title: New technique for in-situ measurement of backscattered and secondary electron yields for the calculation of signal-to-noise ratio in a SEM.
abstract: The quality of an image generated by a scanning electron microscope is dependent on secondary emission, which is a strong function of surface condition. Thus, empirical formulae and available databases are unable to take into account actual metrology conditions. This paper introduces a simple and reliable measurement technique to measure secondary electron yield (delta) and backscattered electron yield (eta) that is suitable for in-situ measurements on a specimen immediately prior to imaging. The reliability of this technique is validated on a number of homogenous surfaces. The measured electron yields are shown to be within the range of published data and the calculated signal-to-noise ratio compares favourably with that estimated from the image.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Multimedia University, Jalan Ayer Keroh Lama, 75450 Melaka, Malaysia. kssmi@mmu.edu.my
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Sim
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: White