Current Paths in an Atomic Precision Advanced Manufactured Device Imaged by Nitrogen-Vacancy Diamond Magnetic Microscopy

TL;DR

This study demonstrates the use of nitrogen-vacancy diamond magnetic microscopy to map current flow in atomic-precision-advanced-manufactured silicon devices, revealing current paths, failures, and leakages with high sensitivity.

Contribution

It introduces a novel application of NV wide-field magnetic imaging for diagnosing current distribution in APAM silicon devices at micrometer resolution.

Findings

Successfully mapped surface current densities in APAM devices.

Identified device failure points and leakage currents.

Achieved detection sensitivity of ~0.03 A/m.

Abstract

The recently-developed ability to control phosphorous-doping of silicon at an atomic level using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), a technique known as atomic-precision-advanced-manufacturing (APAM), has allowed us to tailor electronic devices with atomic precision, and thus has emerged as a way to explore new possibilities in Si electronics. In these applications, critical questions include where current flow is actually occurring in or near APAM structures as well as whether leakage currents are present. In general, detection and mapping of current flow in APAM structures are valuable diagnostic tools to obtain reliable devices in digital-enhanced applications. In this paper, we performed nitrogen-vacancy (NV) wide-field magnetic imaging of stray magnetic fields from surface current densities flowing in an APAM test device over a mm-field of view with {\mu}m-resolution. To do this, we integrated a diamond having a surface NV ensemble with the device (patterned in two parallel mm-sized ribbons), then mapped the magnetic field from the DC current injected in the APAM device in a home-built NV wide-field microscope. The 2D magnetic field maps were used to reconstruct the surface current density, allowing us to obtain information on current paths, device failures such as choke points where current flow is impeded, and current leakages outside the APAM-defined P-doped regions. Analysis on the current density reconstructed map showed a projected sensitivity of ~0.03 A/m, corresponding to a smallest detectable current in the 200 {\mu}m-wide APAM ribbon of ~6 {\mu}A. These results demonstrate the failure analysis capability of NV wide-field magnetometry for APAM materials, opening the possibility to investigate other cutting-edge microelectronic devices.