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Shrestha PR, Abhyankar N, Anders MA, Cheung KP, Gougelet R, Ryan JT, Szalai V, Campbell JP. Nonresonant Transmission Line Probe for Sensitive Interferometric Electron Spin Resonance Detection. Anal Chem 2019; 91:11108-11115. [PMID: 31380627 PMCID: PMC11090209 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.9b01730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy measures paramagnetic free radicals, or electron spins, in a variety of biological, chemical, and physical systems. Detection of diverse paramagnetic species is important in applications ranging from quantum computation to biomedical research. Countless efforts have been made to improve the sensitivity of ESR detection. However, the improvement comes at the cost of experimental accessibility. Thus, most ESR spectrometers are limited to specific sample geometries and compositions. Here, we present a nonresonant transmission line ESR probe (microstrip geometry) that effectively couples high frequency microwave magnetic field into a wide range of sample geometries and compositions. The nonresonant transmission line probe maintains detection sensitivity while increasing availability to a wider range of applications. The high frequency magnetic field homogeneity is greatly increased by positioning the sample between the microstrip signal line and the ground plane. Sample interfacing occurs via a universal sample holder which is compatible with both solid and liquid samples. The unavoidable loss in sensitivity due to the nonresonant nature of the transmission line probe (low Q) is recuperated by using a highly sensitive microwave interferometer-based detection circuit. The combination of our sensitive interferometer and nonresonant transmission line provides similar sensitivity to a commercially available ESR spectrometer equipped with a high-Q resonator. The nonresonant probe allows for transmission, reflection, or dual-mode detection (transmission and reflection), where the dual-mode results in a √2 signal enhancement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pragya R. Shrestha
- Theiss Research, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Nandita Abhyankar
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
- Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Mark A. Anders
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Kin P. Cheung
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Robert Gougelet
- Global Resonance Technologies LLC, Washington D.C. 20015, United States
| | - Jason T. Ryan
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Veronika Szalai
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Jason P. Campbell
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
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McCrory DJ, Anders MA, Ryan JT, Shrestha PR, Cheung KP, Lenahan PM, Campbell JP. Slow- and rapid-scan frequency-swept electrically detected magnetic resonance of MOSFETs with a non-resonant microwave probe within a semiconductor wafer-probing station. THE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 2019; 90:014708. [PMID: 30709237 PMCID: PMC6503682 DOI: 10.1063/1.5053665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2018] [Accepted: 12/24/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
We report on a novel electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) technique that merges electrically detected magnetic resonance (EDMR) with a conventional semiconductor wafer probing station. This union, which we refer to as wafer-level EDMR (WL-EDMR), allows EDMR measurements to be performed on an unaltered, fully processed semiconductor wafer. Our measurements replace the conventional EPR microwave cavity or resonator with a very small non-resonant near-field microwave probe. Bipolar amplification effect, spin dependent charge pumping, and spatially resolved EDMR are demonstrated on various planar 4H-silicon carbide metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (4H-SiC MOSFET) structures. 4H-SiC is a wide bandgap semiconductor and the leading polytype for high-temperature and high-power MOSFET applications. These measurements are made via both "rapid scan" frequency-swept EDMR and "slow scan" frequency swept EDMR. The elimination of the resonance cavity and incorporation with a wafer probing station greatly simplifies the EDMR detection scheme and offers promise for widespread EDMR adoption in semiconductor reliability laboratories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duane J. McCrory
- Nanoscale Device Characterization Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, MS 8120, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA
- Engineering Science and Mechanics, Pennsylvania State University, 101 EES Building, University Park, Pennsylvania 16801, USA
| | - Mark A. Anders
- Nanoscale Device Characterization Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, MS 8120, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA
- Engineering Science and Mechanics, Pennsylvania State University, 101 EES Building, University Park, Pennsylvania 16801, USA
| | - Jason T. Ryan
- Nanoscale Device Characterization Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, MS 8120, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA
| | - Pragya R. Shrestha
- Nanoscale Device Characterization Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, MS 8120, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA
