Study of local strain distribution in semiconductor devices using high-resolution X-ray microbeam diffractometry

High-resolution X-ray diffraction has been carried out by using a verticall y and horizontally condensed X-ray microbeam at the Hyogo beamline (BL24XU) of SPring-8. The microbeam is 7 x 5 mum(2) in size and it possesses a smal l angular divergence and a narrow energy bandwidth. The sample is a Si subs trate on which thermal oxide films are fabricated with fine patterns. At th e region of the line-and-space pattern, many periodic peaks lying along the transverse direction are observed in a reciprocal space map. Those pattern s are attributed to some local strain distribution due to the patterned oxi de film on the Si wafer. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved .