Open AccessStructure, composition, and strain profiling of Si/SiO{sub 2} interfaces
Author(s) -
Gerd Duscher,
S. J. Pennycook,
HJ Gao,
Nigel D. Browning,
Raghu Raj Thakur Singh
Publication year - 1998
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.2172/672106
Subject(s) - scanning transmission electron microscopy , angstrom , materials science , stoichiometry , resolution (logic) , transmission electron microscopy , electron , image resolution , spectral line , analytical chemistry (journal) , crystallography , optics , chemistry , nanotechnology , physics , organic chemistry , chromatography , quantum mechanics , astronomy , artificial intelligence , computer science
Recently, the scanning transmission electron microscope has become capable of forming electron probes of atomic dimensions. This makes possible the technique of Z-contrast imaging, a method of forming incoherent images at atomic resolution having high compositional sensitivity. An incoherent image of this nature also allows the positions of atomic columns in a crystal to be directly determined, without the need for model structures and image simulations. Furthermore, atomic resolution chemical analysis can be performed by locating the probe over particular columns or planes seen in the image while electron energy loss spectra are collected. The authors present images of the Si/SiO{sub 2} interface showing no crystalline oxide, compositional profiles across a nitrided sample at 2.5 {angstrom} resolution showing an extended sub-stoichiometric zone, and strain profiles at a rough interface showing static rms displacements {approximately}0.1 {angstrom} extending 10 {angstrom} into the crystalline Si