A spot on a layer of a 2D semiconductor material deposited on a substrate is irradiated so as to generate excitons, so that photons are emitted from the layer. The photoluminescence spectrum is recorded for different values of the charge carrier concentration in the layer. The modulation of the charge carrier concentration may be realized by modulating the output power of the light source used to irradiate the sample. The relation is recorded between the ratio of the photoluminescence intensity of a first peak in the spectrum related to radiative recombination from indirect bandgaps to the intensity of a second peak in the spectrum related to radiative recombination from direct bandgaps, and the carrier concentration. This relation is fitted to a model of the ratio that takes into account multiple recombination mechanisms, radiative and non-radiative. From this process, the trap density within the bandgap is derived.

A method for evaluating a carbon concentration where ions of a predetermined element are implanted into a silicon wafer, and then a carbon concentration is measured by a low-temperature PL method from an emission intensity of a CiCs composite, where the ions are implanted under implantation conditions of 1.1×10.sup.11×[atomic weight of the implanted element].sup.−0.73<implantation amount (cm.sup.−2)<4.3×10.sup.11×[atomic weight of the implanted element].sup.−0.73, and the carbon concentration is evaluated. A method for evaluating a carbon concentration makes it possible to measure with high sensitivity, a carbon concentration in a surface layer of 1 to 2 μm, which is a photodiode region in an image sensor.

There is provided is sliding body surface evaluation method and apparatus configured so that a temporal change in a transformed portion at a sliding portion of a sliding body can be observed. The method includes a first step of irradiating, with an electromagnetic wave, a sliding portion of a sliding body sliding on a sliding target body, a second step of detecting light emitted from the sliding portion irradiated with the electromagnetic wave, and a third step of deriving a change in a light emission state of the sliding portion.

The disclosed technology generally relates to characterization of semiconductor structures, and more particularly to optical characterization of high-k dielectric materials. A method includes providing a semiconductor structure comprising a semiconductor and a high-k dielectric layer formed over the semiconductor, wherein the dielectric layer has electron traps formed therein. The method additionally includes at least partially transmitting an incident light having an incident energy through the high-k dielectric layer and at least partially absorbing the incident light in the semiconductor. The method additionally includes measuring a nonlinear optical spectrum resulting from the light having the energy different from the incident energy, the nonlinear optical spectrum having a first region and a second region, wherein the first region changes at a different rate in intensity compared to the second region. The method further includes determining from the nonlinear optical spectrum one or both of a first time constant from the first region and a second time constant from the second region, and determining a trap density in the high-k dielectric layer based on the one or both of the first time constant and the second time constant.

A thin-film deposition system deposits a thin-film on a wafer. A radiation source irradiates the wafer with excitation light. An emissions sensor detects an emission spectrum from the wafer responsive to the excitation light. A machine learning based analysis model analyzes the spectrum and detects contamination of the thin-film based on the spectrum.

A thin-film deposition system deposits a thin-film on a wafer. A radiation source irradiates the wafer with excitation light. An emissions sensor detects an emission spectrum from the wafer responsive to the excitation light. A machine learning based analysis model analyzes the spectrum and detects contamination of the thin-film based on the spectrum.

The present technology is directed to the nanoparticles for use as molecular environmental sensors. The nanoparticles comprise a photoluminescence core and a plurality of ligands bound to the core and forming a quencher permeable ligand shell. The ligands comprise a reactive or charged moiety capable of being modulated between a first stand and a second state, and the proportion of ligands in each state determine the permeability of the ligand shell to a photoluminescence quencher.

The disclosed technology generally relates to characterization of semiconductor structures, and more particularly to optical characterization of high-k dielectric materials. A method includes providing a semiconductor structure comprising a semiconductor and a high-k dielectric layer formed over the semiconductor, wherein the dielectric layer has electron traps formed therein. The method additionally includes at least partially transmitting an incident light having an incident energy through the high-k dielectric layer and at least partially absorbing the incident light in the semiconductor. The method additionally includes measuring a nonlinear optical spectrum resulting from the light having the energy different from the incident energy, the nonlinear optical spectrum having a first region and a second region, wherein the first region changes at a different rate in intensity compared to the second region. The method further includes determining from the nonlinear optical spectrum one or both of a first time constant from the first region and a second time constant from the second region, and determining a trap density in the high-k dielectric layer based on the one or both of the first time constant and the second time constant.

Systems and methods are provided which utilize optical microcavity probes to map wafer topography by near-field interactions therebetween in a manner which complies with high volume metrology requirements. The optical microcavity probes detect features on a wafer by shifts in an interference signal between reference radiation and near-field interactions of radiation in the microcavities and wafer features, such as device features and metrology target features. Various illumination and detection configurations provide quick and sensitive signals which are used to enhance optical metrology measurements with respect to their accuracy and sensitivity. The optical microcavity probes may be scanned at a controlled height and position with respect to the wafer and provide information concerning the spatial relations between device and target features.

Apparatus and methods for the detection of proteins in biological fluids such as urine using a label-free assay is described. Specific proteins are detected by their binding to highly specific capture reagents such as SOMAmers that are attached to the surface of a substrate. Changes to these capture reagents and their local environment upon protein binding modify the behavior of color centers (e.g., fluorescence, ionization state, spin state, etc.) embedded in the substrate beneath the bound capture reagents. These changes can be read out, for example, optically or electrically, for an individual color center or as an average response of many color centers.