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Atom Probe Tomography Characterization of Dopant Distributions in Si FinFET: Challenges and Solutions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 November 2019

Rong Hu ,
Jing Xue ,
Xingping Wu ,
Yanbo Zhang ,
Huilong Zhu  and
Gang Sha
Rong Hu
Affiliation:
Herbert Gleiter Institute of Nanoscience, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu210094, China
Jing Xue
Affiliation:
Herbert Gleiter Institute of Nanoscience, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu210094, China
Xingping Wu
Affiliation:
Herbert Gleiter Institute of Nanoscience, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu210094, China
Yanbo Zhang
Affiliation:
Institute of Microelectronics of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100029, China
Huilong Zhu
Affiliation:
Institute of Microelectronics of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100029, China
Gang Sha*
Affiliation:
Herbert Gleiter Institute of Nanoscience, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu210094, China
*
*Author for correspondence: Gang Sha, E-mail: gang.sha@njust.edu.cn
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Abstract

Atom probe tomography (APT) has emerged as an important tool in characterizing three-dimensional semiconductor devices. However, the complex structure and hybrid nature of a semiconductor device can pose serious challenges to the accurate measurement of dopants. In particular, local magnification and trajectory aberration observed when analyzing hybrid materials with different evaporation fields can cause severe distortions in reconstructed geometry and uncertainty in local chemistry measurement. To address these challenges, this study systematically investigates the effect of APT sampling directions on the measurement of n-type dopants P and As in an Si fin field-effect transistor (FinFET). We demonstrate that the APT samples made with their Z-axis perpendicular to the center axis of the fin are effective to minimize the negative effects that result from evaporation field differences between the Si fin and SiO2 on reconstruction and achieve improved measurement of dopant distributions. In addition, new insights have been gained regarding the distribution of ion-implanted P and As in the Si FinFET.

Keywords

atom probe tomographydopant distributionFinFETreconstructionsampling direction effect
Type
Materials Science Applications
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 26 , Issue 1 , February 2020 , pp. 36 - 45
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America 2019

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