Failure Analysis in a Complex World Webinar
In this webinar we show how EAG troubleshoots electronic system failures using a multidisciplinary approach
How Ion-TOF SIMS Uncovers Hidden Layers in Semiconductors
If you cracked open a semiconductor chip and looked inside, you might expect to see neat layers stacked like a sandwich. In a way, that’s true, but the “layers” we’re taking about are so small that they’re measured in nanometers, thousands of times smaller than a human hair.
These ultrathin layers are what make our phones faster, our computers smarter, and our sensors more precise. But here’s the challenge: how do you actually see what’s happening inside such tiny structures without destroying the whole device?
That’s where depth profiling with time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) comes in. It’s like peeling back the layers of a semiconductor, atom by atom, and taking a chemical fingerprint of each one along the way.
What Does “Depth-Profiling” Mean?
Think of TOF-SIMS as a very precise “nano-shovel.” A focused ion beam gently sputters away the material, layer by layer. As each layer is removed, another beam analyzes the exposed surface, identifying what elements or molecules there are.
The result? A layer-by-layer composition map of your device, showing exactly where dopants are, how sharp the interfaces look, and whether any unwanted contaminants are lurking between layers.
Why Semi-Conductors Need This Level of Detail
Semiconductor devices live or die by the details. Here’s why depth profiling matters:
- Doping Control: A few misplaced dopant atoms can mean the difference between a transistor that switches lighting fast and one that doesn’t work at all.
- Battery Integrity: Thin oxide or dielectric layers act as protective barriers, if they’re uneven or too thin, performance suffers.
- Clean Interfaces: Even a tiny bit of contamination between layers can degrade reliability over time.
Depth profiling helps engineers see below the surface to confirm that every layer is exactly where it should be.
Real-World Materials: From Silicon to GaN
The semiconductor world is not just about silicon anymore. Today’s devices rely on a variety of advanced materials, each with unique structures and challenges:
- Silicon (Si): The workhorse of the industry, forming the base of most integrated circuits.
- Silicon Carbide (SiC): Used in high-power and high-temperature applications, like electric vehicles and inverters.
- Gallium Nitride (GaN): A wide-bandgap semiconductor driving advances in 5G, high-efficiency LEDs, and fast chargers.
- Compound Semiconductors Like InP or GaAs: Common in photonics, lasers, and high-frequency devices.
In materials like GaN, TOF-SIMS depth profiling is valuable. Engineers can detect dopant distributions with nanometer precision, verify the sharpness of heterostructure interfaces (such as GaN/AIGaN junctions in high-electron-mobility transistors), and identify unwanted impurities that might reduce performance or yield.
A Layered Example
Take a silicon-based transistor gate stack as an example. You have the following:
- A silicon base
- A super thin SiO2 oxide layer
- A high k dielectric like HfO2
- A metal gate electrode on top
With TOF-SIMS, If the transition between layers looks blurred, you know there’s diffusion happening. If a surprise signal shows up (like sodium), you have just uncovered a contaminant.
The same principle applies to GaN devices, where depth profiling reveals whether aluminum, gallium, and nitrogen signals remail sharp at interfaces, or whether unwanted oxygen or carbon sneaks in during fabrication.
Why TOF-SIMS is a Game-Changer
Other techniques can give you a sense of composition, but TOF-SIMS has some major advantages:
- It sees the tiniest details, down to parts per million, sometimes even billion
- It distinguishes tricky overlaps, like molecular interference of similar mass ions
- It builds 3D reconstructions, so you don’t just get a flat profile, you get a full picture of your device’s architecture
It’s basically a microscope for chemistry, designed to explore invisible layers that define the future of microelectronics, from traditional silicon chips to next-generation GaN and SiC power devices.
The Importance and Potential Impacts of Depth Profiling
The insights provided by TOF-SIMS go far beyond curiosity. They have a direct power within the semiconductor industry:
- High device reliability: Catching contaminants or diffusion early helps prevent failures in the field.
- Faster innovation cycles: By verifying material quality, researchers can move from concept to prototype to market faster.
- Cost savings: Detecting defects before mass production reduces waste and improves yield.
- Enabling next-generation technologies: Wide-bandgap semiconductors like GaN and SiC are essential for renewable energy, electric vehicles and 5G networks. TOF-SIMS helps ensure these devices meet demanding performance standards.
- Sustainability benefits: By improving efficiency and reducing defects, depth profiling indirectly supports greener manufacturing and energy-efficient electronics.
Why This Matters for the Everyday World
You might not think about what’s inside your phone, laptop, or car, but semiconductor design affects your life in big and small ways. TOF-SIMS depth profiling supports:
- Faster, more powerful phones and computers that can handle AI and data-heavy tasks
- Energy-efficient chargers and power electronics that waste less electricity
- Safer, longer-range electric vehicles powered by reliable wide-bandgap semiconductors
- Better wireless communication through 5G networks built on GaN devices
Eurofins EAG Laboratories: Your Partner in SIMS and TOF-SIMS Analysis
At EAG Laboratories, our focus is on helping clients make sense of complex materials data. We’ve equipped our state-of-the-art laboratory with the latest SIMS and TOF-SIMS instruments, including newly installed systems that deliver industry-leading depth resolution and sensitivity. This ensures we can help capture precise chemical profiles even in the most advanced semiconductor structures.
Our strength also lies in interpreting results with scientific rigor. Our team of internationally recognized scientists have experience working with silicon, GaN, SiC, and compound semiconductors. We understand how dopant distributions, interface sharpness, and trace contamination affect real-world power device performance, and they work closely with clients to provide a meaningful analysis rather than raw numbers.
By combing advanced instrumentation with expert interpretation, EAG Laboratories delivers actionable insights that help improve device reliability.
Further Reading
- EAG Laboratories. Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS). Retrieved from: https://www.eag.com/techniques/mass-spec/secondary-ion-mass-spectrometry-sims/
- IONTOF. TOF-SIMS Applications. Retrieved from: https://www.iontof.com/applications-tof-sims-leis-spm.html
- Klump, A., Zhou, C. et. al. (2018). Improvement in detection limit for time-of-flight SIMS analysis of dopants in GaN structures. Journal of Vacuum Science and Nanotechnology and Microelectronics 36(3):03F102. DOI:10.1116/1.5013001
- Smentkowski, V. and Shubhodeep, G. (2021). Quantitative depth profiling of Al in SiC using time of flight–secondary ion mass spectroscopy
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