Microwave-mixing scanning capacitance microscopy of pn junctions

We describe an approach to scanning capacitance microscopy. A mixing technique is employed for imaging local capacitance variations simultaneously with the sample topography using an atomic force microscope (AFM) with a conductive tip. A SiO2/Si sample with lateral pn junctions formed by ion implantation has been investigated. Microwave signals incident on the metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structure formed by the AFM tip and the sample give rise to mixing signals due to the nonlinear voltage dependence of the space charge capacitance in the Si. In our experiments two microwave input signals with frequencies f(1) and f(2) and a variable dc bias voltage were applied to the tip-sample MOS structure. The dependence of the generated sum frequency and third harmonic signals on the dc sample voltage shows that the f(1) + f(2) and 3 f signals are proportional to dC/dV and d(2)C/dV(2), respectively. Images of the sum frequency and third harmonic signals delineating the pn junctions on our model sample are presented and the dc bias voltage dependence of the images is discussed. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(99)04424-2].