Sensors (Apr 2024)
Nanoscale Three-Dimensional Imaging of Integrated Circuits Using a Scanning Electron Microscope and Transition-Edge Sensor Spectrometer
- Nathan Nakamura,
- Paul Szypryt,
- Amber L. Dagel,
- Bradley K. Alpert,
- Douglas A. Bennett,
- William Bertrand Doriese,
- Malcolm Durkin,
- Joseph W. Fowler,
- Dylan T. Fox,
- Johnathon D. Gard,
- Ryan N. Goodner,
- James Zachariah Harris,
- Gene C. Hilton,
- Edward S. Jimenez,
- Burke L. Kernen,
- Kurt W. Larson,
- Zachary H. Levine,
- Daniel McArthur,
- Kelsey M. Morgan,
- Galen C. O’Neil,
- Nathan J. Ortiz,
- Christine G. Pappas,
- Carl D. Reintsema,
- Daniel R. Schmidt,
- Peter A. Schultz,
- Kyle R. Thompson,
- Joel N. Ullom,
- Leila Vale,
- Courtenay T. Vaughan,
- Christopher Walker,
- Joel C. Weber,
- Jason W. Wheeler,
- Daniel S. Swetz
Affiliations
- Nathan Nakamura
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
- Paul Szypryt
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
- Amber L. Dagel
- Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87123, USA
- Bradley K. Alpert
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
- Douglas A. Bennett
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
- William Bertrand Doriese
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
- Malcolm Durkin
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
- Joseph W. Fowler
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
- Dylan T. Fox
- Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87123, USA
- Johnathon D. Gard
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
- Ryan N. Goodner
- Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87123, USA
- James Zachariah Harris
- Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87123, USA
- Gene C. Hilton
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
- Edward S. Jimenez
- Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87123, USA
- Burke L. Kernen
- Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87123, USA
- Kurt W. Larson
- Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87123, USA
- Zachary H. Levine
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA
- Daniel McArthur
- Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87123, USA
- Kelsey M. Morgan
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
- Galen C. O’Neil
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
- Nathan J. Ortiz
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
- Christine G. Pappas
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
- Carl D. Reintsema
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
- Daniel R. Schmidt
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
- Peter A. Schultz
- Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87123, USA
- Kyle R. Thompson
- Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87123, USA
- Joel N. Ullom
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
- Leila Vale
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
- Courtenay T. Vaughan
- Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87123, USA
- Christopher Walker
- Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87123, USA
- Joel C. Weber
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
- Jason W. Wheeler
- Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87123, USA
- Daniel S. Swetz
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/s24092890
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 24,
no. 9
p. 2890
Abstract
X-ray nanotomography is a powerful tool for the characterization of nanoscale materials and structures, but it is difficult to implement due to the competing requirements of X-ray flux and spot size. Due to this constraint, state-of-the-art nanotomography is predominantly performed at large synchrotron facilities. We present a laboratory-scale nanotomography instrument that achieves nanoscale spatial resolution while addressing the limitations of conventional tomography tools. The instrument combines the electron beam of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) with the precise, broadband X-ray detection of a superconducting transition-edge sensor (TES) microcalorimeter. The electron beam generates a highly focused X-ray spot on a metal target held micrometers away from the sample of interest, while the TES spectrometer isolates target photons with a high signal-to-noise ratio. This combination of a focused X-ray spot, energy-resolved X-ray detection, and unique system geometry enables nanoscale, element-specific X-ray imaging in a compact footprint. The proof of concept for this approach to X-ray nanotomography is demonstrated by imaging 160 nm features in three dimensions in six layers of a Cu-SiO2 integrated circuit, and a path toward finer resolution and enhanced imaging capabilities is discussed.
Keywords
