The Use of Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscopy for Failure Analysis of ULSI Circuits

1996 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.M. Cramer ◽  
L.J. Balk ◽  
R. Chin ◽  
R. Boylan ◽  
S.B. Kämmer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optical Microscopy ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Near Field ◽  
Optical Resolution ◽  
Optical Microscope ◽  
Preparation Technique ◽  
Buried Structures ◽  
Microscopy Techniques ◽  
Near Field Scanning

Abstract As minimum feature sizes decrease for ultra large scale integration, deleterious effects of smallest defects become increasingly important. In order to detect, measure and analyze these defects in buried structures, complementary techniques to those presently used must be developed and explored. Conventional optical microscopy techniques such as UV, confocal and laser scanning are approaching their fundamental limits of resolution. The near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) offers sufficiently high spatial resolution (50 nm), and an excellent signal-to-noise ratio to image buried structures inside optically transparent media. In order to investigate defects in layers below the surface of completed devices, we have developed a special sample preparation technique and have demonstrated optical resolution at the 50 nm level. In addition, we have explored the interaction in the image formation of a mixture of near and far field contributions. We show how useful buried layer information may be obtained via NSOM and demonstrate the present limitations of the technique. We compare our results to those obtained by conventional optical microscopy techniques.

Measurement of Strain Associated with Defects in SiTiO3 Bicrystals using Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscopy

1997 ◽  
Vol 474 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. B. McDaniel ◽  
J. W. P. Hsu
Keyword(s):  
Optical Microscopy ◽  
Near Field ◽  
Optical Microscope ◽  
Nanometer Scale ◽  
Polarization Modulation ◽  
Reflection Symmetry ◽  
Strain Fields ◽  
Modulation Technique ◽  
Scanning Optical Microscopy ◽  
Near Field Scanning

ABSTRACTWe incorporate a polarization modulation technique in a near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) for quantitative polarimetry studies at the nanometer scale. Using this technique, we map out stress-induced birefringence associated with submicron defects at the fusion boundaries of SiTiO3 bicrystals. The strain fields surrounding these defects are larger than the defect sizes and show complex spiral shapes that break the reflection symmetry of the bicrystal boundary.

Progress in near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM)

1988 ◽  
Vol 46 ◽  
pp. 436-437
Author(s):  
E. Betzig ◽  
M. Isaacson ◽  
H. Barshatzky ◽  
K. Lin ◽  
A. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Optical Microscopy ◽  
Near Field ◽  
Visible Region ◽  
Optical Microscope ◽  
Scanning Tunneling ◽  
Far Field ◽  
Tunneling Microscopy ◽  
Scanning Optical Microscopy ◽  
Near Field Scanning ◽  
Scanning Electron

The concept of near field scanning optical microscopy was first described more than thirty years ago1 almost two decades before the validity of the technique was verified experimentally for electromagnetic radiation of 3cm wavelength.2 The extension of the method to the visible region of the spectrum took another decade since it required the development of micropositioning and aperture fabrication on a scale five orders of magnitude smaller than that used for the microwave experiments. Since initial reports on near field optical imaging8-6, there has been a growing effort by ourselves6 and other groups7 to extend the technology and develop the near field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) into a useful tool to complement conventional (i.e., far field) scanning optical microscopy (SOM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and scanning tunneling microscopy. In the context of this symposium on “Microscopy Without Lenses”, NSOM can be thought of as an addition to the exploding field of scanned tip microscopy although we did not originally conceive it as such.

Resolution in near-field optical microscopy

1991 ◽  
Vol 49 ◽  
pp. 454-455
Author(s):  
M. Isaacson
Keyword(s):  
Optical Microscopy ◽  
Near Field ◽  
Optical Resolution ◽  
Super Resolution ◽  
Optical Probe ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
Scanning Optical Microscopy ◽  
Super Resolution Microscopy ◽  
Near Field Scanning ◽  
Probe Source

It has only been within the last half decade that the concept of super resolution microscopy in the near-field has been vigorously pursued and experimentally demonstrated. However, the idea of optical resolution unhindered by far field diffraction limitations was conceived more than a half century ago by Synge and further elaborated by O'Keefe in the fifties. That die method was possible, however, was only first demonstrated using 3cm wavelength microwaves almost 20 years later.The basic principles of the method of near field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) have been described before in the literature. Briefly, the idea is as follows: if an optical probe (source or detector) of diameter D is positioned within a distance of approximately D/π from the surface of an object, and the reflected, transmitted or emitted light is detected, then the lateral spatial region from which the information occurs is limited to aregion of approximate size D and not by the wavelength of the illuminated or detected light.

