Speaker
Description
Due to the ever-larger number of ever-smaller devices, the morphological perfection of the devices' surfaces, and the related characterization techniques, have become increasingly important for micro-electromechanical systems, nanoelectronics, opto-electronic, and even more critically, photonic devices, due to the significant effects surface topography has on the device performance. A well-established technique for three-dimensional surface characterization is atomic force microscopy (AFM), capable of high resolution and high accuracy. However, the typical AFM measurement geometry is designed to characterize surfaces parallel to the main stage surface (generally close to the direction perpendicular to the AFM tip axis).
Here we report on the adaptation of a commercial AFM system for sidewall imaging and characterization, therefore for scanning, imaging and characterization surfaces whose orientation are far away from the horizontal plane, ultimately that are perpendicular to the main stage surface. We present sidewall roughness measurements obtained on several model samples, particularly on optical waveguide structures, that are be used in photonic devices, for which surface roughness is crucial.
| Keyword-1 | surface roughness |
|---|---|
| Keyword-2 | atomic force microscopy |