Electronic engineering and semiconductor materials

Find out how our analytical solutions can advance your knowledge of semiconductor materials, device processing, and electronic engineering

Want to know more about how our analysis methods can support your research in electronic engineering and semiconductor materials? Whether you’re a student, a researcher, or a professor, we’ve put together some relevant application examples of our solutions in semiconductor research and device processing.

The materials and analytical equipment used in these examples overlap with Materials Science and Engineering, and Physics and Applied Physics, so you may find additional information on those pages. Method abbreviations are explained at the bottom of this page.

Semiconductor research

Our applications in semiconductor research primarily involve high resolution X-ray Diffraction of epitaxial layers. Thin film growth by MBE, MOCVD or CVD are big research areas in Electronic Engineering and Physics departments. This is where we find the highest concentration of our High-Resolution XRD applications. There is a constant quest to develop new semiconductor materials and to overcome the many challenges of incorporating new materials into working devices. The table below provides a selection of application notes that exemplify typical measurements on semiconductor materials. Click on any of the links in the table to discover more!

Semiconductors Research

Method

Sample

Application Note Title (Link)

Epitaxial layers - finding reflections

HR-XRD

GaN / InGaN alloys

Available reflections for coplanar and in-plane XRD of GaN and related alloys

Epitaxial layers - rapid measurements

HR-XRD

InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells

Fast X-ray diffraction measurements on semiconductor structures

Epitaxial layers - thermal stability

HR-XRD

AlInN/GaN/Sapphire

Studying the thermal stability of gallium nitride based high electron mobility transistor structures

Epitaxial layers – strain, composition, and layer thickness

HR-XRD

Gallium Nitride and related compounds

XRD of gallium nitride and related compounds: strain, composition and layer thickness (booklet)

Epitaxial layers - strain, composition, and layer thickness

HR-XRD

GaAs on Ge on Si

Semiconductor thin films. Analysis of III-V solar cells on silicon substrates

Narrow bandgap (IR) semiconductors - film composition, thickness

XRF

InxSy films on glass

Zetium - Analysis of InxSy layers on glass using Stratos

OLED polymers - molecular weight

GPC

Poly(phenylene-vinylene) (PPV) in Chloroform; 2) poly(fluorene-phenylenevinylene)(PF-PPV) in THF; 3) polythiophene (PT) in Chloroform

Conjugated Polymer Analysis by GPC-PDA

Perovskite semiconductors - defects

Reflection Topography

Perovskite LiTaO3

Reflection topography with PIXcel3D

Phase change materials - crystalline phase identification

XRD / XRR

Germanium Antimony Telluride (Ge2Sb2Te5) PCM

Combining XRR & XRD for in-situ investigation of phase change materials

Thin films - In-plane methods

XRD / HR-XRD

Co films in hard disks, GaN on Sapphire

In-plane diffraction

Thin-film solar cells - overview

XRD / HR-XRD

Solar cell materials, general

X-ray diffraction techniques for characterization of thin film solar cells

Wide bandgap (UV) semiconductors - thin film quality

XRD / XRR

ZnO films on glass

Comprehensive XRD investigation of ZnO thin films

Device processing

Malvern Panalytical’s wafer analyzer is not often employed in university research, but it is worth showing here some of the process fabrication instances where it is employed to measure elemental composition and film thickness. Wafer cutting and polishing is also an important step in device processing and particle size characterization is important to control the quality of cutting and polishing slurries.  Click on any of the links in the table to discover more!

Device Processing

Method

Sample

Application Note Title (Link)

Dielectric films - composition, thickness

XRF

Borophosphosilicate glass (BPSG) Dielectric films, Boron, phosphorous, Silicon

Analysis of BPSG films

Diffusion barrier layers - composition, thickness

XRF

Cu/TaNx multilayers on Si wafers

Simultaneous analysis of Cu/TaNx stacks

Diffusion/bonding metallization - composition thickness

XRF

TiNx layers on Si wafers

FP Multi analysis of TiNx thin films on Si substrates

Epitaxial layers -composition

XRF

Ge concentration in Si(1-x)Gex films

Analysis of Si(1-x)Gex films

Ferroelectric/​Dielectric films - composition, thickness

XRF

Barium Strontium Titanate (BST) films on Pt

Analysis of barium strontium titanate (BST) films on Pt

Gate connecting layers - thickness

XRF

Tungsten (W) layers

Analysis of W films

Gate technology - layer thickness

XRF

WSix deposition on Silicon

Analysis of WSix films

Giant magnetoresistant multilayers - composition, thickness

XRF

Ta, NiMn, PtMn, CoFe, Cu, NiFe, Al2O3 thin films

Analysis of Giant Magneto Resistance GMR film stacks using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry

