Enabling the Acquisition of Electron Beam-Induced Current (EBIC) Images in Conventional SEM and STEM Instruments

Camino, Fernando; Gil, Byeongjun; Rúa, Armando; Li, Meng; Zakharov, Dmitri N.; Kisslinger, Kim; Han, Myung-Geun; Hayes, Daniel C.; Alban, Juan; Agrawal, Rakesh; Kim, Miyoung; Zhu, Yimei; Yang, Judith C.

doi:10.1093/mam/ozaf080

Enabling the Acquisition of Electron Beam-Induced Current (EBIC) Images in Conventional SEM and STEM Instruments

Journal Article · Tue Sep 23 00:00:00 EDT 2025 · Microscopy and Microanalysis

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1093/mam/ozaf080· OSTI ID:2997746

^[1]; Gil, Byeongjun ^[2]; Rúa, Armando ^[3]; Li, Meng ^[1]; Zakharov, Dmitri N. ^[1]; Kisslinger, Kim ^[1]; Han, Myung-Geun ^[4]; Hayes, Daniel C. ^[5]; ^[5]; Agrawal, Rakesh ^[5]; Kim, Miyoung ^[6]; Zhu, Yimei ^[4]; Yang, Judith C. ^[1]

Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN)
Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Seoul National Univ. (Korea, Republic of)
Univ. of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, PR (United States)
Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (United States)
Seoul National Univ. (Korea, Republic of)

Electron beam-induced current (EBIC) imaging is a well-established scanning electron microscope (SEM) technique used to analyze the behavior of microelectronic devices including solar cells. Recently, the application of EBIC imaging in an aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) has been demonstrated and offers great potential for the in situ study of electronic materials, correlating charge transport properties to atomic structural and elemental information. Here, this work presents two ways to implement EBIC imaging in conventional SEM and STEM systems: one relying on the instrument's inherent scanning and imaging electronics and the other involving third-party systems usually available in electron microscopes. The implementation of lock-in EBIC in systems equipped with a fast beam blanker is also described. In addition, this work shows and discusses the different mechanisms at play in EBIC imaging and their dependence on beam energy, sample impedance, and electrical measurement configuration, providing researchers with the basic information needed to apply the technique to their research.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (GBMF); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Scientific User Facilities (SUF)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0012704

OSTI ID:: 2997746

Report Number(s):: BNL--229025-2025-JAAM

Journal Information:: Microscopy and Microanalysis, Journal Name: Microscopy and Microanalysis Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 31; ISSN 1435-8115; ISSN 1431-9276

Publisher:: Oxford University Press (OUP)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
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electron beam induced current imaging
electron microscopy
insulator-to-metal transition

Enabling the Acquisition of Electron Beam-Induced Current (EBIC) Images in Conventional SEM and STEM Instruments

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