Semiconductor characterization with the scanning surface harmonic microscope

The scanning surface harmonic microscope, in which a microwave signal is applied across a tip‐sample tunneling gap and higher harmonics are detected, is sensitive to the capacitance/voltage characteristics of semiconductor samples on a nanometer scale. We demonstrate its sensitivity to a wide range of dopant concentrations on Si, and its applications as a dopant profiler. Depletion regions are delineated with remarkable sensitivity, and variations in dopant concentration over a 35‐nm scale are discussed. Indications of a 5 nm resolution have been obtained.

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