Experimental Techniques

Abstract

As discussed in the last chapter, metal atom diffusion and ion drift dictate the stability of the metal–dielectric interface. In order to study possible metal contamination inside dielectrics, many characterization methods have been developed. One technique is to detect the electrical response of the metal species inside dielectrics, such as the flatband voltage shift in a Capacitance–Voltage (C–V) measurement or the leakage current in a Current–Voltage (I–V) measurement. Electrical measurements provide a high sensitivity to ion penetration and a short turnaround time, but they are insensitive to neutral atomic contamination inside dielectrics. Also, because electrical methods are indirect, they can sometimes produce ambiguous results. A more direct way is to chemically identify these metal species inside dielectrics by using elemental detection techniques. These elemental methods rely on the fingerprints of elements, such as collision cross-section, atomic orbitals, and charge-mass ratio. In addition, elemental measurements can be used to profile the metal distribution inside dielectrics. In this chapter, we will begin with the introduction of some common test vehicles, followed by a discussion of some popular electrical and elemental characterization methods.