In this contribution, we discuss the crystalline properties of strained and strain-relaxed CVD-grown GeSn layers with Sn content in the range 6.4-12.6 at.%. A positive deviation from Vegard's law was observed and a new experimental bowing parameter was extracted for GeSn: b GeSn = 0.041 Å (in excellent agreement with recent theoretical predictions). The GeSn critical thickness for strain relaxation as a function of Sn concentration was determined, resulting in significantly higher values than those predicted by equilibrium models. A composition-dependent strain relaxation mechanism was also found, with the formation of an increasing density of GeSn pyramidal islands in addition to misfit dislocations at lower Sn concentration.

We present atom probe analysis of 40nm wide SiGe fins embedded in SiO and discuss the root cause of artefacts observed in the reconstructed data. Additionally, we propose a simple data treatment routine, relying on complementary transmission electron microscopy analysis, to improve compositional analysis of the embedded SiGe fins. Using field evaporation simulations, we show that for high oxide to fin width ratios the difference in evaporation field thresholds between SiGe and SiO results in a non-hemispherical emitter shape with a negative curvature in the direction across, but not along the fin. This peculiar emitter shape leads to severe local variations in radius and hence in magnification across the emitter apex causing ion trajectory aberrations and crossings. As shown by our experiments and simulations, this translates into unrealistic variations in the detected atom densities and faulty dimensions in the reconstructed volume, with the width of the fin being up to six-fold compressed. Rectification of the faulty dimensions and density variations in the SiGe fin was demonstrated with our dedicated data treatment routine.

Nowadays, technological developments towards advanced nano scale devices such as FinFETs and TFETs require a fundamental understanding of three-dimensional doping incorporation, activation and diffusion, as these details directly impact decisive parameters such as gate overlap and doping conformality and thus the device performance. Whereas novel doping methods such as plasma doping are presently exploited to meet these goals, their application needs to be coupled with new metrology approaches such as atom probe tomography, which provides the 3D-dopant distribution with atomic resolution. In order to highlight the relevant processes in terms of dopant conformality, 3D-diffusion, dopant activation and dopant clustering, in this paper we report on 3D-doping and diffusion phenomena in silicon FinFET devices. Through the use of atom probe tomography we determine the dopant distribution in a fully completed device which has been doped using the concept of self-regulatory plasma doping (SRPD). We extract the dopant conformality and spatial extent of this doping process and demonstrate that after annealing the resulting 3D-doping profiles and gate overlap are dependent on the details of the plasma doping process. We also demonstrate that the concentration-dependent 3D-diffusion process leads to concentration gradients which are different for the vertical versus the lateral direction. Through a statistical analysis of the dopant atom distributions we can identify dopant clustering in high concentration regions and correlate this with details of the dopant activation and, eventually, the device performance.