Nonlinear optical probing of nanocrystalline orientation in epitaxial ferroelectric thin films

Epitaxially grown ferroelectric BaBi4Ti4O15 thin films were studied by optical second-harmonic (SH) generation using a femtosecond titanium:sapphire laser at 800 nm wavelength. By varying both the incidence and the azimuthal angle and registering the second-harmonic intensity, a significant correlation was found between the azimuthal dependence of the measured SH signal and the nanoscopic texture of the samples, which was determined by electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction. In particular, two different types of grains with different crystallographic orientations generate different SH intensity maxima with fourfold azimuthal symmetry, distinguishable from an isotropic background due to a c-axis oriented main layer. This correlation suggests the use of the SH technique for a purely optical characterization of the film orientation and thickness. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics

Charge Induced Pattern Distortion in Low Energy Electron Beam Lithography

Charge induced pattern distortions in low voltage electron beam lithography in the energy range of 1 to 5 kV were investigated. Pattern distortion on conducting substrates such as silicon was found to be small, while significant pattern placement errors and pattern distortions were observed in the case of electrically insulating substrates caused by charge trapping and deflection of the incident electron beam. The nature and magnitude of pattern distortions were found to be influenced by the incident electron energy, pattern size, electrical conductivity, and secondary electron emission coefficient of the substrate. Theoretical modeling predicts the electron beam deflection to be directly proportional to the trapped surface charge density and inversely proportional to the accelerating voltage