Natural van der Waals Canalization Lens for Non‐Destructive Nanoelectronic Circuit Imaging and Inspection

Optical inspection has long served as a cornerstone non-destructive method in semiconductor wafer manufacturing, particularly for surface and defect analysis. However, conventional techniques such as dark-field scattering optics or atomic force microscopy (AFM) face significant limitations, including insufficient resolution or the inability to resolve subsurface features. Here, an approach is proposed that integrates the strengths of dark-field scattering optics and AFM by leveraging a van der Waals (vdW) canalization lens based on natural biaxial α-MoO<sub>3</sub> crystals. This method enables ultrahigh-resolution subwavelength imaging with the ability to visualize both surface and buried structures, achieving a spatial resolution of 15 nm and grating pitch detection down to 100 nm. The underlying mechanism relies on the unique anisotropic properties of α-MoO<sub>3</sub>, where its atomic-scale unit cells and biaxial symmetry facilitate the diffraction-free propagation of both evanescent and propagating waves via a flat-band canalization regime. Unlike metamaterial-based superlenses and hyperlenses, which suffer from high plasmonic losses, fabrication imperfections, and uniaxial constraints, α-MoO<sub>3</sub> provides robust and super-resolution imaging in multiple directions. The approach is successfully applied to achieve high-resolution inspection of buried nanoscale electronic circuits, offering unprecedented capabilities essential for next-generation semiconductor manufacturing.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Materials
Published
2025-05-07
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202504526
Citations
7
Primary Topic
Metamaterials and Metasurfaces Applications
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
2.99

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Natural van der Waals Canalization Lens for Non‐Destructive Nanoelectronic Circuit Imaging and Inspection

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Natural van der Waals Canalization Lens for Non‐Destructive Nanoelectronic Circuit Imaging and Inspection

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article en
7 citations

Abstract

Optical inspection has long served as a cornerstone non-destructive method in semiconductor wafer manufacturing, particularly for surface and defect analysis. However, conventional techniques such as dark-field scattering optics or atomic force microscopy (AFM) face significant limitations, including insufficient resolution or the inability to resolve subsurface features. Here, an approach is proposed that integrates the strengths of dark-field scattering optics and AFM by leveraging a van der Waals (vdW) canalization lens based on natural biaxial α-MoO<sub>3</sub> crystals. This method enables ultrahigh-resolution subwavelength imaging with the ability to visualize both surface and buried structures, achieving a spatial resolution of 15 nm and grating pitch detection down to 100 nm. The underlying mechanism relies on the unique anisotropic properties of α-MoO<sub>3</sub>, where its atomic-scale unit cells and biaxial symmetry facilitate the diffraction-free propagation of both evanescent and propagating waves via a flat-band canalization regime. Unlike metamaterial-based superlenses and hyperlenses, which suffer from high plasmonic losses, fabrication imperfections, and uniaxial constraints, α-MoO<sub>3</sub> provides robust and super-resolution imaging in multiple directions. The approach is successfully applied to achieve high-resolution inspection of buried nanoscale electronic circuits, offering unprecedented capabilities essential for next-generation semiconductor manufacturing.

Advanced MaterialsVol. 37(32)
Macau University of Science and Technology (MO), The University of Sydney (AU), University of Shanghai for Science and Technology (CN), University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (CN), Xiamen University (CN), Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication (AU), Australian National Fabrication Facility (AU), China University of Geosciences (CN), Soochow University (CN), Shenzhen Research Institute of China University of Geosciences (CN), National Engineering Research Center of Electromagnetic Radiation Control Materials (CN), Xiamen University Malaysia (MY), Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (CN), Huazhong University of Science and Technology (CN)
Australian National Fabrication Facility, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province, Higher Education Discipline Innovation Project, China University of Geosciences, Australian Research Council, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Program
Openalex Percentile: Top 8%
Metamaterials and Metasurfaces Applications
2.99
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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