Towards High-Speed Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscope

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan Wang ◽  
Cheng Sun ◽  
Nicholas Fang ◽  
Xiang Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Optical Microscopy ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Near Field ◽  
Optical Microscope ◽  
Systematic Investigation ◽  
Information Storage ◽  
Scanning Optical Microscopy ◽  
Serial Scanning ◽  
Optimized Conditions ◽  
Near Field Scanning

Recently, near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) and its variations, which combine the scanning probe technology with optical microscopy, have been intensively applied in the study of biology, material science, surface chemistry, information storage, and nanofabrication. However, due to the serial scanning nature, the speed at which NSOM can successively records highly resolved images is rather limited. This hampers the applications of NSOM in characterizing dynamic response of particular samples. In this article, we perform systematic investigation of NSOM system parameters, which include scan rate, signal detector amplification, and illumination intensity. In this work, a model of signal flow for the NSOM system has been established to quantitatively investigate the interplay of the key process parameters and to further explore the technique solutions for high-speed NSOM imaging. The model is in good agreement with experimental results and the optimized conditions for high speed NSOM imaging are suggested.

scholarly journals The NSOM Technique And It's Significance

1994 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 4-4
Author(s):  
Gary Aden
Keyword(s):  
Near Field ◽  
Optical Microscope ◽  
Human Chromosomes ◽  
Compact Disk ◽  
General Shape ◽  
Scanning Optical Microscopy ◽  
Microscopy Techniques ◽  
Diffraction Effects ◽  
Glass Lenses ◽  
Near Field Scanning

Prior to Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscopy (NSOM) there were two major light microscopy techniques; optical and confocal.In an optical microscope a sample is illuminated with a flood of light. The lighted area is then imaged and magnified by collecting the light that is either reflected from or transmitted through the sample by a series of glass lenses. A color magnified image of the sample may be seen directly or displayed on a TV screen. Even if the lenses could be made perfectly, the resolution and magnification of an optical microscope are limited by diffraction effects to approximately one half of the wavelength of the light that is used. Optical microscopes are used routinely to image the general shape of samples as small as human chromosomes or compact disk bits.

Measurement of Radiation Transfer Through Nano-Apertures Using Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscopy

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric X. Jin ◽  
Xianfan Xu
Keyword(s):  
Near Field ◽  
Optical Resolution ◽  
Optical Microscope ◽  
Aluminum Film ◽  
Optical Recording ◽  
Enhanced Transmission ◽  
Ultrahigh Density ◽  
Scanning Optical Microscopy ◽  
Near Field Scanning ◽  
Made In

Ridge apertures in various shapes have attracted extensive studies which showed their potential capabilities in realizing both enhanced transmission and nanoscale optical resolution, therefore, enabling ultrahigh density near-field optical recording. In this work, the optical near field distributions of an H-shaped ridge aperture and comparable regular apertures made in aluminum film are experimentally investigated using a home-made near-field scanning optical microscope. With a sub-100 nm aperture probe, the full-width half-magnitude (FWHM) near-field spot of the H aperture is measured as 106 nm by 80 nm, comparable to the gap size but substantially smaller than that obtained from a square aperture with the same area. The elongated near-field light spot in the direction across the ridges is due to the scattering of the transmitted light on the edges based on results of numerical calculations.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF A SHORT-TIP TAPPING-MODE TUNING FORK NEAR-FIELD SCANNING OPTICAL MICROSCOPE

2003 ◽  
Vol 02 (04n05) ◽  
pp. 225-230
Author(s):  
CHIEN-WEN HUANG ◽  
NIEN-HUA LU ◽  
CHIH-YEN CHEN ◽  
CHENG-FENG YU ◽  
TSUNG-SHENG KAO ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optical Microscopy ◽  
Tuning Fork ◽  
Near Field ◽  
Single Mode ◽  
Optical Microscope ◽  
Sensing Element ◽  
Tapping Mode ◽  
Scanning Optical Microscopy ◽  
Near Field Scanning ◽  
Design And Construction

The design and construction of a tapping-mode tuning fork with a short fiber probe as the force sensing element for near-field scanning optical microscopy is reported. This type of near-field scanning optical microscopy provides a stable and high Q factor at the tapping frequency of the tuning fork, and thus gives high quality NSOM and AFM images of samples. We present results obtained by using the short tip tapping-mode tuning fork near-field scanning optical microscopy measurements performed on the endfaces of a single mode telecommunication optical fiber and a silica-based buried channel waveguide.

Near-field scanning optical microscopy

1986 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
pp. 642-643
Author(s):  
E. Betzig ◽  
A. Harootunian ◽  
M. Isaacson ◽  
A. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Near Field ◽  
Optical Microscope ◽  
Visible Radiation ◽  
Field Methods ◽  
Optical Elements ◽  
Optical Region ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Nondestructive Imaging ◽  
Scanning Optical Microscopy ◽  
Near Field Scanning

In general, conventional methods of optical imaging are limited in spatial resolution by either the wavelength of the radiation used or by the aberrations of the optical elements. This is true whether one uses a scanning probe or a fixed beam method. The reason for the wavelength limit of resolution is due to the far field methods of producing or detecting the radiation. If one resorts to restricting our probes to the near field optical region, then the possibility exists of obtaining spatial resolutions more than an order of magnitude smaller than the optical wavelength of the radiation used. In this paper, we will describe the principles underlying such "near field" imaging and present some preliminary results from a near field scanning optical microscope (NS0M) that uses visible radiation and is capable of resolutions comparable to an SEM. The advantage of such a technique is the possibility of completely nondestructive imaging in air at spatial resolutions of about 50nm.

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