Brittle material failure in high consequence systems can appear random and unpredictable at subcritical stresses. Gaps in our understanding of how structural flaws and environmental factors (humidity, temperature) impact fracture propagation need to be addressed to circumvent this issue. A combined experimental and computational approach composed of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, numerical modeling, and atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been undertaken to identify mechanisms of slow crack growth in silicate glasses. AFM characterization of crack growth as slow as 10-13 m/s was observed, with some stepwise crack growth. MD simulations have identified the critical role of inelastic relaxation in crack propagation, including evolution of the structure during relaxation. A numerical model for the existence of a stress intensity threshold, a stress intensity below which a fracture will not propagate, was developed. This transferrable model for predicting slow crack growth is being incorporated into mission-based programs.
This LDRD supported efforts to significantly advance the scanning ultrafast electron microscope (SUEM) for spatial-temporal mapping of charge carrier dynamics in semiconductor materials and microelectronic devices. Sandia's SUEM capability in Livermore, CA, was built and demonstrated with previous LDRD funding; however, the stability and usability of the tool limited the throughput for analyzing samples. A new laser alignment strategy improved the stability of the SUEM, and the design and characterization of a new micro-channel plate (MCP)- based detector improved the signal-to-noise of the SUEM signal detection. These enhancements to the SUEM system improved throughput by over two orders of magnitude (before, a single time series of SUEM measurements would take several days to several weeks to acquire; now, the same measurements can be completed in~90 minutes in an automated fashion). The SUEM system can now be routinely used as an analytical instrument and will be a central part of several multi-year projects starting in FY22.
Local electromagnetic probing was developed to allow investigation of a variety of devices in noisy electrical environments. The quality and applicability of this technique was assessed during this one year LDRD. To obtain details about the experimental setup, the devices imaged, and the experimental details, please refer to the classified report from the project manager, Will Zortman, or the NSP IA lead, Kristina Czuchlewski.
The Scanning Ultrafast Electron Microscope (SUEM) was used to image a wide array samples using a variety of standard and non-standard operating conditions on a custom system built in Org. 8942. The ability of this technique to produce high-quality images was assessed during this one year LDRD. To obtain details about the devices imaged, as well as the experimental details, please refer to the classified report from the project manager, Rich Dondero, or the NSP IA lead, Kristina Czuchlewski.
The Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscope (NSOM) was used to image a wide array samples using a variety of standard and non-standard operating conditions on a custom system built in Org. 5625. The ability of this technique to produce high-quality images was assessed during this one-year LDRD. To obtain details about the devices imaged, as well as the experimental details, please refer to the classified report from the project manager, Rich Dondero, or the NSP IA lead, Kristina Czuchlewski.
To quantify the resolution limits of scanning microwave impedance microscopy (sMIM), we created scanning tunneling microscope (STM)-patterned donor nanostructures in silicon composed of 10 nm lines of highly conductive silicon buried under a protective top cap of silicon, and imaged them with sMIM. This dopant pattern is an ideal test of the resolution and sensitivity of the sMIM technique, as it is made with nm-resolution and offers minimal complications from topography convolution. It has been determined that typical sMIM tips can resolve lines down to ∼80 nm spacing, while resolution is independent of tip geometry as extreme tip wear does not change the resolving power, contrary to traditional scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM). Going forward, sMIM is an ideal technique for qualifying buried patterned devices, potentially allowing for quantitative post-fabrication characterization of donor structures, which may be an important tool for the study of atomic-scale transistors and state of the art quantum computation schemes.
The Zeiss Multi-Beam Scanning Electron Microscope (MultiSEM) was used to image a wide array samples using non-standard operating conditions. The ability of this new, high-throughput imaging technique to produce high-quality images was assessed during this one year LDRD. In addition to exploring new imaging conditions, sample preparation techniques, coupled with theoretical simulations, were explored to optimize the MultiSEM images. To obtain details about the devices imaged, as well as the experimental details, please refer to the classified report from the project manager, Bradley Gabel, or the Cyber IA lead, Justin Ford.
This document is the final SAND Report for the LDRD Project 105877 - 'Novel Diagnostic for Advanced Measurements of Semiconductor Devices Exposed to Adverse Environments' - funded through the Nanoscience to Microsystems investment area. Along with the continuous decrease in the feature size of semiconductor device structures comes a growing need for inspection tools with high spatial resolution and high sample throughput. Ideally, such tools should be able to characterize both the surface morphology and local conductivity associated with the structures. The imaging capabilities and wide availability of scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) make them an obvious choice for imaging device structures. Dopant contrast from pn junctions using secondary electrons in the SEM was first reported in 1967 and more recently starting in the mid-1990s. However, the serial acquisition process associated with scanning techniques places limits on the sample throughput. Significantly improved throughput is possible with the use of a parallel imaging scheme such as that found in photoelectron emission microscopy (PEEM) and low energy electron microscopy (LEEM). The application of PEEM and LEEM to device structures relies on contrast mechanisms that distinguish differences in dopant type and concentration. Interestingly, one of the first applications of PEEM was a study of the doping of semiconductors, which showed that the PEEM contrast was very sensitive to the doping level and that dopant concentrations as low as 10{sup 16} cm{sup -3} could be detected. More recent PEEM investigations of Schottky contacts were reported in the late 1990s by Giesen et al., followed by a series of papers in the early 2000s addressing doping contrast in PEEM by Ballarotto and co-workers and Frank and co-workers. In contrast to PEEM, comparatively little has been done to identify contrast mechanisms and assess the capabilities of LEEM for imaging semiconductor device strictures. The one exception is the work of Mankos et al., who evaluated the impact of high-throughput requirements on the LEEM designs and demonstrated new applications of imaging modes with a tilted electron beam. To assess its potential as a semiconductor device imaging tool and to identify contrast mechanisms, we used LEEM to investigate doped Si test structures. In section 2, Imaging Oxide-Covered Doped Si Structures Using LEEM, we show that the LEEM technique is able to provide reasonably high contrast images across lateral pn junctions. The observed contrast is attributed to a work function difference ({Delta}{phi}) between the p- and n-type regions. However, because the doped regions were buried under a thermal oxide ({approx}3.5 nm thick), e-beam charging during imaging prevented quantitative measurements of {Delta}{phi}. As part of this project, we also investigated a series of similar test structures in which the thermal oxide was removed by a chemical etch. With the oxide removed, we obtained intensity-versus-voltage (I-V) curves through the transition from mirror to LEEM mode and determined the relative positions of the vacuum cutoffs for the differently doped regions. Although the details are not discussed in this report, the relative position in voltage of the vacuum cutoffs are a direct measure of the work function difference ({Delta}{phi}) between the p- and n-doped regions.
Scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM) was used to study the cross section of an operating p-channel MOSFET. We discuss the novel test structure design and the modifications to the SCM hardware that enabled us to perform SCM while applying dc bias voltages to operate the device. The results are compared with device simulations performed with DAVINCI.