Project Description
The performance of X-ray microscopy has improved significantly over the last decade, enabling synchrotron-based X-ray imaging to resolve individual transistors in modern semiconductor devices. As semiconductor technology enters the new era of the 3D transistor, the need for non-destructive, high-resolution 3D imaging methods has never been greater. While X-ray microscopy holds the potential for nanometer-scale defect detection in 3D semiconductor devices, its imaging performance requires further breakthroughs.
Currently, the highest-performance microscopy tools utilize ptychography—a coherent diffractive lensless imaging technique that replaces the limitations of traditional lenses with sophisticated computational algorithms. However, achieving the ~1 nm 3D resolution required for next-generation semiconductor metrology remains a "grand challenge". At these extreme resolutions, massive photon requirements cause radiation damage, nanoscale mechanical instabilities become severe, and the projection approximation completely breaks down for thick samples.
