TEM Studies of Semiconductor Materials

Abstract

Transmission electron microscopy is well established as a means for studying the structure and chemistry of solid phase materials, especially those based in metallic, ceramic, or semiconductor systems. As an imaging tool it is used to obtain micrographs at resolutions of up to 0.2 nm or better (depending on the particular TEM instrument available); with suitable specimens the atomic lattice of a crystalline material may be directly observed. As a diffraction technique it is used for identifying the constituent phases and crystal structures of a material. Since the sampled volume can be quite small, microstructural features whose spatial extent and/or volumetric concentration are below those accessible by conventional x-ray techniques can be analyzed.