Electron-beam-induced carbon contamination on silicon: Characterization using raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy

Abstract

Electron-beam-induced carbon film deposition has long been recognized as a side effect of scanning electron microscopy. To characterize the nature of this type of contamination, silicon wafers were subjected to prolonged exposure to 15 kV electron beam energy with a probe current of ∼ 300 pA. Using Raman spectroscopy, the deposited coating was identified as an amorphous carbon film with an estimated crystallite size of 125 Å. Using atomic force microscopy, the cross-sectional profile of the coating was found to be raised and textured, indicative of the beam raster pattern. A map of the Raman intensity across the coating showed increased intensity along the edges and at the corner of the film..