The application of low‐voltage scanning electron microscopy for the analysis of VLSI devices

The use of charging effects in Al/Al2O3 metal‐matrix composites as a contrast mechanism in the SEM

“…To create voltage contrast, potentials are applied to the components of the integrated circuit. The operating voltages are kept very low [<1 kV; (Woodward and Jones 1989)l to avoid charging, and the applied potentials produce differences in the effective bias of the secondary detector (i.e., they generate contrast). The fact that the areas which charge in MMCs (i.e., the reinforcement particles) are relatively small (typically 5-20 pm in diameter) and embedded in the highly conductive metal-matrix keeps the artifacts normally associated with charging small, and relatively good micrographs can be obtained from uncoated MMC samples.…”