This paper explores the evolution mechanisms of metastable phases during the nanoindentation on monocrystalline silicon. Both the molecular dynamics (MD) and the in situ scanning spreading resistance microscopy (SSRM) analyses were carried out on Si(100) orientation, and for the first time, experimental verification was achieved quantitatively at the same nanoscopic scale. It was found that under equivalent indentation loads, the MD prediction agrees extremely well with the result experimentally measured using SSRM, in terms of the depth of the residual indentation marks and the onset, evolution and dimension variation of the metastable phases, such as beta-Sn. A new six-coordinated silicon phase, Si-XIII, transformed directly from Si-I was discovered. The investigation showed that there is a critical size of contact between the indenter and silicon, beyond which a crystal particle of distorted diamond structure will emerge in between the indenter and the amorphous phase upon unloading.
As emphasized in the International Technological Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS), two-dimensional carrier profiling is one of the key elements in support of technology development. Scanning spreading resistance microscopy (SSRM) has been demonstrated to have attractive concentration sensitivity, an easy quantification, and is applicable to complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor Si and InP structures. Its commercial implementation and availability together with an ample supply of appropriate (diamond based) tips has enabled its more widespread use during recent years. In this article we propose a number of measurement procedures and software tools for its more reliable and fast routine application. First we present a program for the automatic generation of calibration curves and the fast quantification of one-dimensional and two-dimensional resistivity (and carrier) profiles. In view of the large tip consumption, a fast evaluation and calibration of newly mounted conductive tips is a major issue. Furthermore, the fast extraction of the underlying carrier distributions leads to an easier data interpretation. We also propose an overview of the implementation and of the applications of the scanning spreading resistance spectroscopy (SSRS), where a full I–V curve is collected at each measurement point. SSRS proves to be particularly interesting to study the point-contact characteristics (in scanning mode) and simplifies significantly the junction delineation. SSRS can also be used for the selection of the optimal bias settings for the quantification procedure.
We discuss the selective epitaxial growth of InP on patterned Si (001) substrates with Shallow Trench Isolation using a thin Ge buffer to facilitate InP nucleation. The main focus is the defect formation during epitaxial growth and to develop solutions to reduce defect density so that device-quality III-V virtual substrates can be realized on large-scale Si substrates. We compare the InP growth on on-axis and off-axis Si substrates. In the case of off-axis wafers, the formation of stacking faults / twins cannot be avoided, at least not at one of the four side-walls of the Shallow Trench Isolation. The formation of antiphase domain boundaries is reduced (but not yet completely eliminated) by engineering the local Ge surface profile. Further, the high density of Ge surface steps promotes step-flow growth mode instead of 3D growth during the growth of the InP seed layer. Finally, high aspect ratios (>2) allow to confine threading dislocations in the bottom of the trench.
Over the past decade, boron‐doped diamond tips have become the ultimate choice for electrically characterizing microelectronics devices using scanning probe methods such as scanning spreading resistance microscopy (SSRM). Although nanometer‐scale electrical resolution has been demonstrated, the development of a reliable probe process remained a challenge. Therefore, we did develop in this work solid diamond tips with sub‐nanometer electrical resolution and integrated them into metal cantilevers using a peel‐off approach. It is shown that the ultra‐high tip resolution is achieved by diamond nanocrystals protruding from the apex of the diamond pyramid. The yield for sub‐nanometer probes is 20–30% in air and 40–60% in vacuum. This paper describes the fabrication scheme, discusses probe characterization, and shows SSRM measurements obtained with these probes. Our probes are routinely used for SSRM measurements and current efforts are focusing on increasing the yield for sub‐nanometer tips further.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.