Application of 3-D Transmission Electron Microscopy in Semiconductor Device Analysis

A new and improved sample preparation technique was developed by Wang. This technique uses an FIB instrument for the 90° rotation of a small portion of the specimen on the original grid by taking advantage of static force. All sample preparation steps, including thin-section creation and sample tilting, can be accomplished in a single process. The procedure is monitored in a high-resolution FIB instrument to assure a 100% success rate. Figure 1 shows a scanning electron microscope image of a 3D TEM sample with two rotated sections. The original TEM sample is a lift-out sample laid on carbon film.