Interconnect layers- composition, thickness

XRF

AlCu interconnect layers on S substrate

Analysis of AlCu films

Passivation layers - thickness

XRF

Ni-Ta thin films on Si

Zetium - Analysis of Ni-Ta thin films using Stratos

Read/write heads for hard drives - layer thickness

XRF

CoNiFe films on hard drives

In-line process control of CoNiFe layers in the manufacturing of read/write heads

Wafer cutting slurry - particle size and shape

Imaging

Silicon carbide - abrasive slurry

Analysis of wire saw abrasive slurries to facilitate recycling using the FPIA-3000 automated dynamic image analysis system

Wafer polishing slurry – particle size

ELS / DLS

Silica-based particles in ammonia salt solution, silica-based particles in KOH solution

Characterization of SiO2 Slurry Samples Used in Chemical Mechanical Polishing

Wafer polishing slurry - zeta potential

ELS

 SiO2 or Al2O3 particles

Zeta Potential Measurement of Highly Concentrated CMP Slurry Dispersions

약어 설명

당사의 제품 및 기술은 제품 페이지에 설명되어 있습니다. 아래에서 측정 이름 및 약어와 함께 당사 기기로 측정한 특성에 대한 빠른 참조를 찾을 수 있습니다. 자세한 내용을 보려면 각 방법을 클릭하십시오! 

약어

방법 이름

기기

측정된 특성

DLS

동적 광산란

Zetasizer

분자 크기, 유체역학적 반경 RH, 입자 크기, 크기 분포, 안정성, 농도, 응집

ELS

전기 영동 광산란

Zetasizer

제타 전위, 입자 전하, 현탁액 안정성, 단백질 이동도

ITC

등온 적정 열량측정법

MicroCal  ITC

결합 친화도, 용액 내 분자 반응의 열역학

DSC

시차 주사 열량측정법

Microcal DSC

대형 분자의 변성(풀림), 거대분자의 안정성

GCI

도파관 간섭법

Creoptix WAVEsystem

실시간 결합 동역학 및 결합 친화도, 유체를 사용한 무표지

IMG

자동 이미지 분석

Morphologi 4

입자 영상 처리, 자동 형상 및 크기 측정

MDRS

형태학적 기반 라만 분광법

Morphologi 4-ID

입자 영상 처리, 자동 형상 및 크기 측정, 화학적 식별 및 오염물 검출

LD

레이저 회절

Mastersizer

Spraytec

Insitec

Parsum

입자 크기, 크기 분포

NTA

나노 입자 추적 분석

NanoSight

입자 크기, 크기 분포 및 농도

SEC  또는  GPC

크기 배제 크로마토그래피 /

겔 투과 크로마토그래피

OMNISEC

분자 크기, 분자량, 올리고머 상태, 폴리머 또는 단백질 크기 및 분자 구조

SPE

융합을 통한 샘플 전처리

Le Neo

LeDoser

Eagon 2

OxAdvanced

M4

rFusion

XRF를 위한 용융 비드 샘플 전처리, ICP를 위한 과산화물 용액 전처리, 비드 만들기를 위한 플럭스 칭량

UV/Vis/NIR/ SWIR

자외선/가시광선/근적외선/단파 적외선 분광측정법

LabSpec

FieldSpec

TerraSpec

QualitySpec

물질 식별 및 분석, 수분, 광물, 탄소 함량. 공기중 및 위성 분광 기법을 위한 지상 실측.

PFTNA

펄스화된 빠른 열 중성자 활성화

CNA

인라인 원소 분석

XRD-C

X선 회절 (결정학)

Aeris

Empyrean

분자 결정 구조 정제,

결정상 식별 및 정량화, 결정질 대 비결정질 비율, 결정질 크기 분석

XRD-M

X선 회절 (미세구조)

Empyrean

X’Pert3 MRD(XL)

잔류 응력, 텍스처

XRD-CT

컴퓨터 단층촬영에 의한 X선 흡수 영상 처리

Empyrean

고체, 다공성 및 밀도의 3D 영상 처리

SAXS

소각 X선 산란

Empyrean

나노입자, 크기, 형태 및 구조

GISAXS

그레이징 입사 소각 X선 산란

Empyrean

나노구조의 박막 및 표면

HR-XRD

고분해능 X선 회절

Empyrean

X’Pert3 MRD(XL)

박막 및 에피택시 다층, 조성, 변형, 두께, 품질

XRR

X선 반사측정

Empyrean

X’Pert3 MRD(XL)

박막 및 표면, 막 두께, 표면 및 계면 조도

XRF

X선 형광

Epsilon

Zetium

Axios FAST

2830 ZT

원소 조성, 원소 농도, 미량 원소, 오염물 검출