Dynamic, Real-Time Fatigue Crack Propagation at High Resolution as Observed in the Scanning Electron Microscope

Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) features extremely high resolution images, and offers many valuable information. But, for a specimen which gives low contrast images, lateral stripes appear in images. These stripes are resulted from signal fluctuations caused by probe current noises. In order to obtain good images without stripes, the fluctuations should be less than 1%, especially for low contrast images. For this purpose, the authors realized a noise compensator, and applied this to the FESEM.Fig. 1 shows an outline of FESEM equipped with a noise compensator. Two apertures are provided gust under the field emission gun.

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High Resolution Scanning Electron Microscopy

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100086696 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 49 ◽

pp. 478-479

Author(s):

David Joy ◽

James Pawley

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Scanning Electron Microscopy ◽

Electron Beam ◽

Electron Microscope ◽

High Resolution ◽

Scanning Electron Microscope ◽

Electron Probe ◽

Impact Point ◽

Interaction Volume ◽

Scanning Electron

The scanning electron microscope (SEM) builds up an image by sampling contiguous sub-volumes near the surface of the specimen. A fine electron beam selectively excites each sub-volume and then the intensity of some resulting signal is measured. The spatial resolution of images made using such a process is limited by at least three factors. Two of these determine the size of the interaction volume: the size of the electron probe and the extent to which detectable signal is excited from locations remote from the beam impact point. A third limitation emerges from the fact that the probing beam is composed of a finite number of discrete particles and therefore that the accuracy with which any detectable signal can be measured is limited by Poisson statistics applied to this number (or to the number of events actually detected if this is smaller).

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FIB Enhancement of Mechanically Polished Cross-sections

ISTFA 2019: Conference Proceedings from the 45th International Symposium for Testing and Failure Analysis ◽

10.31399/asm.cp.istfa2019p0232 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Becky Holdford

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscope ◽

High Resolution ◽

Scanning Electron Microscope ◽

Cross Sections ◽

Focused Ion Beam ◽

Ion Beam ◽

High Resolution Imaging ◽

Chemical Attack ◽

Resolution Imaging ◽

Scanning Electron

Abstract On mechanically polished cross-sections, getting a surface adequate for high-resolution imaging is sometimes beyond the analyst’s ability, due to material smearing, chipping, polishing media chemical attack, etc.. A method has been developed to enable the focused ion beam (FIB) to re-face the section block and achieve a surface that can be imaged at high resolution in the scanning electron microscope (SEM).

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SEM-Based Nanoprobing on 40, 32 and 28 nm CMOS Devices Challenges for Semiconductor Failure Analysis

ISTFA 2013: Conference Proceedings from the 39th International Symposium for Testing and Failure Analysis ◽

10.31399/asm.cp.istfa2013p0217 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Erik Paul ◽

Holger Herzog ◽

Sören Jansen ◽

Christian Hobert ◽

Eckhard Langer

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscope ◽

High Resolution ◽

Scanning Electron Microscope ◽

Failure Analysis ◽

Case Studies ◽

State Of The Art ◽

Root Cause ◽

Highly Efficient ◽

Technology Nodes ◽

Scanning Electron

Abstract This paper presents an effective device-level failure analysis (FA) method which uses a high-resolution low-kV Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) in combination with an integrated state-of-the-art nanomanipulator to locate and characterize single defects in failing CMOS devices. The presented case studies utilize several FA-techniques in combination with SEM-based nanoprobing for nanometer node technologies and demonstrate how these methods are used to investigate the root cause of IC device failures. The methodology represents a highly-efficient physical failure analysis flow for 28nm and larger technology nodes.

