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- Laterale Auflösung (3)
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A new type of test sample for the determination of lateral resolution in surface analysis is presented. The certified reference material BAM-L002 Nanoscale strip pattern for length calibration and testing of lateral resolution is an embedded cross-section of epitaxially grown layers of AlxGa1-xAs and InxGa1-xAs on GaAs substrate. The surface of the sample provides a flat pattern with strip widths of 0.4-500 nm. The combination of gratings, isolated narrow strips and sharp edges of wide strips offers improved possibilities for the calibration of a length scale, the determination of lateral resolution and the optimization of instrument settings. The feasibility of the reference material for an analysis of lateral resolution is demonstrated for SIMS.
A reference material for calibration and testing of instruments with nanometric lateral resolution
(2002)
Lateral resolution, also called image resolution, is the most relevant quality parameter of maps and line scans. Therefore well defined procedures for the determination of lateral resolution are required. In the surface analysis community different definitions of lateral resolution are in use and there is no generally accepted method for the determination of lateral resolution which meets the demands of the state-of-the-art in surface analysis. We propose the determination of lateral resolution by imaging of well defined square-wave gratings with finely graded periods. This method enables the real time estimation of lateral resolution and the adjustment of instrument settings with respect to lateral resolution. The effect of noise and contrast on lateral resolution has been analysed by numerically simulated images of square-wave gratings. A new resolution criterion has been developed which is based on the dip-to-noise ratio and takes into account the sampling step width by introducing a "reduced noise". The contrast transfer function has been introduced and its relation to lateral resolution in the presence of noise was analysed. For that reason an "effective cut-off frequency" was defined which is the reciprocal of the lateral resolution. Normalized values of lateral resolution and their relation to signal-to-noise ratio and sampling step width were given for Gaussian and Lorentzian line spread functions. These values enable the calculation of experimental parameters which are necessary to get a required value of lateral resolution. Finally the successful application of the proposed approach to determine lateral resolution has been demonstrated by ToF-SIMS element mapping of the certified reference material BAM-L200.
The certified reference material BAM-L200, a nanoscale stripe pattern for length calibration and specification of lateral resolution, is described. BAM-L200 is prepared from a cross-sectioned epitaxially grown layer stack of AlxGa1-xAs and InxGa1 xAs on a GaAs substrate. The surface of BAM-L200 provides a flat pattern with stripe widths ranging down to 1 nm. Calibration distances, grating periods and stripe widths have been certified by TEM with traceability to the length unit. The combination of gratings, isolated narrow stripes and sharp edges of wide stripes offers a plenty of options for the determination of lateral resolution, sharpness and calibration of length scale at selected settings of imaging surface analytical instruments. The feasibility of the reference material for an analysis of the lateral resolution is demonstrated in detail by evaluation of ToF-SIMS, AES and EDX images. Other applications developed in the community are summarized, too. BAM-L200 fully supports the implementation of the revised International Standard ISO 18516 (in preparation) which is based on knowledge outlined in the Technical Report ISO/TR 19319:2013.