scholarly journals Tip-Based Nanomachining on Thin Films: A Mini Review

Author(s):  
Shunyu Chang ◽  
Yanquan Geng ◽  
Yongda Yan

AbstractAs one of the most widely used nanofabrication methods, the atomic force microscopy (AFM) tip-based nanomachining technique offers important advantages, including nanoscale manipulation accuracy, low maintenance cost, and flexible experimental operation. This technique has been applied to one-, two-, and even three-dimensional nanomachining patterns on thin films made of polymers, metals, and two-dimensional materials. These structures are widely used in the fields of nanooptics, nanoelectronics, data storage, super lubrication, and so forth. Moreover, they are believed to have a wide application in other fields, and their possible industrialization may be realized in the future. In this work, the current state of the research into the use of the AFM tip-based nanomachining method in thin-film machining is presented. First, the state of the structures machined on thin films is reviewed according to the type of thin-film materials (i.e., polymers, metals, and two-dimensional materials). Second, the related applications of tip-based nanomachining to film machining are presented. Finally, the current situation of this area and its potential development direction are discussed. This review is expected to enrich the understanding of the research status of the use of the tip-based nanomachining method in thin-film machining and ultimately broaden its application.

2018 ◽  
Vol 421 ◽  
pp. 134
Author(s):  
Hang Zhang ◽  
Junxiang Huang ◽  
Yongwei Wang ◽  
Rui Liu ◽  
Xiulan Huai ◽  
...  

2003 ◽  
Vol 803 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Kalb ◽  
F. Spaepen ◽  
M. Wuttig

ABSTRACTBoth the crystal nucleation rate and the crystal growth velocity of sputtered amorphous Ag0.055In0.065Sb0.59Te0.29 and Ge4Sb1Te5 thin films used for optical data storage were determined as a function of temperature. Crystals were directly observed using ex-situ atomic force microscopy, and their change in size after each anneal was measured. Between 140°C and 185°C, these materials exhibited similar crystal growth characteristics, but differed in their crystal nucleation characteristics. These observations provide an explanation for the different re-crystallization mechanisms observed upon laser-induced crystallization of amorphous marks.


2010 ◽  
Vol 24 (30) ◽  
pp. 5867-5875
Author(s):  
JICHENG ZHOU ◽  
ZHENG LIU ◽  
XUQIANG ZHENG ◽  
YOUZHEN LI ◽  
DITIAN LUO

Ta–Si–N thin films and Cu/Ta–Si–N thin films were deposited on p-type Si (111) substrates by magnetron reactive sputtering. Then the films were characterized by four-point probe sheet resistance measurement, atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction method and scanning electron microscope, respectively. The experimental results show that the sheet resistance of Ta–Si–N thin film increases with N content. And the surface roughness of the thin film first decreases and then increases with N content. By increasing the N content, the diffusion barrier property of Ta–Si–N thin film can be improved; however, this improvement is not evident when N content beyond 56%. The as-deposited Ta–Si thin film is nano-crystalline. When doped with N, the as-deposited thin film becomes amorphous. The crystallization of Ta–Si–N thin film occurs again at high temperature. Cu atoms diffuse through grain boundaries of Ta–Si–N thin film into Si , and this leads to failure of the diffusion barrier.


2014 ◽  
Vol 895 ◽  
pp. 407-410
Author(s):  
Yeo Lee Kong ◽  
S.V. Muniandy ◽  
M.S. Fakir ◽  
K. Sulaiman

Surface morphology of thin films can be efficiently characterized using power spectral density method. Spectral based parameters from surface models can then be linked to electrical conductivity of thin films used for fabricating organic photovoltaic devices. In this study, the surface morphologies of the organic thin films phthalocyanine tetrasulfonic acid tetrasodium (TsNiPc) are investigated using atomic force microscopy. The thin film samples are imaged at 40-minutes and 120-minutes after the solvent treatment. The spectral exponent β is determined from the slope of PSD log-log plot and the fractal dimension D of each film is calculated based on fractal relation β = 8 2D. The relationship between surface roughness and fractal dimension with respect to electrical properties of thin film is discussed.


2012 ◽  
Vol 576 ◽  
pp. 417-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.N. Hafizah ◽  
Ismail Lyly Nyl ◽  
M.Z. Musa ◽  
Mohamad Rusop Mahmood

In this study, PMMA/TiO2 nanocomposite thin films were prepared by using sonication spin coating technique. The PMMA and TiO2 solution were mixed together and sonicated for 1h to confirm the homogeneity of the sample. The thin films obtained were then measured using atomic force microscopy (AFM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR). FESEM micrograph reveals that the uniformity increases with the increase of TiO2 weight percentage.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 869 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Raab ◽  
Dirk Schmidt ◽  
Hongchu Du ◽  
Maximilian Kruth ◽  
Ulrich Simon ◽  
...  

We investigated the possibility of tuning the local switching properties of memristive crystalline SrTiO 3 thin films by inserting nanoscale defect nucleation centers. For that purpose, we employed chemically-synthesized Au nanoparticles deposited on 0.5 wt%-Nb-doped SrTiO 3 single crystal substrates as a defect formation template for the subsequent growth of SrTiO 3 . We studied in detail the resulting microstructure and the local conducting and switching properties of the SrTiO 3 thin films. We revealed that the Au nanoparticles floated to the SrTiO 3 surface during growth, leaving behind a distorted thin film region in their vicinity. By employing conductive-tip atomic force microscopy, these distorted SrTiO 3 regions are identified as sites of preferential resistive switching. These findings can be attributed to the enhanced oxygen exchange reaction at the surface in these defective regions.


2013 ◽  
Vol 481 ◽  
pp. 92-97
Author(s):  
Suntree Sangjan

This research studied ways to increase the stability of a polymer thin film with a thickness of approximately 10 nm. Our system consisted of a polystyrene (PS) thin film filled with three arm polystyrene (TAP) as additives. Formation of dewetting was investigated by atomic force microscopy and optical microscopy which showed that complete dewetting of the pure PS film occurs after being annealed at 120 oC for 5 h. The dewetting dynamics were dramatically suppressed when a small amount of TAP polymer was added into the PS thin film. We hypothesize that the nitrogen atom in the TAP polymer provides dipolarity between the polymeric thin films and the substrate followed by an increase in the interfacial interaction of the TAP/PS thin films, which in turn leads to increased film stability. However, if the concentration of TAP is too high, this leads to phase separation of the thin films. We also observed that the amount of TAP within the PS thin film largely affected the efficiency of inhibiting dewetting. This method could be utilized for the study of the mechanism in a blended polymer film.


2006 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 547-551 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosalía Poyato ◽  
Bryan D. Huey ◽  
Nitin P. Padture

Piezoresponse atomic-force microscopy (PFM) has been used to characterize the local piezoelectric properties of a novel, nanotube-patterned (“honeycomb”) thin film of BaTiO3 on Ti substrate synthesized hydrothermally at 200 °C. PFM amplitude and phase images, prior to the application of any direct current (dc) field, show ring-shaped piezoelectric regions that correspond to the nanostructure of this film. These results show clearly that the as-synthesized nanotube-patterned BaTiO3 thin film is piezoelectric, with a net spontaneous polarization perpendicular to the film–substrate interface. In addition, polarization switching and hysteresis were observed as a function of applied dc field, confirming that this novel fabrication procedure results in unique configurations of BaTiO3 film that are also ferroelectric.


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