Method to investigate a semiconductor sample layer by layer and investigation device to perform such method

A method, comprising:

• a) preparing a layer of a semiconductor sample by etching an initial sample surface using a focused ion beam, the semiconductor sample comprising structures of different elemental composition;
• b) aligning a surface area of a region of interest volume of the prepared layer of the semiconductor sample with an object field of a scanning electron microscope (SEM);
• c) adjusting an electron energy of an electron beam of the SEM;
• d) probing the region of interest volume using the scanning electron beam within the object field;
• e) detecting X-rays emanating from the aligned region of interest volume;
• f) post-processing a detection signal obtained during e) to spatially deconvolute the detection signal into structure data attributed to the sample structure within the region of interest volume;
• g) repeating a) through f) until layer by a layer investigation of a superimposed volume of interest of the semiconductor sample is completed.