Electron microscopy of semiconductor and metal interfaces

Abstract

The ability to resolve 2-3Å structurally and 20-50Å chemically has made high resolution electron microscopy (HREM) and microanalysis the preferred techniques for a number of interface studies. The interfaces are usually examined in thin cross-sections cut normal to a major crystallographic direction along which the structure at the interface appears particularly simple in projection. A large number of such studies have now been carried out in a number of different laboratories, including the studies of semiconductor-oxide, semiconductor-semiconductor, and semiconductor-metal interfaces. An exciting new aspect of the studies is exploring the chemistry at the interface using a high resolution probe-forming instrument and either energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDXS) or electron energy loss spectroscopy(EELS), since these studies can usally be performed on the same specimens as used for HREM, and a good correlation between the detailed atomic structure and the chemical composition can be achieved.