Methods using X-ray fluorescence have been developed to identify cometary material captured in aerogel during the NASA Stardust mission to Comet 81P/Wild 2. These analytical methods are necessitated by the levels of trace contaminants present in the aerogel. The cometary material disaggregates during deceleration in the aerogel, so fluorescence mapping of the entire track (which can be several millimeters long) is necessary. Distinguishing those pixels which have cometary material and aerogel from those which have only cometary material can be very challenging. We have chosen a “dual threshold” method, with some pixels clearly having only aerogel (plus contaminants) and other pixels clearly having cometary and aerogel material. Between these two threshold levels is a set of pixels which cannot be easily ascribed to one or the other. By leaving these pixels out of the analysis, the estimate of cometary material is improved.

A novel hard transmission X-ray microscope (TXM) at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource operating from 5 to 15 keV X-ray energy with 14 to 30 μm2 field of view has been used for high-resolution (30–40 nm) imaging and density quantification of mineralized tissue. TXM is uniquely suited for imaging of internal cellular structures and networks in mammalian mineralized tissues using relatively thick (50 μm), untreated samples that preserve tissue micro- and nanostructure. To test this method we performed Zernike phase contrast and absorption contrast imaging of mouse cancellous bone prepared under different conditions of in vivo loading, fixation, and contrast agents. In addition, the three-dimensional structure was examined using tomography. Individual osteocytic lacunae were observed embedded within trabeculae in cancellous bone. Extensive canalicular networks were evident and included processes with diameters near the 30–40 nm instrument resolution that have not been reported previously. Trabecular density was quantified relative to rod-like crystalline apatite, and rod-like trabecular struts were found to have 51–54% of pure crystal density and plate-like areas had 44–53% of crystal density. The nanometer resolution of TXM enables future studies for visualization and quantification of ultrastructural changes in bone tissue resulting from osteoporosis, dental disease, and other pathologies.

Polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon) is a key component of integrated circuit technology, micromechanical systems and displays. High-mobility polysilicon thin-film transistors are replacing amorphous-silicon transistors in advanced active-matrix displays, and are also vital to the emerging fields of microsensors and microactuators [1]. In this study, the deposition processes (LPCVD) of polysilicon thin films were carefully studied and the basic kinetics were analyzed. The films were patterned into submicron islands and the relation of the deposition temperature versus the crystallinity of polysilicon islands was observed. A “threshold” deposition temperature for polysilicon crystals larger than 0.35 μm was found. The relationships of polysilicon crystal sizes vs. annealing temperature and vs. annealing duration were also systematically studied. Polysilicon islands of ∼ 0.1 μm lateral dimensions were successfully fabricated by ebeam lithography and several types of annealings were performed to increase micro-crystal size, with the goal of creating single-crystal high-mobility islands. Theoretically, transistors built from such islands should match the performance of state-of-the-art bulk CMOS devices. The crystal size was measured using TEM and AFM analysis. Moreover, EXAFS (Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure) measurements at SSRL (Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lab) were employed to study the crystallization processes of polysilicon films and the correlation between the absorption curves, the thin-film electrical properties and the polysilicon grain sizes.

There are factors present in cleanroom air that may lead to contamination prior to processing. These factors need to be better understood in order to meet tomorrow's requirement for atomically clean surfaces prior to gate oxidation. This paper identifies the conditions that initiate room temperature oxidation of fluoride prepared hydrogen passivated silicon surfaces by using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). Possible oxidation factors investigated include lighting conditions and ambient gases. Both Hx-Si(100) and H-Si(111)(1X1) surfaces do not oxidize in dark conditions and in 450nm wavelength lighting conditions for both humid and dry air ambients. These surfaces do oxidize in dry air and humid air when the surface is exposed to shorter wavelengths of light. Wavelength dependence for oxidation on both surfaces is confirmed. In addition, the level of oxidation observed depends on the surface orientation in humid air but not in dry air.

Trace metal contamination during wet cleaning processes on silicon wafer surfaces is a detrimental effect that impairs device performance and yield. Determining the chemical state of deposited impurities helps in understanding how silicon surfaces interact with chemical species in cleaning solutions. However, since impurity concentrations of interest to the semiconductor industry are so low, conventional techniques such as x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy cannot be applied. Nonetheless, chemical information on trace levels of contaminants can be determined with x-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES) in a grazing incidence geometry. In this study, silicon samples were dipped in ultra pure water (UPW) and 2% hydrofluoric (HF) solutions with copper concentrations of 5 and 1000 ppb, respectively. These samples were then analyzed using XANES in fluorescence yield mode to determine the oxidation state of deposited copper contaminants. It was found that copper impurities on the silicon surface from HF solution were metal in character while copper impurities deposited from the spiked UPW solution were deposited as an oxide. These results show that XANES can provide information on the chemical state of trace impurities even at surface concentrations below a few thousandths of a monolayer.

The detection limit for aluminum using total reflection x-ray fluorescence (TXRF) is approximately 100 times lower for a synchrotron source compared to a conventional source. The detection limit for transition metals is approximately 15 to 40 times lower depending on atomic number and energy of the incident radiation.

A photoelectron microscope operating with a retarding field analyzer has been used to exploit core level energy shifts due to band bending in order to directly image Fermi level variations on n- and p-type cleaved GaAs(110) surfaces. Fermi level maps resolved to better than 10 um indicate lateral variations in the surface Fermi level which are often quite abrupt. In agreement with earlier, lower resolution work [1], Fermi level topography is found to be highly correlated with surface roughness as characterized by SEM, optical microscope and stylus profi lometer. The largest defect derived pinnings encountered to date resut in the Fermi level lying 0.5 eV above the VBM for both n- and p-type GaAs. Low coverage In evaporations have the. effect of reducing Fermi level contrast as Fermi levels in formerly unpinned regions move into the gap.

Simple multilayer structures and multilayer diffraction gratings are now of sufficient quality to be used as optical elements in synchrotron radiation source instrumentation. In this paper results obtained with a multilayer two element monochromator will be presented. Three specific types of results will be discussed. First, transmission measurements of the absorption cross-sections of elemental thin films in the energy range 50 to 2000 eV will be presented and used to demonstrate the performance of the monochromator. Second, application of this monochromator in x-ray lithography research will be described and the advantages of the broad bandpass of multilayer optics demonstrated. Third, use of this monochromator in scattering studies of long period structures will be discussed. The potential for the use of multilayer diffraction gratings in high resolution monochromator applications will also be considered.