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Nanoscale strain characterization in microelectronic materials using X-ray diffraction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 February 2012

Conal E. Murray ,
A. J. Ying ,
S. M. Polvino ,
I. C. Noyan  and
Z. Cai
Conal E. Murray*
Affiliation:
I.B.M. T.J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, New York 10598
A. J. Ying
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Physics and Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027
S. M. Polvino
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Physics and Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027
I. C. Noyan
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Physics and Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027
Z. Cai
Affiliation:
Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Electronic mail: conal@us.ibm.com
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Abstract

The engineering of strained semiconductor materials represents an important aspect of the enhancement in CMOS device performance required for current and future generations of microelectronic technology. An understanding of the mechanical response of the Si channel regions and their environment is key to the prediction and design of device operation. Because of the complexity of the composite geometries associated with microelectronic circuitry, in situ characterization at a submicron resolution is necessary to verify the predicted strain distributions. Of the measurement techniques commonly used for strain characterization, synchrotron-based X-ray microbeam diffraction represents the best nondestructive method to provide spatially resolved information. The mapping of strain distributions in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) features induced by overlying silicon nitride structures and embedded heteroepitaxial features adjacent to SOI device channels are presented. The interaction regions of the SOI strain were observed to extend large distances from the SOI/stressor interfaces leading to significant overlap in the strain distributions at technically relevant dimensions. Experimental data were also compared to several mechanical models to assess their validity in predicting these strain distributions.

Keywords

stressthin filmsX-ray diffraction
Type
Technical Articles
Information
Powder Diffraction , Volume 25 , Issue 2 , June 2010 , pp. 108 - 113
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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