Real-time observation of aluminum chemical vapor deposition in an environmental scanning electron microscope

A technique has been developed to provide real-time imaging, with several nanometer resolution, of organometallic chemical vapor deposition (CVD) by scanning electron microscopy under conditions approaching those used in the microelectronics industry. The technique involves modifications to an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) to facilitate organometallic precursor gas handling and sample heating. To demonstrate the usefulness of this technique for studying the microstructural evolution of CVD-grown metal films, results of Al/SiO₂ CVD experiments are presented.