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Resonance Raman Spectroscopy of Extreme Nanowires and Other 1D Systems
Published on: April 28, 2016
Unlocking doping and compositional profiles of nanowire ensembles using SIMS
A C E Chia1, J P Boulanger, R R LaPierre
1Department of Engineering Physics, Centre for Emerging Device Technologies, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L7, Canada.
Nanotechnology
|January 8, 2013
Summary
Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) accurately measured doping density in III-V nanowires. This method also characterized nanowire segment height uniformity for axial heterostructures.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- III-V nanowires are crucial for advanced electronic and optoelectronic devices.
- Accurate characterization of doping profiles and structural uniformity is essential for optimizing nanowire performance.
- Traditional characterization methods often face limitations in depth resolution and uniformity assessment for such nanostructures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a method for precise depth-resolved doping concentration analysis in III-V nanowire ensembles.
- To establish Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) as a reliable tool for characterizing the segment height uniformity of axial heterostructure nanowire ensembles.
- To demonstrate the effectiveness of embedding nanowires in a polymer matrix for improved SIMS analysis.
Main Methods:
- Vertically standing III-V nanowire ensembles were embedded in a Cyclotene polymer matrix to create a planar surface and protect the substrate.
- Dynamic and time-of-flight (TOF) SIMS was performed on the embedded nanowire samples.
- Thin film standards were utilized to calibrate SIMS analysis for accurate impurity dopant concentration calculations.
Main Results:
- SIMS analysis enabled accurate determination of impurity dopant concentration as a function of height within the nanowire ensemble with excellent depth resolution.
- This study presents SIMS as the first reported tool capable of characterizing the segment height uniformity of arbitrary axial heterostructure nanowire ensembles.
- Embedding nanowires in Cyclotene facilitated even sputtering and analysis, overcoming previous limitations in depth profiling.
Conclusions:
- Conventional SIMS, when applied to polymer-embedded nanowire ensembles, provides a highly accurate method for depth-resolved doping density measurements.
- SIMS is demonstrated as a unique and powerful tool for assessing the structural uniformity of complex nanowire heterostructures.
- The embedding technique enhances the applicability of SIMS for analyzing challenging nanostructure geometries.
