Direct measurement of electron beam induced currents in p-type silicon

A new method for measuring electron beam induced currents (EBICs) in p-type silicon using a transmission electron microscope (TEM) with a high-precision tungsten probe is presented. Current–voltage (I–V) curves obtained under various electron-beam illumination conditions are found to depend strongly on the current density of the incoming electron beam and the relative distance of the beam from the point of probe contact, consistent with a buildup of excess electrons around the contact. This setup provides a new experimental approach for studying minority carrier transport in semiconductors on the nanometer scale.