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A Procedure for Cross Sectioning Specific Semiconductor Devices for Both SEM and TEM Analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 February 2011

J. P. Benedict ,
Ron Anderson ,
S. J. Klepeis  and
M. Chaker
J. P. Benedict
Affiliation:
Surface/Materials Analysis, IBM East Fishkill Laboratory, Hopewell Junction, NY 12533, USA
Ron Anderson
Affiliation:
Surface/Materials Analysis, IBM East Fishkill Laboratory, Hopewell Junction, NY 12533, USA
S. J. Klepeis
Affiliation:
Surface/Materials Analysis, IBM East Fishkill Laboratory, Hopewell Junction, NY 12533, USA
M. Chaker
Affiliation:
Surface/Materials Analysis, IBM East Fishkill Laboratory, Hopewell Junction, NY 12533, USA
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Abstract

The procedures described in this paper allow both SEM and TEM analysis to be performed on the same, device specific, semiconductor cross section. In order to accomplish this, a number of tools and fixtures have been constructed that allow the user to polish into the sample to a predetermined plane-of-polish, bisecting the device or feature of interest for SEM analysis. After SEM examination, the specimen is prepared for TEM analysis by first affixing a grid to the just-examined surface, inverting the specimen and parallel-polishing the backside of the specimen until the specimen's total thickness is in the 0.5 to 1.0μm range using the described tools. A subsequent one to ten minute ion milling step cleans the specimen. A very considerable positive side-effectof this method is the nearelimination of artifacts arisingfrom the use of strong chemicals and lengthy ion milling. The method has been extended to the preparation of plan-view device samples and non-semiconductor specimens.

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References

REFERENCES

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