M&M 2025 Presentation

Multidisciplinary Investigations of Dielectric Materials in a Real Device: Short-range Ordering, Composition and Dielectric Response

Abstract: Dielectric materials are extensively used in semiconductor devices to isolate different components as an insulator or diffusion mask. Their atomic structure and chemical composition are essential to understand the performance of the devices. With the shrinking of the device, the local structure and composition of the dielectric materials could vary from their bulk counterpart due to the reduced dimensions or process. It becomes critical to characterize the dielectric materials locally within their structure and their interfaces with other materials. However, even with an advanced electron microscope, it is challenging to fully characterize the dielectric materials locally in a real device. In this work, the short-range ordering, chemical composition, chemical states and dielectric response of the silicon oxide and silicon nitride layers of one commercial 3D NAND device were studied by 4D STEM and monochromated electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS).