3ω correction method for eliminating resistance measurement error due to Joule heating.

Electrical four-terminal sensing at (sub-)micrometer scales enables the characterization of key electromagnetic properties within the semiconductor industry, including materials' resistivity, Hall mobility/carrier density, and magnetoresistance. However, as devices' critical dimensions continue to shrink, significant over/underestimation of properties due to a by-product Joule heating of the probed volume becomes increasingly common. Here, we demonstrate how self-heating effects can be quantified and compensated for via 3ω signals to yield zero-current transfer resistance.

Thin Film Analysis by Nanomechanical Infrared Spectroscopy.

There is a fundamental need for techniques for thin film characterization. The current options for obtaining infrared (IR) spectra typically suffer from low signal-to-noise-ratios (SNRs) for sample thicknesses confined to a few nanometers. We present nanomechanical infrared spectroscopy (NAM-IR), which enables the measurement of a complete infrared fingerprint of a polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) layer as thin as 20 nm with an SNR of 307.

Breakthrough in current-in-plane tunneling measurement precision by application of multi-variable fitting algorithm.

We present a breakthrough in micro-four-point probe (M4PP) metrology to substantially improve precision of transmission line (transfer length) type measurements by application of advanced electrode position correction. In particular, we demonstrate this methodology for the M4PP current-in-plane tunneling (CIPT) technique. The CIPT method has been a crucial tool in the development of magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) stacks suitable for magnetic random-access memories for more than a decade.

Transfer of Direct and Moiré Patterns by Reactive Ion Etching Through Ex Situ Fabricated Nanoporous Polymer Masks.

We present a conceptually simple approach to nanolithographic patterning utilizing ex situ fabricated nanoporous masks from block copolymers. The fabricated block copolymer (BC) masks show predictable morphology based on the correlation between BC composition and bulk properties, independent of substrates' surface properties. The masks are prepared by microtoming of prealigned nanoporous polymer monoliths of hexagonal morphology at controlled angles; they appear as 30-60 nm thick films of typical dimensions 100 μm × 200 μm.

Defect/oxygen assisted direct write technique for nanopatterning graphene.

High resolution nanopatterning of graphene enables manipulation of electronic, optical and sensing properties of graphene. In this work we present a straightforward technique that does not require any lithographic mask to etch nanopatterns into graphene. The technique relies on the damaged graphene to be etched selectively in an oxygen rich environment with respect to non-damaged graphene.

Monitoring the hydration of DNA self-assembled monolayers using an extensional nanomechanical resonator.

We have fabricated an ultrasensitive nanomechanical resonator based on the extensional vibration mode to weigh the adsorbed water on self-assembled monolayers of DNA as a function of the relative humidity. The water adsorption isotherms provide the number of adsorbed water molecules per nucleotide for monolayers of single stranded (ss) DNA and after hybridization with the complementary DNA strand. Our results differ from previous data obtained with bulk samples, showing the genuine behavior of these self-assembled monolayers.