Electron Microscopy Reveals Mouse Bite Defects in Semis

Cornell researchers use high-resolution 3D imaging to detect atomic-scale defects in computer chips

Published on Mar. 4, 2026

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Cornell researchers have used high-resolution 3D imaging to detect, for the first time, the atomic-scale defects in computer chips that can sabotage their performance. The imaging method, which was the result of a collaboration with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Advanced Semiconductor Materials (ASM), could touch almost every form of modern electronics, from phones and automobiles to AI data centers and quantum computing.

Why it matters

Tiny defects have been a long-standing challenge for the semiconductor industry, especially now, as the technology has grown increasingly complex while the components have shrunk in size to the atomic scale. This new imaging technique provides a way to detect and characterize these defects, which is crucial for debugging and improving semiconductor manufacturing processes.

The details

The focus of the study is the transistor, the little switch through which electrical current flows via a channel that gets opened and shut by an electrical gate. As transistors have become smaller, down to just 15-18 atoms wide, it has become increasingly difficult to characterize their structure and detect defects. The researchers used a technique called electron ptychography, which involves using an electron microscope pixel array detector to collect detailed scattering patterns of electrons passing through the transistors. By analyzing these patterns, the researchers were able to detect "mouse bites" - interface roughness caused by defects that formed during the manufacturing process.

  • The research was published on February 23, 2026 in Nature Communications.

The players

David Muller

The Samuel B. Eckert Professor of Engineering in the Cornell Duffield College of Engineering, who led the project.

Shake Karapetyan

The doctoral student who is the lead author on the paper.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC)

A semiconductor company that collaborated with the Cornell researchers on this project.

Advanced Semiconductor Materials (ASM)

A semiconductor company that collaborated with the Cornell researchers on this project.

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What they’re saying

“Since there's really no other way you can see the atomic structure of these defects, this is going to be a really important characterization tool for debugging and fault-finding in computer chips, especially at the development stage.”

— David Muller, Samuel B. Eckert Professor of Engineering

“These days, a transistor channel can be only about 15 to 18 atoms wide, which is super, super tiny, and they're extremely intricate. At this point, it matters where every atom is, and it's really hard to characterize.”

— Shake Karapetyan, Doctoral student

What’s next

The researchers plan to continue using this imaging technique to further study and characterize defects in semiconductor devices, with the goal of improving manufacturing processes and the performance of modern electronics.

The takeaway

This new high-resolution imaging method provides semiconductor manufacturers with a powerful tool to detect and analyze atomic-scale defects in computer chips, which is crucial for improving the reliability and performance of a wide range of electronic devices, from smartphones to quantum computers.