Scanning spreading resistance microscopy (SSRM) is a powerful technique for 2D-carrier profiling of silicon devices. We developed high spatial resolution SSRM by measuring in a high vacuum and achieved 1 nm spatial resolution. We also confirmed wide dynamic range of measuring concentration of 10¹⁵ through 10²⁰ cm^-3. In this paper, we demonstrate experimental aspects and procedures of SSRM measurement, and applications to scaled CMOSFETs. SSRM in a high vacuum is shown to have high potential for carrier analysis of future devices. Technical issues affecting reproducibility and quantitative analysis of carrier concentration are also discussed.

  In this article, we present the results of our latest work about silicene, which is a two-dimensional allotrope of Si with a hexagonal honeycomb structure similar to graphene, grown on Ag(111) by using scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy, low energy electron diffraction, and density functional theory calculations. We demonstrated that silicene that does not exist in nature is grown on Ag(111), and determined the geometric structure experimentally. From Landau level spectroscopy using a scanning tunneling microscope, we have found that the Dirac fermion character, which should be preserved in freestanding silicene, loses due to strong electronic hybridization between silicene and the underlying Ag(111) substrate.

  Crystallographic information including crystal structure is one of the most important knowledge to understand physical and chemical properties of the compounds. Brief information of the “Crystallographic Information File” (CIF) format developed by committee of International Union of Crystallography, is given here. Using this CIF formatted data, we can access more easily to various kinds of databases and also to many programs to calculate properties of the compounds. Moreover, CIF is very effective tool to reduce misprinting on the scientific papers and reports.