Electrochemical etching of silicon: A powerful tool for delinating junction profiles in silicon devices by transmission electron microscopy

In this article, we present in some detail the two-dimensional delineation technique based on selective electrochemical etch and anodic oxidation of silicon. Compared to pure chemical etch, the sensitivity strongly improves and, in the case of boron, the doping profile can be delineated up to a concentration level well below the limit reported for pure chemical etch. We also demonstrate that a proper control of the etching parameters allows us to get effective improvement in delineating As-doped regions, and compared to pure chemical delineation, better sensitivity values are reported. © 2000 American Vacuum Society.