Local Electrode Atom Probes: Prospects For 3D Atomic-Scale Metrology Applications In The Semiconductor And Data Storage Industries

摘要

Recent developments in atom probe technology provide promise of a revolutionary new metrology tool that will offer information about the location and species of the atoms within the sample under investigation. Historically, atom probes have been applied mostly to needle-shaped metal specimens by a small number of experts in the world, and have been confined mostly to the research environment. This is all changing. With the developments in Scanning Atom Probes and Local Electrode Atom Probes, three-dimensional atomic-scale compositional images of almost any material may be obtained from planar specimens (wafers) by non-experts. Furthermore, the data collection rates for three-dimensional images are expected to be orders of magnitude faster than current instruments. Typical images will require hours or minutes to acquire rather than days. These developments suggest that these new atom probes can be applied to problems in the semiconductor and data storage industries on time scales that make them attractive as research tools and valuable as metrology tools.