Observation of semiconductor device channel strain using in-line high resolution X-ray diffraction

In-line high resolution X-ray diffraction has been used to analyze embedded silicon-germanium (eSiGe) epitaxially grown in the source/drain regions of complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor devices. Compared to blanket films, the diffraction from patterned devices exhibited distinct features corresponding to the eSiGe in the source/drain regions and Si under the gate and SiGe. The diffraction features modulated with structural changes, alloy composition, and subsequent thermal processing. Reciprocal space measurements taken around the (224) diffraction peak revealed both in-plane (h) and out-of-plane (l) lattice deformation, along with features corresponding to the regular spacing between the gates.