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Published on: January 19, 2018
Quantitative dopant distributions in GaAs nanowires using atom probe tomography
Sichao Du1, Timothy Burgess, Baptiste Gault
1School of Physics, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
Ultramicroscopy
|March 16, 2013
Summary
Precise 3D elemental mapping of semiconductor nanowires is now possible using atom probe tomography. This method offers atomic resolution and enhanced chemical sensitivity for dopant analysis.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Physics
Background:
- Controllable doping is essential for semiconductor nanowire applications.
- Accurate characterization of dopant distribution is a significant challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate atomic-resolution 3D elemental mapping of semiconductor nanowires.
- To address the challenge of precise dopant distribution characterization.
Main Methods:
- Atom probe tomography (APT) was employed for elemental mapping.
- An advanced reconstruction method exploiting specimen crystallography was utilized.
- Analysis covered the full nanowire diameter.
Main Results:
- Achieved atomic-resolution 3D elemental mapping of pristine semiconductor nanowires.
- Demonstrated depth resolution better than 0.17 nm.
- Reported an 8-fold increase in signal-to-noise ratio for enhanced chemical sensitivity.
Conclusions:
- Atom probe tomography provides a highly transferable method for nanowire analysis.
- The developed technique overcomes limitations in dopant distribution characterization.
- Enables precise analysis critical for advancing semiconductor nanowire technology.
