Strain mapping for the silicon-on-insulator generation of semiconductor devices by high-angle annular dark field scanning electron transmission microscopy

The strain in pMOS p-type metal-oxide-semiconductor devices grown on silicon-on-insulator substrates has been measured by using the geometrical phase analysis of high angle annular dark field scanning electron microscopy. We show that by using the latest generations of electron microscopes, the strain can now be quantitatively measured with a large field of view, a spatial resolution as low as 1 nm with a sensitivity as good as 0.15%. This technique is extremely flexible, provides both structural and strain information, and can be applied to all types of nanoscale materials both quickly and easily. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4723572]