Quantitative analysis of backscattered electron (BSE) contrast using low voltage scanning electron microscopy (LVSEM) and its application to AlGaN/GaN layers

Cid, Aránzazu Garitagoitia; Rosenkranz, Rüdiger; Löffler, Markus; Clausner, André; Standke, Yvonne; Zschech, Ehrenfried

doi:10.1016/j.ultramic.2018.08.026

Cited by 14 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 21 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Moreover, Figure d suggests that the change of A or R is 1.3%/Δ Z for Z < 30 and 0.2%/Δ Z for Z > 30; thus, the system must have sufficiently high S/N to distinguish unitary Z variations. BSE detectors, because of their poor detection efficiency, large electronic noise, and weak responses to light elements, usually have S/N < 40 and cannot meet our purpose …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…So far, SE and BSE images have shown similar trends of contrast variations, and it is not easy to distinguish their respective correlation with P th . However, we have known that BSE signals are sensitive to the atomic number ( Z ) of elements or averaged atomic number ( Z ave ) of compounds, whereas SE signals do not exhibit similar characteristics . Thus, surveying the dependencies of A th on Z or Z ave will reveal A th ’s respective relation to SE or BSE.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By detecting secondary electrons (SE) or backscattered electrons (BSE), topographic and compositional contrast of samples can be resolved at nanoscales. However, SE or BSE detections in ordinary SEM are primarily for imaging purposes and do not exhibit quantitative analytical capabilities, which are the main drawback of SEM, and a lot of efforts have been devoted to overcoming them. − Generally, the solutions are either attaching sophisticated energy analyzers to SEM or involving more dedicated calibration procedures. − …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Scanning Electron Thermal Absorbance Microscopy for Light Element Detection and Atomic Number Analysis

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Recent developments in nanoscale thermal metrology using electron microscopy have made impressive advancements in measuring either phononic or thermal transport properties of nanoscale samples. However, its potential in material analysis has never been considered. Here we introduce a direct thermal absorbance measurement platform in scanning electron microscope (SEM) and demonstrate that its signal can be utilized for atomic number (Z) analysis at nanoscales. We prove that the measured absorbance of materials is complementary to signals of backscattering electrons but exhibits a much higher collection efficiency and signal-to-noise ratio. Thus, it not only enables successful detections of light elements/ compounds under low acceleration voltages of SEM but also allows quantitative Z analyses in agreement with simulations. The direct thermal absorbance measurement platform would become an ideal tool for SEM, especially for thin films, light elements/compounds, or biological samples at nanoscales.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Scanning Electron Thermal Absorbance Microscopy for Light Element Detection and Atomic Number Analysis

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…where and represent the mass and atomic fractions of element respectively and is an exponent typically close to unity (here ) and accounts for screening effects. In line with other publications (e.g., [4]), the qBSE signal was fit to the function:…”

mentioning

confidence: 90%

On the Accuracy of the Composition-by-difference Method for Determining Lithium Content in Oxides

Lee¹,

Mu²,

Stowe³

2022

Microscopy and Microanalysis

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Here, the BSE signal of the Si substrate is used as the lower limit and the signal of the Au substrate is used as the upper limit. Another combination of limits is the detector response to the blanked beam as the lower limit and the BSE signal of the crystalline Si sample as the upper limit [15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nanoscale Estimation of Coating Thickness on Substrates via Standardless BSE Detector Calibration

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The thickness of electron transparent samples can be measured in an electron microscope using several imaging techniques like electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) or quantitative scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). We extrapolate this method for using a back-scattered electron (BSE) detector in the scanning electron microscope (SEM). This brings the opportunity to measure the thickness not just of the electron transparent samples on TEM mesh grids, but, in addition, also the thickness of thin films on substrates. Nevertheless, the geometry of the microscope and the BSE detector poses a problem with precise calibration of the detector. We present a simple method which can be used for such a type of detector calibration that allows absolute (standardless) measurement of thickness, together with a proof of the method on test samples.

show abstract

Quantitative analysis of backscattered electron (BSE) contrast using low voltage scanning electron microscopy (LVSEM) and its application to AlGaN/GaN layers

Cited by 14 publications

References 21 publications

Scanning Electron Thermal Absorbance Microscopy for Light Element Detection and Atomic Number Analysis

Scanning Electron Thermal Absorbance Microscopy for Light Element Detection and Atomic Number Analysis

On the Accuracy of the Composition-by-difference Method for Determining Lithium Content in Oxides

Nanoscale Estimation of Coating Thickness on Substrates via Standardless BSE Detector Calibration

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About