Sem Micro-Irradiation Techniques in Semiconductor Devices

This paper extends the application of the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) to the irradiation of several small areas on a single device with independent energies and doses of electrons. Specifically the SEM is used to irradiate several areas on 2 cm × 2 cm inversion layer silicon solar cells. To diagnose the radiations' effects in these areas, a technique is employed which involves phototopographic laser scanning to assess the changes in the photocurrent response. Mercury probe C-V measurements are used to determine the changes in the oxide-silicon system. The results obtained are shown to compare favourably with other low energy electron data and with x-ray irradiation experiments.