Image Interpretation for Transmission Electron Microscopy of Thin SemiconductorLayers and Interfaces

摘要

Among all the techniques used to obtain structural information, transmissionelectron microscopy (TEM) has the great advantage of yielding two-dimensional information at a resolution comparable to interatomic distances. The main theme of this the thesis is the interpretation of TEM images of thin semiconductor layers, with the emphasis on those cases where computer simulation or image processing is required. Calculations are necessary for the interpretation of HREM images of the interfaces, where the investigation is aimed at obtaining structural information at the atomic level. Calculations are also needed to extract quantitative results from TEM, such as the composition of ternary or quaternary layers. The main semiconductor material considered in this thesis is Al(x)Ga(1-x)As, but most of the methods described and developed can be applied to other epitaxial layers and interfaces as well.