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A Working Method for Adapting the (SEM) Scanning Electron Microscope to Produce (STEM) Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope Images

ISTFA 2002: Conference Proceedings from the 28th International Symposium for Testing and Failure Analysis ◽

10.31399/asm.cp.istfa2002p0093 ◽

2002 ◽

Author(s):

Edward Coyne

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscope ◽

High Resolution ◽

Scanning Electron Microscope ◽

Integrated Circuits ◽

Theoretical Idea ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Additional Advantage ◽

Transmission Electron ◽

Resolution Element ◽

Scanning Electron

Abstract This paper describes the problems encountered and solutions found to the practical objective of developing an imaging technique that would produce a more detailed analysis of IC material structures then a scanning electron microscope. To find a solution to this objective the theoretical idea of converting a standard SEM to produce a STEM image was developed. This solution would enable high magnification, material contrasting, detailed cross sectional analysis of integrated circuits with an ordinary SEM. This would provide a practical and cost effective alternative to Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), where the higher TEM accelerating voltages would ultimately yield a more detailed cross sectional image. An additional advantage, developed subsequent to STEM imaging was the use of EDX analysis to perform high-resolution element identification of IC cross sections. High-resolution element identification when used in conjunction with high-resolution STEM images provides an analysis technique that exceeds the capabilities of conventional SEM imaging.

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Microstructures of Low Angle Boundaries of the Second Generation Single Crystal Superalloy DD6

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.284-286.1584 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 284-286 ◽

pp. 1584-1587

Author(s):

Zhen Xue Shi ◽

Jia Rong Li ◽

Shi Zhong Liu ◽

Jin Qian Zhao

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscope ◽

High Resolution ◽

Scanning Electron Microscope ◽

Thin Layer ◽

Single Crystal ◽

Second Generation ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Single Crystal Superalloy ◽

Transition Electron ◽

Scanning Electron

The specimens of low angle boundaries were machined from the second generation single crystal superalloy DD6 blades. The microstructures of low angle boundaries (LAB) were investigated from three scales of dendrite, γ′ phase and atom with optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transition electron microscope (TEM) and high resolution transmission electrion microscopy (HREM). The results showed that on the dendrite scale LAB is interdendrite district formed by three dimensional curved face between the adjacent dendrites. On the γ′ phase scale LAB is composed by a thin layer γ phase and its bilateral imperfect cube γ′ phase. On the atom scale LAB is made up of dislocations within several atom thickness.

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Influence of Multi-Holes on Fatigue Behaviors of Cast Magnesium Alloys Based on In-Situ Scanning Electron Microscope Technology

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma11091700 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 1700 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Xi-Shu Wang ◽

Chang-Hao Tan ◽

Juan Ma ◽

Xiao-Dong Zhu ◽

Qing-Yuan Wang

Keyword(s):

Fatigue Crack ◽

Electron Microscope ◽

Crack Initiation ◽

Scanning Electron Microscope ◽

Magnesium Alloys ◽

Mg17al12 Phase ◽

Cast Magnesium Alloys ◽

Cast Magnesium ◽

Scanning Electron

The low cycle fatigue tests on the crack initiation and propagation of cast magnesium alloys with two small holes were carried out by using in-situ scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation technology. The fatigue crack propagation behaviors and fatigue life, which are affected by two small artificial through holes, including the distances between two holes and their locations, were discussed in detail based on the experimental results and the finite element analysis (FEA). The results indicated that the fatigue multi-cracks occurred chiefly at the edges of two holes and the main crack propagation was along the weak dendrite boundary with the plastic deformation vestiges on the surface of α-Mg phase of cast AM50 and AM60B alloys. The fatigue cracking characteristics of cast AZ91 alloy depended mainly on the brittle properties of β-Mg17Al12 phase, in which the multi-cracks occurred still at the edges of two holes and boundaries of β-Mg17Al12 phase. The fatigue crack initiation position of cast magnesium alloys depends strongly on the radius of curvature of through hole or stress concentration factor at the closed edges of two through holes. In addition, the fatigue multi-cracks were amalgamated for the samples with titled 45° of two small holes of cast Mg-Al alloys when the hole distance is less than 4D (D is the diameter of the small hole).

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