Recovery of Semiconductor and Defect Properties from Charge-Collection Measurements

This paper discusses the modeling of the measurements which are performed with the charge-collection, or Electron Beam Induced Current (EBIC) technique of the scanning electron microscope, and the use of the related theoretical results for recovering bulk and local recombination properties of semi conductors. A general description of different EBIC measurements can be given on the basis of the notion of charge-collection probability (r) in the device being examined. This function can be calculated by solving a stationary diffusion equation and the induced current results from the convolution of (r) with the generation function of the electron beam. According to this approach, EBIC experiments give information about or the essential semiconductor or defect parameters upon which is dependent. The more usual procedures to recover this information from actual measurements are reviewed and some new possibilities are examined