Mapping interfacial excess in atom probe data.
Using modern wide-angle atom probes, it is possible to acquire atomic scale 3D data containing 1000 s of nm(2) of interfaces. It is therefore possible to probe the distribution of segregated species across these interfaces. Here, we present techniques that allow the production of models for interfacial excess (IE) mapping and discuss the underlying considerations and sampling statistics. We also show, how the same principles can be used to achieve thickness mapping of thin films. We demonstrate the effectiveness on example applications, including the analysis of segregation to a phase boundary in stainless steel, segregation to a metal-ceramic interface and the assessment of thickness variations of the gate oxide in a fin-FET.
School of Aerospace Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, The University of Sydney, Australia; Australian Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, The University of Sydney, Australia. Electronic address: peter.felfer@sydney.edu.au.
Peter
P
Felfer
Australian Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, The University of Sydney, Australia; Eidgenossische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Switzerland.
Barbara
B
Scherrer
Imec vzw, Kapeldreef 75, Heverlee 3001, Belgium.
Jelle
J
Demeulemeester
Imec vzw, Kapeldreef 75, Heverlee 3001, Belgium; Instituut voor Kern- en Stralingsfysica, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium.
Wilfried
W
Vandervorst
School of Aerospace Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, The University of Sydney, Australia; Australian Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, The University of Sydney, Australia.
Julie M
JM
Cairney
Atom probe tomography; Data analysis; Grain boundary; Interface; Interfacial excess mapping