Search

The reflectance of very slow electrons from solids and its electron energy dependence are shown as characteristic for the crystal system and its spatial orientation so they can serve, e.g., to fingerprinting the orientation of grains in polycrystals. Measurements on single crystals and polycrystals are validated via electron backscatter diffraction analyses. Sensitivity of the method to fine details of crystallinity is demonstrated.

The importance of high resolution imaging of dopant contrast in semiconductor structures parallels the continuous increase in the degree of their integration and complexity and in the size of substrates. Some scanning electron microscopy modes show moderate contrast between differently doped areas, but its detailed interpretation remains questionable, in particular, as regards the measurement of the dopant concentration. Photoemission spectromicroscopy on silicon substrates with patterns of opposite-type dopants suggests that the p∕n contrast is primarily related to local differences in the absorption of hot electrons along their trajectory toward the surface. This explanation is also expected to be valid in the interpretation of image contrasts formed by secondary electrons or very slow backscattered electrons. Wide-field photoemission electron microscopy has proven itself a fast imaging method providing large p-n contrast and the prospect of high-level resolution.