Local strain and defects in silicon wafers due to nanoindentation revealed by full-field X-ray microdiffraction imaging.

Quantitative characterization of local strain in silicon wafers is critical in view of issues such as wafer handling during manufacturing and strain engineering. In this work, full-field X-ray microdiffraction imaging using synchrotron radiation is employed to investigate the long-range distribution of strain fields in silicon wafers induced by indents under different conditions in order to simulate wafer fabrication damage. The technique provides a detailed quantitative mapping of strain and defect characterization at the micrometer spatial resolution and holds some advantages over conventional methods.

Potential use of V-channel Ge(220) monochromators in X-ray metrology and imaging.

While channel-cut crystals, in which the diffracting surfaces in an asymmetric cut are kept parallel, can provide beam collimation and spectral beam shaping, they can in addition provide beam compression or expansion if the cut is V-shaped. The compression/expansion ratio depends in this case on the total asymmetry factor. If the Ge(220) diffraction planes and a total asymmetry factor in excess of 10 are used, the rocking curves of two diffractors will have a sufficient overlap only if the second diffractor is tuned slightly with respect to the first one. This study compares and analyses several ways of overcoming this mismatch, which is due to refraction, when the Cu Kα1 beam is compressed 21-fold in a V21 monochromator. A more than sixfold intensity increase was obtained if the matching was improved either by a compositional variation or by a thermal deformation. This provided an intensity gain compared with the use of a simple slit in a symmetrical channel-cut monochromator. The first attempt to overcome the mismatch by introducing different types of X-ray prisms for the required beam deflection is described as well. The performance of the V-shaped monochromators is demonstrated in two applications. A narrow collimated monochromatic beam obtained in the beam compressing mode was used for high-resolution grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering measurements of a silicon sample with corrupted surface. In addition, a two-dimensional Bragg magnifier, based on two crossed V15 channel monochromators in beam expansion mode and tuned by means of unequal asymmetries, was successfully applied to high-resolution imaging of test structures in combination with a Medipix detector.

A proof-of-principle experiment of a novel harmonics separation optics for synchrotron facilities.

A proof-of-principle experiment of a novel harmonics separation optics for synchrotron facilities is presented. The harmonic separator is a Si crystal cut in an inclined geometry in which the impinging beam undergoes a diffractive-refractive effect owing to the dispersive nature of X-ray refraction. A polychromatic beam containing higher-order energies is spatially separated behind the separator into individual monochromatic diffraction spots. A synchrotron experiment at a bending-magnet beamline with 7 keV fundamental energy is presented. The spot of the third-order harmonic of 21 keV is deviated from the fundamental by 0.35 mm at a distance 1 m behind the device.

On the implementation of computed laminography using synchrotron radiation.

Hard x rays from a synchrotron source are used in this implementation of computed laminography for three-dimensional (3D) imaging of flat, laterally extended objects. Due to outstanding properties of synchrotron light, high spatial resolution down to the micrometer scale can be attained, even for specimens having lateral dimensions of several decimeters. Operating either with a monochromatic or with a white synchrotron beam, the method can be optimized to attain high sensitivity or considerable inspection throughput in synchrotron user and small-batch industrial experiments. The article describes the details of experimental setups, alignment procedures, and the underlying reconstruction principles. Imaging of interconnections in flip-chip and wire-bonded devices illustrates the peculiarities of the method compared to its alternatives and demonstrates the wide application potential for the 3D inspection and quality assessment in microsystem technology.

Diffractive-refractive optics: low-aberration Bragg-case focusing by precise parabolic surfaces.

Based on analytical formulae calculations and ray-tracing simulations a low-aberration focal spot with a high demagnification ratio was predicted for a diffractive-refractive crystal optics device with parabolic surfaces. Two Si(111) crystals with two precise parabolic-shaped grooves have been prepared and arranged in a dispersive position (+,-,-,+) with high asymmetry. Experimental testing of the device at beamline BM05 at the ESRF provided a focal spot size of 38.25 microm at a focal distance of 1.4 m for 7.31 keV. This is the first experiment with a parabolic-shaped groove; all previous experiments were performed with circular grooves which introduced extreme aberration broadening of the focal spot. The calculated and simulated focal size was 10.8 microm at a distance of 1.1 m at 7.31 keV. It is assumed that the difference between the measured and calculated/simulated focal spot size and focal distance is due to insufficient surface quality and to alignment imperfection.