Junction delineation of 0.15 μm MOS devices using scanning capacitance microscopy

With the increased scaling down of MOSFET dimensions, delineation of the p-n junction becomes increasingly important. We have studied cross-sectioned 0.15 micron process MOSFETs using a newly developed technique, scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM), and report the first direct measurement of the channel length for these state-of-the-art devices. Using a device simulator we have quantitatively established the connection between the dopant profile and the SCM response while scanning across a p-n junction. This allows us to determine the position of the p-n junction from the SCM measurements.