A new computer method of image analysis applied to semiconductor's structural characterization

We present a method to analyse microscopic images of semiconductors in order to, in a non-supervised way, obtain the main characteristics of the sample under test: growing regions, grain sizes, dendrite morphology and homogenization. In particular, nanocrystalline semiconductors with dimension less than 100 nm represent a relatively new class of materials. Their short-range structures are essentially the same as bulk semiconductors but their optical and electronic properties are dramatically different. The images are obtained by scanning electron microscopy and processed by the computer methods presented. The method that we present is based on the different grey levels due to different sample height of the growing areas. Traditionally, these tasks have been performed manually, which is time-consuming and subjective in contrast to our computer analysis.