Measurements of the range of secondary electrons in low-Z materials

Author(s):  
A. Muray ◽  
M. Isaacson ◽  
E. Kirkland

Previously, calculations of the resolution of SEM secondary electron images due to the escape depth of these electrons utilized Monte-Carlo calculations to simulate the “edge brightness effects” seen in high resolution magnification images obtained with small probe sizes (e.g.,). Similar Monte-Carlo calculations have been made to try to deduce the energy dissipation profiles in PMMA due to secondary electrons. We are trying to develop a simple analytical model which might allow us to get a better feel for the salient features with which the secondary electrons limit the pattern size in microfabrication and spatial resolution in the SEM.For our initial measurements, we have fabricated the structure shown in figure 1. The thickness of both the PMMA and Si substrate are less than one mean free path for inelastic scattering (of 100 keV electrons) thick. A 10 Å diameter beam of convergence angle of 15 mrad is incident normal to the sample surface.

Author(s):  
B.L. Thiel ◽  
I.C. Bache ◽  
A.L. Fletcher ◽  
P. Meredith ◽  
A.M. Donald

Our Monte Carlo simulations and experimental measurements show the Townsend Gas Capacitor (TGC) model to be highly inappropriate for describing the electron cascade process in the Environmental SEM (ESEM). Previous workers have described the signal collected by the Gaseous Secondary Electron Detector (GSED) as having contributions from secondary as well as backscattered and primary electrons, all being amplified by gas cascade. Although these models are qualitatively correct, they require a more sophisticated description of Townsend’s First Ionisation Coefficient, α. Figure 1 illustrates the short-comings of the TGC models when compared to experimentally obtained amplification curves. (Details of the amplification measurements made with various imaging gases will be given elsewhere, along with specifics of the Monte Carlo Calculations.)The major flaw in applying the TGC model to the ESEM stems from the assumption that the secondary electrons and their environmental daughters reach a steady-state kinetic energy distribution en-route to the detector.


Author(s):  
M. H. Kelley ◽  
J. Unguris ◽  
R. J. Celotta ◽  
D. T. Pierce

By measuring the spin polarization of secondary electrons generated in a scanning electron microscope, scanning electron microscopy with polarization analysis (SEMPA) can directly image the magnitude and direction of a material’s magnetization. Because the escape depth of the secondaries is only on the order of 1 nm, SEMPA is especially well-suited for investigating the magnetization of ultra-thin films and surfaces. We have exploited this feature of SEMPA to study the magnetic microstrcture and magnetic coupling in ferromagnetic multilayers where the layers may only be a few atomic layers thick. For example, we have measured the magnetic coupling in Fe/Cr/Fe(100) and Fe/Ag/Fe(100) trilayers and have found that the coupling oscillates between ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic as a function of the Cr or Ag spacer thickness.The SEMPA apparatus has been described in detail elsewhere. The sample consisted of a magnetic sandwich structure with a wedge-shaped interlayer as shown in Fig. 1.


Author(s):  
John C. Russ

Monte-Carlo programs are well recognized for their ability to model electron beam interactions with samples, and to incorporate boundary conditions such as compositional or surface variations which are difficult to handle analytically. This success has been especially powerful for modelling X-ray emission and the backscattering of high energy electrons. Secondary electron emission has proven to be somewhat more difficult, since the diffusion of the generated secondaries to the surface is strongly geometry dependent, and requires analytical calculations as well as material parameters. Modelling of secondary electron yield within a Monte-Carlo framework has been done using multiple scattering programs, but is not readily adapted to the moderately complex geometries associated with samples such as microelectronic devices, etc.This paper reports results using a different approach in which simplifying assumptions are made to permit direct and easy estimation of the secondary electron signal from samples of arbitrary complexity. The single-scattering program which performs the basic Monte-Carlo simulation (and is also used for backscattered electron and EBIC simulation) allows multiple regions to be defined within the sample, each with boundaries formed by a polygon of any number of sides. Each region may be given any elemental composition in atomic percent. In addition to the regions comprising the primary structure of the sample, a series of thin regions are defined along the surface(s) in which the total energy loss of the primary electrons is summed. This energy loss is assumed to be proportional to the generated secondary electron signal which would be emitted from the sample. The only adjustable variable is the thickness of the region, which plays the same role as the mean free path of the secondary electrons in an analytical calculation. This is treated as an empirical factor, similar in many respects to the λ and ε parameters in the Joy model.


Author(s):  
Natsuko Asano ◽  
Shunsuke Asahina ◽  
Natasha Erdman

Abstract Voltage contrast (VC) observation using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) or a focused ion beam (FIB) is a common failure analysis technique for semiconductor devices.[1] The VC information allows understanding of failure localization issues. In general, VC images are acquired using secondary electrons (SEs) from a sample surface at an acceleration voltage of 0.8–2.0 kV in SEM. In this study, we aimed to find an optimized electron energy range for VC acquisition using Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) for quantitative understanding.


2021 ◽  
Vol 134 ◽  
pp. 103688
Author(s):  
Ihsan Farouki ◽  
Rashdan Malkawi ◽  
Sayel Marashdeh

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