edfas.org ELECTRONIC DEVICE FAILURE ANALYSIS | VOLUME 25 NO. 4 20 AN INNOVATIVE MULTI-PROBE TOMOGRAPHIC ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPE FOR MATERIALS RESEARCH AND FAILURE ANALYSIS D. Sharma1, M. Tedaldi1, L. Wouters2, T. Hantschel2, Patrick Hole1, A.D.L. Humphris1, U. Celano2,3 1Infinitesima Ltd., Abingdon, England 2IMEC, Leuven, Belgium 3School of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe umberto.celano@asu.edu EDFAAO (2023) 4:20-26 1537-0755/$19.00 ©ASM International® INTRODUCTION The continuous increase in complexity of advanced logic and memory devices is creating an ever-increasing demand for metrology and characterization methods to support the fabrication, integration, and qualification of new integrated circuits. The rapid adoption of threedimensional architectures such as FinFET, and soon nanosheet transistors, requires the use of new approaches for the physical analysis that go beyond state-of-the-art metrology.[1] Motivated by this, the authors have reported on the use of contact-mode atomic force microscopy (AFM) for tip-induced material removal, where abrasive wear has been reimagined as a valid option to achieve tomographic sensing.[1-3] The experimental use of this approach has found successful application when combining AFM with various secondary sensing modes, e.g., electric current, resistance, capacitance, enabling the characterization of electrical properties of thin dielectrics, solar cells and piezoelectric materials, to name but a few.[4] Also described is the realization of a dedicated tomographic tool (Fig. 1) separating the scalpel and sensing responsibilities into mul- tiple AFM tips, i.e., the rapid probe microscope (RPM-3D).[3] The RPM-3D is a novel scanning probe microscopy system that leverages a variety of specific and optimized features to deliver metrological data for the semiconductor industry. A unique feature of the RPM-3D is the addition of a tiltable axis to the scanner, allowing for the rapid Fig. 1 (a) 3D rendering of the customized RPM-3D system. (b-d) Optical image of the custom probe cassette used to enable the probe switching, and schematic of mode of operation of the RPM-3D head. (e) Comparison of the capability of RPM-3D with microtome, FIB-SEM, and AFM. (a) (b) (c) (d) (e)
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