Strain mapping in a nanoscale-triangular SiGe pattern by dark-field electron holography with medium magnification mode

Recent years have seen a great deal of progress in the development of transmission electron microscopy-based techniques for strain measurement. Dark-field electron holography (DFEH) is a new technique offering configuration of the off-axis principle. Using this technique with medium magnification (Holo-M), we carried out strain measurements in nanoscale-triangular SiGe/(001) Si with (004), (2^-20) and (^-111) diffraction spots. The reconstruction of holograms and interpretation of strain maps in term of strain precision were discussed and the strain distributions in the SiGe/(001) Si patterns were visualized. Based on linear anisotropic elastic theory for strain simulation, the simulated results obtained by the finite element method compared with the experimental results acquired by DFEH. The strain values were found to be 0.9-1.0%, 1.1-1.2% and 1.0-1.1%, for the (004), (2^-20) and (^-111) diffracted beams, respectively, and the strain precisions were determined to be ~2.1 × 10^-3, 3.2 × 10^-3 and 9.1 × 10^-3 for the corresponding diffraction spots. As a result, DFEH is highlighted as a powerful technique for strain measurement, offering high-strain precision, high-spatial resolution and a large field of view.