A Tabletop X-Ray Tomography Instrument for Nanometer-Scale Imaging: Integration of a Scanning Electron Microscope with a Transition-Edge Sensor Spectrometer

Nakamura, Nathan; Szypryt, Paul; Dagel, Amber L.; Alpert, Bradley K.; Bennett, Douglas A.; Doriese, W. B.; Durkin, Malcolm; Fowler, Joseph W.; Fox, Dylan T.; Gard, Johnathon D.; Goodner, Ryan N.; Harris, J. Zachariah; Hilton, G. C.; Jimenez, Edward S.; L., Kernen, Burke; Larson, Kurt W.; Levine, Zachary H.; McArthur, Daniel; Morgan, Kelsey M.; O’Neil, Galen C.; Ortiz, Nathan J.; Pappas, Christine G.; Reintsema, C. D.; Schmidt, Daniel R.; Schulz, P. A.; Thompson, Kyle R.; Ullom, Joel N.; Vale, Leila R.; Vaughan, Courtenay T.; Walker, Christopher J.; Weber, Joel C.; Wheeler, Jason W.; Swetz, Daniel S.

doi:10.48550/arxiv.2212.10591

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“…Very recently, the first results from the laboratory X-ray microscope used in this study were published, using In-Kα radiation (24.2 keV photon energy) from a Ga-In alloy target of a liquid-metal-jet X-ray source [ 11 ]. A laboratory nano-XCT tool combining the electron beam of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) with the precise, broadband X-ray detection of a superconducting transition-edge sensor (TES) microcalorimeter, was described in [ 12 ]. Pt-Lα photons with an energy of 9.4 keV, i.e., also slightly above the Cu-K absorption edge, were used to image Cu/SiO 2 structures in an integrated circuit [ 12 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A laboratory nano-XCT tool combining the electron beam of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) with the precise, broadband X-ray detection of a superconducting transition-edge sensor (TES) microcalorimeter, was described in [ 12 ]. Pt-Lα photons with an energy of 9.4 keV, i.e., also slightly above the Cu-K absorption edge, were used to image Cu/SiO 2 structures in an integrated circuit [ 12 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Laboratory High-Contrast X-ray Microscopy of Copper Nanostructures Enabled by a Liquid-Metal-Jet X-ray Source

Kutukova,

Lechowski,

Grenzer

et al. 2024

Nanomaterials

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High-resolution imaging of Cu/low-k on-chip interconnect stacks in advanced microelectronic products is demonstrated using full-field transmission X-ray microscopy (TXM). The comparison of two lens-based laboratory X-ray microscopes that are operated at two different photon energies, 8.0 keV and 9.2 keV, shows a contrast enhancement for imaging of copper nanostructures embedded in insulating organosilicate glass of a factor of 5 if 9.2 keV photons are used. Photons with this energy (Ga-Kα radiation) are generated from a Ga-containing target of a laboratory X-ray source applying the liquid-metal-jet technology. The 5 times higher contrast compared to the use of Cu-Kα radiation (8.0 keV photon energy) from a rotating anode X-ray source is caused by the fact that the energy of the Ga-Kα emission line is slightly higher than that of the Cu-K absorption edge (9.0 keV photon energy). The use of Ga-Kα radiation is of particular advantage for imaging of copper interconnects with dimensions from several 100 nm down to several 10 nm in a Cu/SiO2 or Cu/low-k backend-of-line stack. Physical failure analysis and reliability engineering in the semiconductor industry will benefit from high-contrast X-ray images of sub-μm copper structures in microchips.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%