiling time-of-flight mass spectrometry for fast elemental analysis of semiconductor structures with depth resolution in the nanometer range

authored by: Hendrik Spende, Christoph Margenfeld, Tobias Meyer, Irene Manglano Clavero, Heiko Bremers, Andreas Hangleiter, Michael Seibt, Andreas Waag, Andrey Bakin
Abstract: Plasma profiling time of flight mass spectrometry (PP-TOFMS) has recently gained interest as it enables the elemental profiling of semiconductor structures with high depth resolution in short acquisition times. As recently shown by Tempez et al PP-TOFMS can be used to obtain the composition within structures of modern field effect transistors [1]. There, the results were compared to conventional SIMS measurements. In the present study, we compare PP-TOFMS measurements of an Al-/In-/GaN quantum well multi stack to established micro- and nanoanalysis techniques like cathodoluminescence (CL), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and x-ray diffraction (XRD). We show that PP-TOFMS is able to resolve the layer structure of the sample even more than 500 nm deep into the sample and allows the determination of a relative elemental composition with an accuracy of about 10 rel%. Therefore, it is an extremely rapid alternative method to obtain semiconductor elemental depth profiles without the expensive and time consuming sample preparation required for TEM. Besides, PP-TOFMS offers better depth resolution and more elemental information than, for example, electrochemical capacitance-voltage (ECV) evaluations, since all elements are detected in parallel and not only electrically (ECV) or optically (CL) active elements are observed.
External Organisation(s): Technische Universität Braunschweig
University of Göttingen
Type: Article
Journal: Semiconductor Science and Technology
Volume: 35
ISSN: 0268-1242
Publication date: 2020
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials, Condensed Matter Physics, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Materials Chemistry
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6641/ab6ac0 (Access: Open)

BibTeX

@article{52d822c8052a430fbb37b6ef3dc3c350,
title = "Plasma profiling time-of-flight mass spectrometry for fast elemental analysis of semiconductor structures with depth resolution in the nanometer range",
abstract = "Plasma profiling time of flight mass spectrometry (PP-TOFMS) has recently gained interest as it enables the elemental profiling of semiconductor structures with high depth resolution in short acquisition times. As recently shown by Tempez et al PP-TOFMS can be used to obtain the composition within structures of modern field effect transistors [1]. There, the results were compared to conventional SIMS measurements. In the present study, we compare PP-TOFMS measurements of an Al-/In-/GaN quantum well multi stack to established micro- and nanoanalysis techniques like cathodoluminescence (CL), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and x-ray diffraction (XRD). We show that PP-TOFMS is able to resolve the layer structure of the sample even more than 500 nm deep into the sample and allows the determination of a relative elemental composition with an accuracy of about 10 rel%. Therefore, it is an extremely rapid alternative method to obtain semiconductor elemental depth profiles without the expensive and time consuming sample preparation required for TEM. Besides, PP-TOFMS offers better depth resolution and more elemental information than, for example, electrochemical capacitance-voltage (ECV) evaluations, since all elements are detected in parallel and not only electrically (ECV) or optically (CL) active elements are observed.",
keywords = "AlGaN, GaN, InGaN, MQW, PP-TOFMS, TEM, XRD",
author = "Hendrik Spende and Christoph Margenfeld and Tobias Meyer and Clavero, {Irene Manglano} and Heiko Bremers and Andreas Hangleiter and Michael Seibt and Andreas Waag and Andrey Bakin",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd.",
year = "2020",
doi = "10.1088/1361-6641/ab6ac0",
language = "English",
volume = "35",
journal = "Semiconductor Science and Technology",
issn = "0268-1242",
publisher = "IOP Publishing Ltd.",
number = "3",
}