Active Probe Atomic Force Microscopy with Quattro-Parallel Cantilever Arrays for High-Throughput Large-Scale Sample Inspection.

An Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) is a powerful and versatile tool for nanoscale surface studies to capture 3D topography images of samples. However, due to their limited imaging throughput, AFMs have not been widely adopted for large-scale inspection purposes. Researchers have developed high-speed AFM systems to record dynamic process videos in chemical and biological reactions at tens of frames per second, at the cost of a small imaging area of up to several square micrometers.

Novel type of whisker-tip cantilever based on GaN microrods for atomic force microscopy.

High-resolution scanning probe microscopy (SPM) is a fundamental and efficient technology for surface characterization of modern materials at the subnanometre scale. The bottleneck of SPM is the probe and scanning tip. Materials with stable electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties for high-aspect-ratio (AR) tips are continuously being developed to improve their accuracy.

Phase-Modulated Standing Wave Interferometer.

The actual technical implementation of conventional interferometers is quite complex and requires manual manufacturing. In combination with the required construction space defined by the optical setup, their applications are limited to selected measuring tasks. In contrast, Standing Wave Interferometers (s) offer an enormous potential for miniaturisation because of their simple linear optical setup, consisting only of a laser source, a measuring mirror and two transparent standing wave sensors for obtaining quadrature signals.

Silk as a biodegradable resist for field-emission scanning probe lithography.

The patterning of silk allows for manufacturing various structures with advanced functionalities for optical and tissue engineering and drug delivery applications. Here, we propose a high-resolution nanoscale patterning method based on field-emission scanning probe lithography (FE-SPL) that crosslinks the biomaterial silk on conductive indium tin oxide (ITO) promoting the use of a biodegradable material as resist and water as a developer. During the lithographic process, Fowler-Nordheim electron emission from a sharp tip was used to manipulate the structure of silk fibroin from random coil to beta sheet and the emission formed nanoscale latent patterns with a critical dimension (CD) of ∼50 nm.

Lights Out! Nano-Scale Topography Imaging of Sample Surface in Opaque Liquid Environments with Coated Active Cantilever Probes.

Atomic force microscopy is a powerful topography imaging method used widely in nanoscale metrology and manipulation. A conventional Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) utilizes an optical lever system typically composed of a laser source, lenses and a four quadrant photodetector to amplify and measure the deflection of the cantilever probe. This optical method for deflection sensing limits the capability of AFM to obtaining images in transparent environments only.

Charged particle single nanometre manufacturing.

Following a brief historical summary of the way in which electron beam lithography developed out of the scanning electron microscope, three state-of-the-art charged-particle beam nanopatterning technologies are considered. All three have been the subject of a recently completed European Union Project entitled "Single Nanometre Manufacturing: Beyond CMOS". Scanning helium ion beam lithography has the advantages of virtually zero proximity effect, nanoscale patterning capability and high sensitivity in combination with a novel fullerene resist based on the sub-nanometre C molecule.

Polymer-metal coating for high contrast SEM cross sections at the deep nanoscale.

In scanning electron microscopy (SEM), imaging nanoscale features by means of the cross-sectioning method becomes increasingly challenging with shrinking feature sizes. However, obtaining high quality images, at high magnification, is crucial for critical dimension and patterned feature evaluation. Therefore, in this work, we present a new sample preparation method for high performance cross-sectional secondary electron (SE) imaging, targeting features at the deep nanoscale and into the sub-10 nm regime.

Atomic layer deposition for spacer defined double patterning of sub-10 nm titanium dioxide features.

The next generation of hard disk drive technology for data storage densities beyond 5 Tb/in will require single-bit patterning of features with sub-10 nm dimensions by nanoimprint lithography. To address this challenge master templates are fabricated using pattern multiplication with atomic layer deposition (ALD). Sub-10 nm lithography requires a solid understanding of materials and their interactions.

Fabrication Process for an Optomechanical Transducer Platform with Integrated Actuation.

This article reports a process for batch fabrication of a fiber pigtailed optomechanical transducer platform with overhanging. The platform enables a new class of high bandwidth, high sensitivity, and highly integrated sensors that are, compact, robust, and small, with the potential potential for low cost batch fabrication inherent in Micro-Opto-Electro-Mechanical-Systems technology. This article provides a guide to the whole fabrication process and explains critical steps and process choices in detail.

Low temperature dry etching of chromium towards control at sub-5 nm dimensions.

Patterned chromium and its compounds are crucial materials for nanoscale patterning and chromium based devices. Here we investigate how temperature can be used to control chromium etching using chlorine/oxygen gas mixtures. Oxygen/chlorine ratios between 0% and 100% and temperatures between -100 °C and +40 °C are studied.

Multi-eigenmode control for high material contrast in bimodal and higher harmonic atomic force microscopy.

High speed imaging and mapping of nanomechanical properties in atomic force microscopy (AFM) allows the observation and characterization of dynamic sample processes. Recent developments involve several cantilever frequencies in a multifrequency approach. One method actuates the first eigenmode for topography imaging and records the excited higher harmonics to map nanomechanical properties of the sample.

Adaptive AFM scan speed control for high aspect ratio fast structure tracking.

Improved imaging rates in Atomic Force Microscopes (AFM) are of high interest for disciplines such as life sciences and failure analysis of semiconductor wafers, where the sample topology shows high aspect ratios. Also, fast imaging is necessary to cover a large surface under investigation in reasonable times. Since AFMs are composed of mechanical components, they are associated with comparably low resonance frequencies that undermine the effort to increase the acquisition rates.

Experimental setup for characterization of self-actuated microcantilevers with piezoresistive readout for chemical recognition of volatile substances.

This paper summarizes our achievements in the development of an advanced microcantilever-based platform for the detection and recognition of various volatile analytes. The implemented microcantilevers include integrated piezoresistive readout, integrated thermally driven bimorph actuator, and a gold pad at the cantilever apex for functionalization toward the detection of specific substances. Up to eight single microcantilevers can be installed and investigated quasisimultaneously in either gas flow or gas/vapor single injection mode.

On total internal reflection investigation of nanoparticles by integrated micro-fluidic system.

We report on a novel sensor for characterization of nanoparticles colloidal suspensions. We employ a diffraction grating under total internal reflection for investigation of nanodisperse fluids passing through an integrated microfluidic channel. Dispersions containing polymeric, metallic, and ferromagnetic nanoparticles are studied.

Components for high speed atomic force microscopy.

Many applications in materials science, life science and process control would benefit from atomic force microscopes (AFM) with higher scan speeds. To achieve this, the performance of many of the AFM components has to be increased. In this work, we focus on the cantilever sensor, the scanning unit and the data acquisition.

Calibration and examination of piezoresistive Wheatstone bridge cantilevers for scanning probe microscopy.

This paper describes the method of determining the force constant and displacement sensitivity of piezoresistive Wheatstone bridge cantilevers applied in scanning probe microscopy (SPM). In the procedure presented here, the force constant for beams with various geometry is determined based on resonance frequency measurement. The displacement sensitivity is measured by the deflection of the cantilever with the calibrated piezoactuator stage.