Applications of depth-resolved cathodoluminescence spectroscopy

Depth-resolved cathodoluminescence spectroscopy (DRCLS) has developed over the past few decades into a powerful technique for characterizing electronic properties of advanced materials structures and devices on a nanoscale. The lateral and depth-resolved capabilities of DRCLS enable researchers to probe native defects, impurities, chemical changes and local band structure inside state-of-the-art device structures on an unprecedented scale. A key strength of DRCLS is its ability to distinguish electronic features at buried interfaces within multilayer device structures, interfaces whose microscopic physical features can determine macroscopic electronic properties. This review provides a general overview of DRCLS and illustrates the wide array of applications now available using this technique.