sMIMIt is most influenced by the United StatesPrimeNanoA AFM based electrical measurement device developed by the company in collaboration with top universities in the United States (Stanford University). At the same time as measuring the surface morphology of the sample, obtain the electrical properties of the sample, such as conductivity, dielectric constant, carrier concentration, carrier type, etc. SMIM is an impedance measurement based on microwave frequency, with ultra-high spatial and electrical resolution, and no need for sample preparation. It is suitable for various materials including conductors, semiconductors, insulators/dielectrics, buried structures, etc. It has very important applications in research fields such as semiconductors, phase change materials, nanoscience, ferroelectric materials, etc. (as shown in the figure below). The scientific research achievements obtained through sMIM technology have been published in renowned international journals, such asScience, Nature, Physics Review Letters, Nano Letters, etc(http://www.primenanoinc.com/?page_id=12 )

sMIMApplication principle

Transmitting microwave signals to the needle tip, the microwave generates a near-field electromagnetic field at the needle tip and interacts with the sampleSurface and near surface interaction, after interaction, feedback microwave signal, needle tip movementThe amplitude and phase of the feedback microwave vary with the electrical signal of the needle tip, and it is softPerform signal calibration and analysis, and perform synchronous imaging of capacitance, resistivity, and morphology.

6Type signal feedback pathway

Semiconductor field-semiconductor device

SMIM technology can be used to measure the electrical properties of semiconductor devices, including carrier concentration distribution, carrier type, metal structure, dielectric layer (insulator) structure, etc. By utilizing the unique advantages of sMIM, it is possible to measure the C-V curve at the nanoscale for material localization. It can be applied in device characterization, failure analysis, etc. Here are a few typical examples.

Insulated gate transistor

The SEM image of the insulated gate bipolar transistor and the graph measured using other techniques are shown in the left figure above; The image on the right is obtained using sMIM technology. We can see from the comparison results that sMIM technology displays more details of the device and the images are clearer. SMIM not only displays the type and concentration distribution of charge carriers, but also displays the metal structure, polycrystalline silicon structure, oxide layer structure, and defects in the oxide layer.

（http://www.primenanoinc.com/smim_wp3/?page_id=739）

CMOSPhotosensitive device

The image shows the surface of a global shutter CMOS sensor being scanned, with a scanning area size of 5 µ m x 5 µ m. The area 1 corresponding to the number in the figure is an n-type diffusion area used for storage; 2 is the n-type diffusion region of the photocathode; 3 is the shallow channel isolation insulation area; 4 is the metal contact area; 5 is the p-type substrate around the cathode. SMIM-C images clearly display various materials.

By utilizing the sMIM-C signal, we can perform C-V curve measurements at specific locations at the nanoscale. C-V curve measurement at specific locations can be used for failure analysis of semiconductor devices. The following figure on the right shows the C-V curves obtained from measurements at different points. C-V curve # 1 and C-V curve # 2 indicate that the measured region is an n-type semiconductor, which coincides with the n-type diffusion region used for storage in device structure 1 and the n-type diffusion region of photocathode 2. C-V curve # 5 shows that the tested area is a p-type half body, which coincides with the p-type substrate around the cathode of device structure 5. C-V curve # 3 is flat, indicating that the measured area is made of non semiconductor material, which coincides with the shallow channel isolation insulation area of device structure 3.（http://www.azonano.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=4207）

Ferroelectric and magnetic materials

SMIM can be used to measure the electrical properties of domains and domain walls in ferroelectric and magnetic materials.

LiTaO3

The above figure shows the scanning results of LiTaO3 ferroelectric material. SMIM technology can scan in one goSimultaneously obtaining the surface morphology, PFM image, and sMIM of conductivity distribution of the material during the processImage. The PFM image clearly shows the different domain distributions in ferroelectric materials. From sMIM graphIt can be seen from the image that the domain walls are conductive.

（http://www.primenanoinc.com/smim_wp3/?page_id=756）

Graphene

The above figure shows the conductivity properties of graphene measured using sMIM technology. SMIM image clear displayShowing the superlattice structure on grapheneThe Mohr pattern is constructed. The size of its moir é structure is 14nm.（http://www.primenanoinc.com/?page_id=751）

Through surface measurement The microwave signal in sMIM can penetrate the dielectric layer and measure the electrical properties of materials below the surface

SMIM can penetrate the dielectric layer and scan the properties of materials below the surface. The above figure uses sMIM to measure the electrochemical growth process of silver in solution.

（Seeing through Walls at the Nanoscale: Microwave