| Toshie Yaguchi | Naka Customer Center, |
| Takeo Kamino | Naka Customer Center, |
| Tsuyoshi Ohnishi | Advanced Microscope Systems Design Dept., Naka Div., Nanotechnology Products Business Gr., |
| Takahito Hashimoto | Advanced Microscope Systems Design Dept., Naka Div., Nanotechnology Products Business Gr., |
| Kyoichiro Asayama | Process & Device Analysis Engineering Development Dept., |
In regards to structural evaluation and failure analysis of increasingly integrated and scaled-down devices, three-dimensional structural analysis in the submicron range is becoming indispensable. With that fact in mind, we have developed an FIB/STEM (focused ion beam/scanning transmission electron microscope)-compatible specimen-rotation holder — namely, for use with both FIB processing and STEM observation — that is fitted with a mechanism for rotating the loaded specimen. FIB micro-sampling is used to extract the specimen, which is then formed into a column shape containing the region of interest (usually 0.1 − 5-µm square); the specimen preparation time is about 20 to 30 minutes. A key feature of the STEM observation, compared to TEM (transmission electron microscope), is that it can observe thicker specimens because it suffers less chromatic aberration. In addition, by means of SE (secondary electron) imaging — which utilizes electrons accelerated by a high voltage (200 to 300 kV) — information about the specimen surface, as well as the inner structure near the surface, can be obtained. And since the holder can be used for both FIB processing and STEM observation, if necessary, the specimen can be thinned to 0.1 µm, and structural analysis can be performed at the atomic level. Applying the analysis technology developed in this study makes so-called "QTAT (quick turnaround time) 3D nano-analysis" of devices possible.
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Hitachi Science Systems, Ltd. |
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The Hitachi Hyoron (Japanese Only) |
focused ion beam, scanning transmission electron microscope, micro sampling technique, 3D device evaluation, failure analysis
