Quantitative electron-beam tester for defects in semiconductors (CL/EBIC/SDLTS system)

Abstract

A pulsed electron beam testing system was developed for quantitative analysis of optical and/or electrical properties of defects in semiconductors. This system can control not only the electron beam but also detect and record the absolute values of light intensity: cathodoluminescence (CL), electron-beam-induced current (EBIC), and scanning deep level transient spectroscopy (SDLTS). Several improvements were made to enable accurate quantitative measurement. An optical system with an ellipsoidal mirror of low magnification was designed to make uniform collection efficiency of CL over a wide specimen area. A photon counting system and a lock-in amplifying system were implemented to measure absolute value of light intensity. A quantitative EBIC or SDLTS system was also incorporated to this system. The combined system of CL/EBIC/SDLTS can both image the distribution of defects and study their characteristics.