Nondestructive Method for Mapping Metal Contact Diffusion in In2O3Thin-Film Transistors

Olga Kryvchenkova, Isam Abdullah, John Emyr Macdonals, Martin Elliott, Thomas Anthopoulos, Yen-Hung Lin, Petar Igic, Karol Kalna, Richard Cobley

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    10 Citations (Scopus)
    44 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    The channel width-to-length ratio is an important transistor parameter for integrated circuit design. Contact diffusion into the channel during fabrication or operation alters the channel width and this important parameter. A novel methodology combining atomic force microscopy and scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM) with self-consistent modeling is developed for the nondestructive detection of contact diffusion on active devices. Scans of the surface potential are modeled using physically based Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) simulations when the transistor terminals are grounded and under biased conditions. The simulations also incorporate the tip geometry to investigate its effect on the measurements due to electrostatic tip–sample interactions. The method is particularly useful for semiconductor– and metal–semiconductor interfaces where the potential contrast resulting from dopant diffusion is below that usually detectable with scanning probe microscopy.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)25631-25636
    Number of pages6
    JournalACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
    Volume8
    Issue number38
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2016

    Bibliographical note

    This is an open access article published under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the author and source are cited.

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • General Engineering
    • General Physics and Astronomy
    • General Materials Science

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