Electron beam induced current microscopy of silicon p–n junctions in a scanning transmission electron microscope

A silicon p-n junction has been mapped using electron beam induced current in both a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) and a conventional scanning electron microscope (SEM). In STEM, the transmission of a higher energy electron beam through the thin specimen leads to better spatial resolution and a more uniform interaction volume than can be achieved in SEM. Better spatial resolution is also achieved in the thin TEM specimens as the diffusion lengths of the minority carriers are much lower than measured in bulk material due to the proximity of specimen surfaces. We further demonstrate that a positive fixed surface charge favors surface recombination of electrons in n-type silicon and induces a surface depletion region in p-type silicon. These results have been compared to off-axis electron holography measurements of the electrostatic potentials and simulations of the internal fields.