Drift correction of the analyzed area during the study of the lateral elemental composition distribution in single semiconductor nanostructures by scanning Auger microscopy

摘要

The main difficulty in obtaining the lateral elemental composition distributionudmaps of the semiconductor nanostructures by Scanning Auger Microscopy is the thermaluddrift of the analyzed area, arising from its local heating with the electron probe andudsubsequent shift. Therefore, the main goal of the study was the development of theudeffective thermal drift correction procedure. The measurements were carried out onudGeSi/Si nanoislands obtained with molecular beam epitaxy by means of Ge deposition onudSi(100) substrate. Use of the thermal drift correction procedure made it possible to getudthe lateral elemental composition distribution maps of Si and Ge for various types ofudGeSi/Si nanoislands. The presence of the germanium core and silicon shell in both theuddome GeSi/Si nanoislands and pyramid ones was established. In the authors’ opinion,udthis type of elemental distribution is a result of the completeness of the interdiffusionudprocesses course in the island/wetting layer/substrate system, which play the key role inudthe nucleation, evolution and growth of GeSi/Si nanoislands. The proposed procedure ofudthe thermal drift correction of the analyzed area allows direct determination of the lateraludcomposition distribution of the GeSi/Si nanoislands with the size of the structuraludelements down to 10 nm.