NIST is enhancing its synchrotron beamline for advanced semiconductor material characterization. The upgrades will improve X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) capabilities, increasing sample throughput and sensitivity. This will enable non-destructive analysis of semiconductor structures, chemical composition, electronic properties, and strain at deeper interfaces and across more element/matrix combinations.
The enhanced beamline will be available to the U.S. semiconductor industry for the next three years, directly supporting innovation and competitiveness. Key applications include high dielectric materials, buried layer characterization in MRAM stacks, and materials for quantum electronics. This metrology capability will be critical for optimizing semiconductor manufacturing processes and advancing future microelectronics technologies.
Keywords: metrology, semiconductor, X-ray
