title: Reduction of charging effects using vector scanning in the scanning electron microscope.
abstract: We describe a vector scanning system to reduce charging effects during scanning electron microscope (SEM) imaging. The vector scan technique exploits the intrinsic charge decay mechanism of the specimen to improve imaging conditions. We compare SEM images obtained by conventional raster scanning versus vector scanning to demonstrate that vector scanning successfully reduces specimen-charging artifacts.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Integrated Circuit Failure Analysis and Reliability (CICFAR), Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore. elettl@nus.edu.sg
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Thong
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: W K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Wong