Analytical Characterization of Thin Layers and Interfaces Between Thin Layers in Semiconducting Materials Devices and Magnetic Multilayers by Means of EELS and EFTEM

During the last couple of years, transmission electron microscopy has gained more and more importance in semiconductor and magnetic multilayer characterization since device dimensions have been continuously decreasing. Simultaneously, energy-filtering TEM has established itself as a powerful analytical technique to explore the chemical composition of semiconducting materials on a nanometer range. EFTEM elemental mapping and EELS-spectrometry are used to identify chemical defects in semiconductor devices which have been prepared by cross-sectional ion-milling. Furthermore, we investigate the crystallography and chemistry of thin layers in semiconductor devices and the interfaces between these layers.