Electron Beam Induced Current Investigations of Electrical Inhomogeneities with High Spatial Resolution

Authors

Eu. Yakimov, USSR Academy of Sciences

Abstract

Electron beam induced current (EBIC) microscopy is a very promising SEM technique for the study of diffusion length and depletion region width inhomogeneities with high spatial resolution. However, this resolution is limited by the dimensions of the electron-hole pair generation region. In this paper the possibilities to improve spatial resolution are discussed. Electron beam tomography, i.e. the reconstruction of physical property distributions from sets of two-dimensional images, seems to be the most promising for this purpose. It is shown that in the case of dislocations it is possible to obtain information about dislocation impurity atmosphere parameters from EBIC measurements. The spatial resolution limitations in SEM techniques are discussed and it is shown that for many structures the spatial resolution is restricted by electron beam damage.

Recommended Citation

Yakimov, Eu. (1991) "Electron Beam Induced Current Investigations of Electrical Inhomogeneities with High Spatial Resolution," Scanning Microscopy: Vol. 6: No. 1, Article 4.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/microscopy/vol6/iss1/4