TEM specimen preparation of semiconductor–PMMA–metal interfaces

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) cross-section specimens of PMMA in contact with gold and Si were prepared by focused ion beam (FIB) and compared with plan-view PMMA specimens prepared by a dip-coating technique. The specimens were characterized by TEM and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EE...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Materials characterization 2008-11, Vol.59 (11), p.1623-1629
Main Authors: Thangadurai, P., Lumelsky, Yulia, Silverstein, Michael S., Kaplan, Wayne D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
CROSS SECTIONS
DIP COATING
EELS
ENERGY-LOSS SPECTROSCOPY
FIB
GOLD
INTERFACES
ION BEAMS
LAYERS
MATERIALS SCIENCE
MEAN FREE PATH
MORPHOLOGY
PMMA
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
TEM
THICKNESS
THIN FILMS
TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) cross-section specimens of PMMA in contact with gold and Si were prepared by focused ion beam (FIB) and compared with plan-view PMMA specimens prepared by a dip-coating technique. The specimens were characterized by TEM and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). In the cross-section specimens, the thin films of PMMA were located in a Si–PMMA–Au multilayer. Different thicknesses of PMMA films were spin-coated on the Si substrates. The thickness of the TEM specimens prepared by FIB was estimated using EELS to be 0.65 of the plasmon mean-free-path. Along the PMMA–Au interface, Au particle diffusion into the PMMA was observed, and the size of the Au particles was in the range of 2–4 nm. Dip-coating of PMMA directly on Cu TEM grids resulted in thin specimens with a granular morphology, with a thickness of 0.58 of the plasmon mean-free-path. The dip-coated specimens were free from ion milling induced artifacts, and thus serve as control specimens for comparison with the cross-sectioned specimens prepared by FIB.
ISSN:1044-5803
1873-4189
DOI:10.1016/j.matchar.2008.02.007