- Theiss Research, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
| | - Kin P. Cheung
- Nanoscale Device Characterization Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, MS 8120, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA
| | - Patrick M. Lenahan
- Engineering Science and Mechanics, Pennsylvania State University, 101 EES Building, University Park, Pennsylvania 16801, USA
| | - Jason P. Campbell
- Nanoscale Device Characterization Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, MS 8120, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA
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McCrory DJ, Anders MA, Ryan JT, Shrestha PR, Cheung KP, Lenahan PM, Campbell JP. Wafer-Level Electrically Detected Magnetic Resonance: Magnetic Resonance in a Probing Station. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON DEVICE AND MATERIALS RELIABILITY : A PUBLICATION OF THE IEEE ELECTRON DEVICES SOCIETY AND THE IEEE RELIABILITY SOCIETY 2018; 18:10.1109/TDMR.2018.2817341. [PMID: 30983909 PMCID: PMC6459617 DOI: 10.1109/tdmr.2018.2817341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
We report on a novel semiconductor reliability technique that incorporates an electrically detected magnetic resonance (EDMR) spectrometer within a conventional semiconductor wafer probing station. EDMR is an ultrasensitive electron paramagnetic resonance technique with the capability to provide detailed physical and chemical information about reliability limiting defects in semiconductor devices. EDMR measurements have generally required a complex apparatus, not typically found in solid-state electronics laboratories. The union of a semiconductor probing station with EDMR allows powerful analytical measurements to be performed within individual devices at the wafer level. Our novel approach replaces the standard magnetic resonance microwave cavity or resonator with a small non- resonant near field microwave probe. Using this new approach we have demonstrated bipolar amplification effect and spin dependent charge pumping in various SiC based MOSFET structures. Although our studies have been limited to SiC based devices, the approach will be widely applicable to other types of MOSFETs, bipolar junction transistors, and various memory devices. The replacement of the resonance cavity with the very small non- resonant microwave probe greatly simplifies the EDMR detection scheme and allows for the incorporation of this powerful tool with a wafer probing station. We believe this scheme offers great promise for widespread utilization of EDMR in semiconductor reliability laboratories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duane J McCrory
- Engineering Science and Mechanics Department, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA
| | - Mark A Anders
- Engineering Physics Division, NIST, Gaithersburg, MD 20874 USA
| | - Jason T Ryan
- Engineering Physics Division, NIST, Gaithersburg, MD 20874 USA
| | | | - Kin P Cheung
- Engineering Physics Division, NIST, Gaithersburg, MD 20874 USA
| | - Patrick M Lenahan
- Engineering Science and Mechanics Department, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA
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Hrubesch FM, Braunbeck G, Voss A, Stutzmann M, Brandt MS. Broadband electrically detected magnetic resonance using adiabatic pulses. JOURNAL OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE (SAN DIEGO, CALIF. : 1997) 2015; 254:62-69. [PMID: 25828243 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmr.2015.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2014] [Revised: 02/17/2015] [Accepted: 02/18/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
We present a broadband microwave setup for electrically detected magnetic resonance (EDMR) based on microwave antennae with the ability to apply arbitrarily shaped pulses for the excitation of electron spin resonance (ESR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) of spin ensembles. This setup uses non-resonant stripline structures for on-chip microwave delivery and is demonstrated to work in the frequency range from 4 MHz to 18 GHz. π pulse times of 50 ns and 70 μs for ESR and NMR transitions, respectively, are achieved with as little as 100 mW of microwave or radiofrequency power. The use of adiabatic pulses fully compensates for the microwave magnetic field inhomogeneity of the stripline antennae, as demonstrated with the help of BIR4 unitary rotation pulses driving the ESR transition of neutral phosphorus donors in silicon and the NMR transitions of ionized phosphorus donors as detected by electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR).
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Affiliation(s)
- F M Hrubesch
- Walter Schottky Institut and Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, Am Coulombwall 4, 85748 Garching, Germany.
| | - G Braunbeck
- Walter Schottky Institut and Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, Am Coulombwall 4, 85748 Garching, Germany.
| | - A Voss
- Walter Schottky Institut and Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, Am Coulombwall 4, 85748 Garching, Germany.
| | - M Stutzmann
- Walter Schottky Institut and Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, Am Coulombwall 4, 85748 Garching, Germany.
| | - M S Brandt
- Walter Schottky Institut and Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, Am Coulombwall 4, 85748 Garching, Germany.
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