Three-dimensional imaging of individual hafnium atoms inside a semiconductor device

Klaus Van Benthem; Andrew R. Lupini; Miyoung Kim; Hion Suck Baik; Seokjoo Doh; Jong Ho Lee; Mark P. Oxley; Scott D. Findlay; Leslie J. Allen; Julia T. Luck; Stephen J. Pennycook

doi:10.1063/1.1991989

Three-dimensional imaging of individual hafnium atoms inside a semiconductor device

Klaus Van Benthem, Andrew R. Lupini, Miyoung Kim, Hion Suck Baik, Seokjoo Doh, Jong Ho Lee, Mark P. Oxley, Scott D. Findlay, Leslie J. Allen, Julia T. Luck, Stephen J. Pennycook

electron Microscopy and Microanalysis

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

222 Scopus citations

Abstract

The aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope allows probes to be formed with less than 1-Å diameter, providing sufficient sensitivity to observe individual Hf atoms within the SiO2 passivating layer of a HfO2 SiO2 Si alternative gate dielectric stack. Furthermore, the depth resolution is sufficient to localize the atom positions to half-nanometer precision in the third dimension. From a through-focal series of images, we demonstrate a three-dimensional reconstruction of the Hf atom sites, representing a three-dimensional map of potential breakdown sites within the gate dielectric.

Original language	English
Article number	034104
Journal	Applied Physics Letters
Volume	87
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1991989
State	Published - Jul 18 2005

Funding

M.F. Chisholm is gratefully acknowledged for his contributions to the manuscript. This research was sponsored by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program of ORNL, managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, for the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 and by an appointment to the ORNL postdoctoral Research Program administered jointly by ORNL and ORISE. K.v.B. greatly appreciates funding from the Alexander-von-Humboldt Foundation.

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title = "Three-dimensional imaging of individual hafnium atoms inside a semiconductor device",

abstract = "The aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope allows probes to be formed with less than 1-{\AA} diameter, providing sufficient sensitivity to observe individual Hf atoms within the SiO2 passivating layer of a HfO2 SiO2 Si alternative gate dielectric stack. Furthermore, the depth resolution is sufficient to localize the atom positions to half-nanometer precision in the third dimension. From a through-focal series of images, we demonstrate a three-dimensional reconstruction of the Hf atom sites, representing a three-dimensional map of potential breakdown sites within the gate dielectric.",

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AU - Van Benthem, Klaus

AU - Lupini, Andrew R.

AU - Kim, Miyoung

AU - Baik, Hion Suck

AU - Doh, Seokjoo

AU - Lee, Jong Ho

AU - Oxley, Mark P.

AU - Findlay, Scott D.

AU - Allen, Leslie J.

AU - Luck, Julia T.

AU - Pennycook, Stephen J.

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AB - The aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope allows probes to be formed with less than 1-Å diameter, providing sufficient sensitivity to observe individual Hf atoms within the SiO2 passivating layer of a HfO2 SiO2 Si alternative gate dielectric stack. Furthermore, the depth resolution is sufficient to localize the atom positions to half-nanometer precision in the third dimension. From a through-focal series of images, we demonstrate a three-dimensional reconstruction of the Hf atom sites, representing a three-dimensional map of potential breakdown sites within the gate dielectric.

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JO - Applied Physics Letters

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Three-dimensional imaging of individual hafnium atoms inside a semiconductor device

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