High resolution crystal orientation mapping of ultrathin films in SEM and TEM

Heinig, Mario; Chatterjee, Dipanwita; Helvoort, Antonius T. J. van; Wagner, Jakob Birkedal; Kadkhodazadeh, Shima; Ånes, Håkon Wiik; Nießen, Frank; Fanta, Alice Bastos da Silva

doi:10.1016/j.matchar.2022.111931

Cited by 2 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…For example, the long-range surface plasmon polariton (LRSPP) along an IMI layered structure is commonly applied for the waveguides or biosensors, particularly in the NIR regime . Another application of an IMI sensor is for the measurement of the change of the medium’s refractive index by detecting the shift of the SPR dip in the total internal reflection spectrum. − In general, a postprocess of annealing for a deposited Au film can improve the sensitivity of these SPR sensors. − However, several types of defects induced by the thermal annealing are usually observed, such as the bulges (blisters), solid state dewetting, and pinholes (voids). − These induced defects are also related to the quality of the adhesion layer, the delamination of film, the local overheating, and Rayleigh instability. − The preservation of the film integrity after the annealing is essential for the following fabrication of nanostructures via FIB milling.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 4 Another application of an IMI sensor is for the measurement of the change of the medium’s refractive index by detecting the shift of the SPR dip in the total internal reflection spectrum. 24 − 26 In general, a postprocess of annealing for a deposited Au film can improve the sensitivity of these SPR sensors. 24 − 26 However, several types of defects induced by the thermal annealing are usually observed, such as the bulges (blisters), solid state dewetting, and pinholes (voids).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 24 − 26 In general, a postprocess of annealing for a deposited Au film can improve the sensitivity of these SPR sensors. 24 − 26 However, several types of defects induced by the thermal annealing are usually observed, such as the bulges (blisters), solid state dewetting, and pinholes (voids). 35 − 40 These induced defects are also related to the quality of the adhesion layer, the delamination of film, the local overheating, and Rayleigh instability.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The accuracy of the measure of dielectric constants (permittivity) is usually related to the thickness of the metal film and the adhesion layer. In addition, the Kramers–Kronig (K–K) model is used for the curve-fitting of optical constants or dielectric constants of the metal film, a lossy material, to obey a constraint of the linear causality for the dielectric constants of metal. , In addition, several material characterization methods were usually used to measure the grain size and the orientation of (111), such as field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and atomic force microscopy. − …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Water-Immersion Laser-Scanning Annealing for Improving Polycrystalline Au Films

Shih

et al. 2022

ACS Omega

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A water-immersion laser-scanning annealing (WILSA) method was developed for the heat treatment of a deposited polycrystalline Au film on a glass. The material characterization using X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and electron backscatter diffraction shows improved crystallinity with a more uniform crystallographic orientation of (111) and the grain growth of the annealed Au film. Additionally, the optical constants of the Au film before and after annealing were characterized by spectroscopic ellipsometry in the visible to near-infrared (NIR) regime, and the corresponding optical densities (ODs) were measured by transmittance spectroscopy. Our results show that the extinction coefficient and the OD of the annealed film are significantly reduced, particularly in the NIR regime. This is because the grain growth caused by the annealing reduces the density of grain boundaries, leading to the decrease of the loss of free electrons' scattering at grain boundaries. Hence, the damping effect of the surface plasmon is reduced. Additionally, the integrity of the WILSA-treated thin film is kept intact without pinholes, usually produced by the conventional thermal annealing. Based on the improved optical property of the WILSA-treated Au film, two performances of an insulator−metal−insulator (IMI) layered structure of biosensors are theoretically analyzed. Numerical results show that the propagation length of a long-range surface plasmon polariton along an IMI structure with an annealed Au film is significantly increased, compared to an unannealed film, particular in the NIR region. For the other application of using an IMI sensor to detect the shift of the surface-plasmon-resonance dip in the total internal reflection spectrum for the measurement of a change of the medium's refractive index, the sensitivity is also profoundly improved by the WILSA method. It is worth mentioning that the optimal heating conditions (laser wavelength, fluence, exposure time, and scanning step) depend on the thickness of the Au film. Our study provides a postprocess of WILSA to improve the optical properties of a deposited polycrystalline Au film for raising the sensitivity of the related biosensors.

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