A High-Precision Three-Dimensional TEM Imaging System

NanoElectronic Imaging, Inc. (NEI) will develop a thickness mapping system for the transmission electron microscope (TEM). This development will extend TEM’s usual 2D, subnanometer imaging resolution into the third dimension with comparable precision to provide a fully 3D, high-resolution imaging capability. The technique is based on an new mode of scanning TEM (STEM) electron beam-induced current (EBIC) imaging that was shown in Phase I to be capable of atomic force microscope (AFM)-like thickness contrast and, potentially, elemental mapping. In Phase II NEI will develop substrates, hardware, and software to incorporate this new capability into a turn-key STEM EBIC system, where it will be accessible simultaneously alongside other STEM EBIC-enabled electronic and thermal imaging modes. Additionally, a traceable calibrations library relating STEM EBIC signal to sample thickness for an array of materials will be assembled to serve as a reference for the user base.