Performances of the TXRF Beamline for Trace Element Mapping at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility

The pursuit of smaller and smaller circuitry in device manufacturing imposes tight limits on the surface contamination of the wafers. TXRF, Total Reflection X‐ray Fluorescence, is the leading technique in device industry for detecting surface impurities. However, laboratory equipments have reached their limit, and the common practice then for reaching the desired sensitivities of ∼109 atoms per cm square, equivalent to 10−6 monolayers, is then to proceed to pre‐concentration of the impurities. This operation erases any information on the localisation of the impurities, making much more difficult the identification of their origin. Centralised facilities based on Synchrotron Radiation extend the reach of classical TXRF machines offering new opportunities both in terms of ultimate sensitivity, lateral resolution and detectable range of elements. In this contribution we will describe a dedicated TXRF instrument operational at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble along with its performances...