The Application
Impurity control is essential in semiconductor manufacturing to ensure device reliability, performance stability, and yield optimization.
The Challenge
Traditional microanalysis techniques often fall short when it comes to analyzing light elements or detecting impurities at extremely low concentrations. Other techniques struggle with light elements analysis due to lack of sensitivity and high background signals. As semiconductor materials become purer and process windows narrower, fabs need a technique capable of delivering ultra-low detection limits, high throughput, and reliable depth and uniformity information in a single platform.
Our Unique Solution
CAMECA offers an impurity analysis solution built on the IMS 7f-Auto, a dynamic SIMS instrument optimized for trace light-element detection. What makes our solution uniquely capable:
- Extreme sensitivity through uninterrupted ion bombardment and magnetic sector SIMS design, delivering outstanding detection limits for H, C, N, and O.
- Optimized ultra-high vacuum environment, minimizing residual gas background and ensuring clean, stable measurements for improved low-level impurity detection.
- High throughput with automated multiple-sample handling, allowing multiple samples to outgas overnight, supporting fast, uninterrupted workflows.
- High-density Cs⁺ primary beam, enabling high sputtering rates to further enhance detection limits—particularly advantageous for ultra-trace impurity analysis.
Dynamic SIMS is the most powerful technique for detecting and quantifying trace impurities—especially light elements such as hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen—within silicon and advanced materials. These measurements support process qualification, contamination troubleshooting, and R&D development cycles across the semiconductor value chain.
Case Study
With the IMS 7f-Auto, hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen can be detected in silicon at concentrations down to the low 1E16 atoms/cm³ range (sub-ppm). Using a high-energy Cs⁺ primary beam and high sputtering rates boosts sensitivity, enabling full depth profiles over several microns to be completed in just minutes. These capabilities demonstrate the instrument’s exceptional performance for fast, sensitive, and reproducible light-element analysis—ideal for contamination monitoring and advanced process diagnostics.
Hydrogen, carbon and oxygen quantified depth profiles obtained by SIMS in a silicon sample ion implanted with 1H, 12C and 16O. Measurements performed at high impact energy (Cs+ 15 keV) and high sputtering rate (~18 nm/sec). Data collected on IMS 7f-Auto at CAMECA factory.
Best-Fit Product: CAMECA IMS 7f-Auto
The IMS 7f-Auto is the industry-leading dynamic SIMS instrument for impurity control applications. It combines unmatched sensitivity for light elements, high throughput automation, and robust depth profiling capabilities. This makes it the ideal choice for fabs and R&D labs needing precise contamination monitoring and process optimization across semiconductor materials and technologies.
Learn More
Ready to strengthen your impurity control strategy and achieve ultra-low detection capabilities?
👉 Contact our experts today to discuss your analytical needs, request a demo, or obtain detailed technical specifications.
📥 Download the IMS 7f-Auto brochure.
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