ISO 20263:2017
(Main)Microbeam analysis — Analytical electron microscopy — Method for the determination of interface position in the cross-sectional image of the layered materials
Microbeam analysis — Analytical electron microscopy — Method for the determination of interface position in the cross-sectional image of the layered materials
ISO 20263:2017 specifies a procedure for the determination of averaged interface position between two different layered materials recorded in the cross-sectional image of the multi-layered materials. It is not intended to determine the simulated interface of the multi-layered materials expected through the multi-slice simulation (MSS) method. This document is applicable to the cross-sectional images of the multi-layered materials recorded by using a transmission electron microscope (TEM) or a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) and the cross-sectional elemental mapping images by using an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) or an electron energy loss spectrometer (EELS). This document is also applicable to the digitized image recorded on an image sensor built into a digital camera, a digital memory set in the PC or an imaging plate and the digitalized image converted from an analogue image recorded on the photographic film by an image scanner.
Analyse par microfaisceaux — Microscopie électronique analytique — Méthode de détermination de la position d'interface dans l'image de coupe transversale des matériaux en couches
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Standards Content (Sample)
INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 20263
First edition
2017-11
Microbeam analysis — Analytical
electron microscopy — Method for the
determination of interface position
in the cross-sectional image of the
layered materials
Analyse par microfaisceaux — Microscopie électronique analytique
— Méthode de détermination de la position d'interface dans l'image
de coupe transversale des matériaux en couches
Reference number
©
ISO 2017
© ISO 2017, Published in Switzerland
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ii © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviated terms . 1
3.1 Terms and definitions . 1
3.2 Abbreviated terms . 4
4 Specimen preparation for cross-sectional imaging . 4
4.1 General . 4
4.2 Requirements for the cross-sectional specimen . 5
5 Determination of an interface position . 6
5.1 General . 6
5.2 Preliminary considerations . 6
5.2.1 Ideal model of an interface . 6
5.2.2 More realistic model of an interface . 6
5.2.3 Dealing with intensity fluctuations in the image . 8
6 Detailed procedure for determining the position of the interface .8
6.1 General . 8
6.2 Preparing cross-sectional TEM/STEM image .10
6.2.1 Preparing digitized Image .10
6.2.2 Displaying the digitized image .11
6.3 Setting the ROI .11
6.3.1 General.11
6.3.2 Classification of image .11
6.3.3 Procedure of setting the ROI .12
6.4 Acquisition of the averaged intensity profile .17
6.5 Moving-averaged processing .19
6.6 Differential processing .20
6.7 Final location of the interface .21
7 Uncertainty .22
7.1 Uncertainty accumulating from each step of the procedure .22
7.2 Uncertainty of measurement result on image analysis .22
Annex A (informative) Examples of processing the real TEM/STEM images for three
image types .24
Annex B (informative) Two main applications for this method .36
Annex C (informative) Calibration of scale unit: Pixel size calibration .43
Bibliography .45
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
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ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
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described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
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URL: https://www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 202, Microbeam analysis, Subcommittee
SC 3, Analytical electron microscopy.
iv © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved
Introduction
Multi-layered materials are widely used in the production of semiconductor devices, various kinds
of sensors, coating films for optical element, new functional materials, etc. One of the factors used
to determine the characteristics of multi-layered materials is the layer thickness, for evaluation of
products and verification of the production process. In practice, measuring the total thickness and/or
the thickness of each layer and checking the uniformity of thickness and/or flatness of the interface are
often done using recorded images of the materials. Evaluations can be made from the cross-sectional
TEM/STEM images by accurately determining the averaged interface position between two different
layered materials.
In relation to the determination of the interface position in the HR atomic imaging, analysis by the
multi-slice simulation (MSS) method can be applied for the target measurement, if the atomic structural
models can be constructed. However, in real materials, there are a lot of cases when they cannot, as
follows:
— the interface between amorphous layers, or layers of amorphous substance and crystal;
— the interface recorded in low-resolution image in which the atomic columns cannot be identified: 1)
very thick single-layered material, 2) thick multi-layered material.
This document relates the method to determine the averaged interface position, using a differential
processing of the accumulated intensity profile getting from the ROI set in the cross-sectional
TEM/STEM image of the multi-layered materials. The thickness of the layer that can be applied ranges
from a few nanometers to a few micrometers. Thus, this document is not intended for the determination
of the simulated position of the layer interface analysed by the MSS method.
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 20263:2017(E)
Microbeam analysis — Analytical electron microscopy —
Method for the determination of interface position in the
cross-sectional image of the layered materials
1 Scope
This document specifies a procedure for the determination of averaged interface position between two
different layered materials recorded in the cross-sectional image of the multi-layered materials. It is
not intended to determine the simulated interface of the multi-layered materials expected through the
multi-slice simulation (MSS) method. This document is applicable to the cross-sectional images of the
multi-layered materials recorded by using a transmission electron microscope (TEM) or a scanning
transmission electron microscope (STEM) and the cross-sectional elemental mapping images by using
an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) or an electron energy loss spectrometer (EELS). This
document is also applicable to the digitized image recorded on an image sensor built into a digital
camera, a digital memory set in the PC or an imaging plate and the digitalized image converted from an
analogue image recorded on the photographic film by an image scanner.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviated terms
3.1 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/
3.1.1
atomic column image
TEM/STEM image recorded at atomic-resolution from a specimen along a high-symmetry crystalline
orientation
Note 1 to entry: Crystalline orientation is the direction of crystal which is represented by Miller indices. During
TEM imaging, it is often useful to have a crystalline specimen aligned so that a specific (low index) zone axis
(3.1.26) is parallel, or near parallel, to the beam direction (optical axis).
3.1.2
cross-sectional image
TEM/STEM image of the multi-layered materials along a plane perpendicular to the stacking direction
3.1.3
differential processing
calculation of the difference between the values of adjacent pixel data in the intensity profile
3.1.4
digital camera
device that detects the image using a chip-arrayed image sensor (3.1.12), such as a charge-coupled
device (CCD) or complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS), which converts a visual image to
an electric signal
[SOURCE: ISO 29301:2010, 3.8]
3.1.5
elemental mapping image
image produced by the selected signal which is attributed to a particular element,
...
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