Scanning electron microscopy-based sample analysis

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025022681-A1
Application number	US-202318220931-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 12, 2023
Priority date	Jul 12, 2023
Publication date	Jan 16, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of determining sample information associated with a sample is provided. In an embodiment, when a sample has a first temperature, a first measure of electrons of the sample is determined. When the sample has a second temperature different than the first temperature, a second measure of electrons of the sample is determined. Sample information associated with the sample is determined based upon the first measure of electrons and the second measure of electrons. The sample information includes a dopant concentration of the sample, a measure of electric field strength of the sample, a defect concentration of the sample, a Fermi level of the sample and/or an indication of a space charge region of the sample.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
performing, when a sample has a first temperature, a first scanning electron microscopy (SEM) process on the sample to generate a first SEM map; performing, when the sample has a second temperature different than the first temperature, a second SEM process on the sample to generate a second SEM map; and generating, based upon the first SEM map and the second SEM map, a dopant distribution map indicative of a first dopant concentration in a first region of the sample and a second dopant concentration in a second region of the sample.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the sample comprises a filled electron valence band.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
performing the first SEM process comprises:
emitting a first electron beam to the sample when the sample has the first temperature;
detecting first electrons emitted from the sample via interactions of electrons of the first electron beam with the sample;
determining a first measure of electrons based upon the first electrons; and
generating the first SEM map based upon the first measure of electrons; and
performing the second SEM process comprises:
emitting a second electron beam to the sample when the sample has the second temperature;
detecting second electrons emitted from the sample via interactions of electrons of the second electron beam with the sample;
determining a second measure of electrons based upon the second electrons; and
generating the second SEM map based upon the second measure of electrons.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein:
the first measure of electrons comprises a first measure of secondary electrons emitted from the sample; and the second measure of electrons comprises a second measure of secondary electrons emitted from the sample.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
performing the first SEM process comprises performing the first SEM process using a first scanning electron microscope; and performing the second SEM process comprises performing the second SEM process using the first scanning electron microscope.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the first SEM map is indicative of a first measure of electrons relative to the first region of the sample; the second SEM map is indicative of a second measure of electrons relative to the first region of the sample; and generating the dopant distribution map comprises:
determining, based upon the first measure of electrons, a first difference between a first Fermi level associated with the sample and a first valence band energy level associated with the sample;
determining, based upon the second measure of electrons, a second difference between a second Fermi level associated with the sample and a second valence band energy level associated with the sample; and
determining the first dopant concentration in the first region based upon the first difference and the second difference.

7 . The method of claim 1 , comprising:
at least one of prior to or during the first SEM process, heating the sample.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein:
the sample is supported by a sample stage of a scanning electron microscope used to perform the first SEM process; and heating the sample comprises directing thermal energy, to the sample, via the sample stage.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
a difference between the first temperature and the second temperature is at least 10 ° Celsius.

10 . The method of claim 1 , comprising:
applying a first bias to the sample during the first SEM process; and applying a second bias to the sample during the second SEM process.

11 . A method comprising:
determining a first measure of electrons of a sample when the sample has a first temperature; determining a second measure of electrons of the sample when the sample has a second temperature different than the first temperature; and determining, based upon the first measure of electrons and the second measure of electrons, sample information, associated with the sample, comprising at least one of a dopant concentration of the sample, a measure of electric field strength of the sample, a defect concentration of the sample, a Fermi level of the sample, or an indication of a space charge region of the sample.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein:
the sample comprises a filled electron valence band.

13 . The method of claim 11 , comprising:
emitting a first electron beam to the sample when the sample has the first temperature; detecting first electrons emitted from the sample via interactions of electrons of the first electron beam with the sample, wherein determining the first measure of electrons is based upon the first electrons; emitting a second electron beam to the sample when the sample has the second temperature; and detecting second electrons emitted from the sample via interactions of electrons of the second electron beam with the sample, wherein determining the second measure of electrons is based upon the second electrons.

14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein:
the first measure of electrons comprises a first measure of secondary electrons emitted from the sample; and the second measure of electrons comprises a second measure of secondary electrons emitted from the sample.

15 . The method of claim 11 , wherein determining the sample information associated with the sample comprises:
determining, based upon the first measure of electrons, a first difference between a first Fermi level associated with the sample and a first valence band energy level associated with the sample; determining, based upon the second measure of electrons, a second difference between a second Fermi level associated with the sample and a second valence band energy level associated with the sample; and determining the sample information based upon the first difference and the second difference.

16 . The method of claim 11 , wherein:
the sample information comprises a map indicative of at least one of:
a dopant distribution associated with the sample;
an electric field strength distribution associated with the sample;
a Fermi level energy distribution associated with the sample; or
the space charge region associated with the sample.

17 . A method comprising:
performing a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) process on a sample to generate a SEM map indicative of a first measure of electrons relative to a first region of the sample and a second measure of electrons relative to a second region of the sample, wherein the first region is associated with a reference dopant concentration; determining, based upon the reference dopant concentration and the first measure of electrons associated with the first region, a conversion function; and converting, using the conversion function, the second measure of electrons to a second dopant concentration in the second region of the sample.

18 . The method of claim 17 , comprising:
determining, based upon the first measure of electrons, a difference between a Fermi level associated with the sample and a valence band energy level associated with the sample, wherein determining the conversion function is based upon the difference.

19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein:
performing the SEM process comprises:
emitting an electron beam to the sample;
detecting first electrons emitted from the sample via interactions of electrons of the first electron beam with the sample; and
determining the first measure of electrons based upon the first electrons.

Assignees

• Infineon Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Moser Maximilian Alexander
• Pobegen Gregor Bernhard
• Nelhiebel Michael

Classifications

• H01J2237/2802

  Transmission microscopes · CPC title

• H01J2237/2801

  Details · CPC title

• H01J37/265

  Controlling the tube; circuit arrangements adapted to a particular application not otherwise provided, e.g. bright-field-dark-field illumination · CPC title

• H01J37/28 Primary

  with scanning beams {(H01J37/268, H01J37/292, H01J37/2955 take precedence)} · CPC title

• G01N23/2251 Primary

  using incident electron beams, e.g. scanning electron microscopy [SEM] · CPC title