ABSTRACT
Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM)/atomic force microscopy (AFM) and related techniques are widely used to evaluate semiconductor fabrication processes. AFM is now an invaluable method for evaluating thin-film surface microroughness at various stages of these processes because of its resolution and convenience. On the other hand, methods of electronic measurement related to STM/AFM have been developed for the electronic evaluation of semiconductor processes and devices, like impurity concentration observation.
