Inventors:
George A. Haas - Alexandria VA
Arnold Shih - Gaithersburg MD
Richard E. Thomas - Riverdale MD
Assignee:
The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy - Washington DC
International Classification:
G01R 2702
Abstract:
An electron-beam scanning system for investigating the nonuniformity of (1) he work function, (2) the position of the conduction-band edge with respect to the Fermi level, and (3) the electron affinity at the surface of a single-crystal semiconductor. A small-diameter, low-energy electron beam is scanned over the surface to be investigated. The current collected by the surface for electron energies in the retarding-field region is related to the work function of the surface, whereas the current collected by the surface for electron energies in the accelerating-field region is related to the position of the conduction-band edge. The electron affinity is related to the combination of these relationships. Variations in the current collected by the surface for appropriately selected electron energies are used to provide a visual display of variations in these quantities.