Profiling p(+)/n-Well Junction by Nanoprobing and Secondary Electron Potential Contrast

Abstract

This letter investigates the use of secondary electron potential contrast (SEPC) with an in situ dynamic nanoprobing trigger to examine a silicon p(+)/n- well junction. Experimental results demonstrate that applying a bias to the p(+)/n- well junction nodes can intensify the SEPC signal. An image processing procedure is used to convert the image contrast to a voltage scale, allowing the depletion region to be identified. The proposed method can maintain stable voltage conditions in the junction, facilitating inspection of the dopant area by scanning electron microscopy, potentially contributing to the development of an efficient method for examining dopant areas in real circuits.