Nanomanufacturing concerns about measurements made in the SEM part IV: charging and its mitigation

Michael T. Postek; András E. Vladár

doi:10.1117/12.2186997

20 August 2015 Nanomanufacturing concerns about measurements made in the SEM part IV: charging and its mitigation

Michael T. Postek, András E. Vladár

Proceedings Volume 9556, Nanoengineering: Fabrication, Properties, Optics, and Devices XII; 95560Q (2015) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2186997
Event: SPIE Nanoscience + Engineering, 2015, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

This is the fourth part of a series of tutorial papers discussing various causes of measurement uncertainty in scanned particle beam instruments, and some of the solutions researched and developed at NIST and other research institutions. Scanned particle beam instruments especially the scanning electron microscope (SEM) have gone through tremendous evolution to become indispensable tools for many and diverse scientifi c and industrial applications. These improvements have signifi cantly enhanced their performance and made them far easier to operate. But, the ease of operation has also fostered operator complacency. In addition, the user-friendliness has reduced the apparent need for extensive operator training. Unfortunately, this has led to the idea that the SEM is just another expensive "digital camera" or another peripheral device connected to a computer and that all of the problems in obtaining good quality images and data have been solved. Hence, one using these instruments may be lulled into thinking that all of the potential pitfalls have been fully eliminated and believing that, everything one sees on the micrograph is always correct. But, as described in this and the earlier papers, this may not be the case. Care must always be taken when reliable quantitative data are being sought. The fi rst paper in this series discussed some of the issues related to signal generation in the SEM, including instrument calibration, electron beam-sample interactions and the need for physics-based modeling to understand the actual image formation mechanisms to properly interpret SEM images. The second paper has discussed another major issue confronting the microscopist: specimen contamination and methods to eliminate it. The third paper discussed mechanical vibration and stage drift and some useful solutions to mitigate the problems caused by them, and here, in this the fourth contribution, the issues related to specimen "charging" and its mitigation are discussed relative to dimensional metrology.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Michael T. Postek and András E. Vladár "Nanomanufacturing concerns about measurements made in the SEM part IV: charging and its mitigation", Proc. SPIE 9556, Nanoengineering: Fabrication, Properties, Optics, and Devices XII, 95560Q (20 August 2015); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2186997

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