The Effect of TEM Specimen Preparation Method on Ultra-Thin Gate Dielectric Analysis Available to Purchase

The three typical TEM specimen preparation methods are investigated for two different ultra-thin gate dielectric materials analysis. The results show that the mechanical polishing with short time, low angle ion milling is best specimen preparation method for both samples. FIB finial thinning can be used for SiON gate dielectric specimen analysis, but is not suitable for HfO2 gate dielectric analysis. After FIB thinning, severe Ga and Pt contamination on the specimen surface is found when using HR-STEM/HAADF imaging.