Structural Modification of Carbon Nanotube Tip Using Focused Ion Beam

Author(s):  
C. S. Han ◽  
Y. H. Yoon ◽  
Y. H. Shin ◽  
J. W. Song

We report the structural modification of carbon nanotube (CNT) tip for Atomic force microscopy (SPM) based on ion beam irradiation. In general, CNT tip assembled by dielectrophoresis would often have non-vertical angle, very crooked shape or too lengthy one. Therefore, these tips should be modified to the appropriate shape to use as an AFM tip. We found that the ion beam could contribute to merge the bundled CNTs, to make the CNT diameter uniform as well as to make the wavy shape of CNT straight. In addition, we could cut the free-standing CNT on a Si tip using focused ion beam (FIB). From the atomic force microscope (AFM) measurement of 15 nm gold particles and DNA molecules, we showed that the CNT tip modified by FIB produced high resolution images as well as little wear by comparing with those of a conventional silicon tip

2009 ◽  
Vol 76-78 ◽  
pp. 497-501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zong Wei Xu ◽  
Feng Zhou Fang ◽  
Xiao Tang Hu

Carbon nanotube (CNT) probe used in atomic force microscopy (AFM) was fabricated by using electron beam induced Pt deposition method. The bonding force for CNT probe was found to be larger than 500nN. The nanotube probe’s length was shortened by focused ion beam milling process. It is confirmed that the CNT probe shows higher aspect ratio than the Si probe. The nanotube probes with fullerene-like cap end present higher imaging resolution than those with open end.


Microscopy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-16
Author(s):  
Takaharu Nagatomi ◽  
Tatsuya Nakao ◽  
Yoko Fujimoto

Abstract In the present study, a free-standing object-sampling technique for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) is developed to measure their sidewall surface roughnesses by atomic force microscopy (AFM). For this purpose, a conventional focused ion beam (FIB) sampling technique widely used for cross-sectional transmission electron microscope specimen preparation was applied. The sub-nm-order roughness parameters were quantitatively measured for sidewalls of Si-bridge test samples. The roughness parameters were compared before and after H2 annealing treatment, which induced smoothing of the surface by migration of the Si atoms. The reduction in the surface roughness by a factor of approximately one-third with 60-s H2 annealing was quantitatively evaluated by AFM. The present study confirms that the developed FIB–AFM technique is one potential approach for quantitatively evaluating the surface-roughness parameters on the oblique faces of free-standing objects in MEMS devices.


2012 ◽  
Vol 1421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russell J. Bailey ◽  
Remco Geurts ◽  
Debbie J. Stokes ◽  
Frank de Jong ◽  
Asa H. Barber

ABSTRACTThe mechanical behavior of nanocomposites is critically dependent on their structural composition. In this paper we use Focused Ion Beam (FIB) microscopy to prepare surfaces from a layered polymer nanocomposite for investigation using phase contrast atomic force microscopy (AFM). Phase contrast AFM provides mechanical information on the surface examined and, by combining with the sequential cross-sectioning of FIB, can extend the phase contract AFM into three dimensions.


2009 ◽  
Vol 1228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hao Wang ◽  
Greg C. Hartman ◽  
Joshua Williams ◽  
Jennifer L. Gray

AbstractThere are many factors that have the potential to limit significant advances in device technology. These include the ability to arrange materials at shrinking dimensions and the ability to successfully integrate new materials with better properties or new functionalities. To overcome these limitations, the development of advanced processing methods that can organize various combinations of materials at nano-scale dimensions with the necessary quality and reliability is required. We have explored using a gallium focused ion beam (FIB) as a method of integrating highly mismatched materials with silicon by creating template patterns directly on Si with nanoscale resolution. These templates are potentially useful as a means of locally controlling topography at nanoscale dimensions or as a means of locally implanting Ga at specific surface sites. We have annealed these templates in vacuum to study the effects of ion dosage on local Ga concentration and topography. We have also investigated the feasibility of creating Ga nanodots using this method that could eventually be converted to GaN through a nitridation process. Atomic force microscopy and electron microscopy characterization of the resulting structures are shown for a variety of patterning and processing conditions.


1999 ◽  
Vol 562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephan Grunow ◽  
Deda Diatezua ◽  
Soon-Cheon Seo ◽  
Timothy Stoner ◽  
Alain E. KaloyerosI

ABSTRACTAs computer chip technologies evolve from aluminum-based metallization schemes to their copper-based counterparts, Electrochemical Deposition (ECD) is emerging as a viable deposition technique for copper (Cu) interconnects. This paper presents the results of a first-pass study to examine the underlying mechanisms that control ECD Cu nucleation, growth kinetics, and post-deposition microstructure evolution (self-annealing), leading to the development and optimization of an ECD Cu process recipe for sub-quarter-micron device generations. The influence of bath composition, current waveform, type and texture of Cu seed layer, and device feature size (scaling effect) on the evolution of film texture, morphology, electrical properties, and fill characteristics was investigated using a manufacturing-worthy ReynoldsTech 8″ wafer plating tool. Resulting films were analyzed by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), four-point resistivity probe, Focused-Ion-Beam Scanning Electron Microscopy (FIB-SEM), and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). These investigations identified an optimized process window for the complete fill of aggressive device structures with pure Cu with resistivity ∼ 2.0 μΩ-cm and smooth surface morphology.


Materials ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tan Sui ◽  
Jiří Dluhoš ◽  
Tao Li ◽  
Kaiyang Zeng ◽  
Adrian Cernescu ◽  
...  

Peritubular dentine (PTD) and intertubular dentine (ITD) were investigated by 3D correlative Focused Ion Beam (FIB)-Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)-Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) tomography, tapping mode Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and scattering-type Scanning Near-Field Optical Microscopy (s-SNOM) mapping. The brighter appearance of PTD in 3D SEM-Backscattered-Electron (BSE) imaging mode and the corresponding higher grey value indicate a greater mineral concentration in PTD (~160) compared to ITD (~152). However, the 3D FIB-SEM-EDS reconstruction and high resolution, quantitative 2D map of the Ca/P ratio (~1.8) fail to distinguish between PTD and ITD. This has been further confirmed using nanoscale 2D AFM map, which clearly visualised biopolymers and hydroxyapatite (HAp) crystallites with larger mean crystallite size in ITD (32 ± 8 nm) than that in PTD (22 ± 3 nm). Correlative microscopy reveals that the principal difference between PTD and ITD arises primarily from the nanoscale packing density of the crystallites bonded together by thin biopolymer, with moderate contribution from the chemical composition difference. The structural difference results in the mechanical properties variation that is described by the parabolic stiffness-volume fraction correlation function introduced here. The obtained results benefit a microstructure-based mechano-chemical model to simulate the chemical etching process that can occur in human dental caries and some of its treatments.


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