Delineation of semiconductor doping by scanning resistance microscopy

A new technique for the two-dimensional delineation of P-N junctions is presented using a scanning resistance microscope (SRM). The SRM uses a conducting probe to perform localized resistance measurements over a surface. These measurements are used to delineate between regions of different doping type and concentration. By using contact forces of 10−4 N, the contact area is estimated to be 30 nm. Experiments have shown the SRM capable of junction delineation with a lateral spacial resolution of less than 35 nm. In addition, during resistance measurements the SRM performs simultaneous surface topography measurements.