Characterization of Si nanostructures using a noncontact mode scanning near-field optical Raman microscope, with 100nm spatial resolution and 5nm depth resolution, using ultraviolet resonant Raman scattering

The authors developed a noncontact mode scanning near-field Raman microscope (NC-SNORM) with a hollow pyramidal probe, using ultraviolet resonant Raman scattering, measured the stress distribution in very-large-scale integration standards made of silicon dioxide (SiO2) film and Si, and characterized Si nanodot structures. The authors found that the areas covered by SiO2 are under tensile stress and the areas not covered by SiO2 are under compressive stress. Compressive stress concentrates on the interface, about 100nm wide, between the covered and noncovered areas. They measured near-field Raman spectra of the Si nanodot structures and found that the Raman intensities change periodically approximately every 100nm.