Nanotechnology Now

Our NanoNews Digest Sponsors







Heifer International

Wikipedia Affiliate Button


Home > Press > Vibrating nanorods measure thin films for microcircuits

Abstract:
A key step in many nanofabrication processes is to create thin films, sometimes only one molecule thick, by a method known as atomic layer deposition. Researchers at Cornell and Tel Aviv University have developed a new tool for nanofabricators to test the physical properties of such films.

By Bill Steele

Vibrating nanorods measure thin films for microcircuits

Ithaca, NY | Posted on December 11th, 2010

Ultrathin films are increasingly important in constructing microcircuits. Their physical characteristics often determine their electronic behavior as well as their resistance to wear.

The researchers have shown that tiny resonant cantilevers -- silicon rods anchored at one end, like a tiny diving board -- can determine the density of a film and its Young's modulus, a measure of resistance to bending. The method offers several advantages over other methods of measuring these characteristics of thin films, the researchers said, and can be used by any researchers with access to nanofabrication capabilities comparable to those at the Cornell Nanoscale Facility.

The work was reported in the Aug. 15 issue of the Journal of Applied Physics by Cornell research associate Rob Ilic, Slava Krylov, senior lecturer at Tel Aviv University and former visiting professor at Cornell, and Harold Craighead, the C.W. Lake Jr. Professor of Engineering at Cornell.

Cornell researchers have previously used tiny vibrating cantilevers just a few nanometers (billionths of a meter) thick to detect the mass of objects as small as a virus. Just as a thick guitar string vibrates at a lower note than a thinner one, adding mass to a vibrating rod changes its frequency of vibration. Coating the rod with a thin film adds detectable mass, and from the mass and thickness of the film, density can be determined.

The film also changes the cantilever's resistance to bending. To separate out this characteristic, the researchers compared in-plane (side to side) and out-of-plane (up and down) vibrations. The resistance to bending in different directions is noticeably different when the vibrating rod is wide and thin. When the cross-section of the rod is square, there is no difference between up and down and side-to-side movement.

To test their idea, the researchers fabricated a variety of cantilevers six to 10 microns (millionths of a meter) long, 45 nanometers thick and with widths varying from 45 nanometers to 1 micron. In various experiments, they applied films of aluminum, aluminum nitride and hafnium from 21.2 to 21.5 nanometers thick to the surface of the cantilevers.

A laser beam focused on the base of a cantilever supplies energy to set it vibrating, and another laser aimed at the end measures the vibration. Like a tuning fork, each rod has a resonant frequency at which it vibrates, and that depends on the dimensions and physical characteristics of the device. Comparing the resonant frequency and some of its harmonics before and after a film was applied enabled the researchers to calculate the density and Young's modulus of the film.

Over many experiments, the calculations agreed well with theoretical predictions and characteristics of films measured by other methods. Some aspects of the method of fabricating the nanocantilevers could affect the results, the researchers found, but they said accuracy could be improved.

The work was supported by the Defense Advanced Projects Research Administration, the National Science Foundation and the state of New York.

####

For more information, please click here

Contacts:
Media Contact:
Joe Schwartz
(607) 254-6235


Cornell Chronicle:
Bill Steele
(607) 255-7164

Copyright © Cornell University

If you have a comment, please Contact us.

Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.

Bookmark:
Delicious Digg Newsvine Google Yahoo Reddit Magnoliacom Furl Facebook

Related News Press

News and information

Aspen Aerogels Announces $22.5 Million Private Placement May 18th, 2013

NanoInk, Inc. Assets To Be Sold May 18th, 2013

Beautiful "flowers" self-assemble in a beaker: Elaborate nanostructures blossom from a chemical reaction perfected at Harvard May 17th, 2013

Scientists capture first direct proof of Hofstadter butterfly effect May 17th, 2013

Add boron for better batteries: Rice University theorists say graphene-boron mix shows promise for lithium-ion batteries May 17th, 2013

Thin films

Moth-Inspired Nanostructures Take the Color Out of Thin Films May 17th, 2013

New magnetic graphene may revolutionise electronics May 11th, 2013

Govt.-Legislation/Regulation/Funding/Policy

Beautiful "flowers" self-assemble in a beaker: Elaborate nanostructures blossom from a chemical reaction perfected at Harvard May 17th, 2013

Artificial Forest for Solar Water-Splitting: Berkeley Lab Researchers Report First Fully Integrated Artificial Photosynthesis Nanosystem May 17th, 2013

Moth-Inspired Nanostructures Take the Color Out of Thin Films May 17th, 2013

NIA Public Briefing: Nanotechnology and the Council of Europe May 17th, 2013

Academic/Education

Inaugural Baccalaureate Class Among CNSE Graduates to Pursue Opportunities in New York: Half of undergrads from pioneering class to seek graduate degrees at CNSE; majority of master’s and doctoral degree recipients land high-tech jobs in state’s emerging nanotech industry May 16th, 2013

Anasys reports on University of Illinois study of near-field behavior of semiconductor plasmonic microparticles using AFM-IR published in APL May 14th, 2013

The University of Wyoming uses Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis to characterize nanoparticles in natural environments May 14th, 2013

Nanotechnology Pioneer Named 'Entrepreneur of the Year': Royal Society of Chemistry honors Chad Mirkin for commercializing innovations May 10th, 2013

Chip Technology

UC Riverside scientists discovering new uses for tiny carbon nanotubes: Adding ionic liquid to nanotube films could build smaller gadgets, and create more cost effective 'Smart Windows' that darken in bright sun May 15th, 2013

Nanometrics Announces Upcoming Investor Events May 14th, 2013

HELIOS Program Develops Complete Supply Chain for Integrating Photonics with CMOS Circuit via IC Fabrication Processes May 14th, 2013

Silex Microsystems Joins ENIAC Project PROMINENT To Bring Flexible and Cost Effective Inkjet Technologies to the MEMS Manufacturing Process: Silex Will Develop New Solutions for Through-Silicon Via Manufacture and Hermetic Wafer Bonding May 13th, 2013

Nanomedicine

Nanotechnology could help fight diabetes: Injectable nanogel can monitor blood-sugar levels and secrete insulin when needed May 16th, 2013

Nanobiotix Revenue for the 1st quarter of 2013 May 15th, 2013

Pitt Chemists Demonstrate Nanoscale Alloys So Bright They Could Have Potential Medical Applications: “Think about a particle that will not only help researchers detect cancer sooner but be used to treat the tumor, too.” May 15th, 2013

Using clay to grow bone: Researchers use synthetic silicate to stimulate stem cells into bone cells May 15th, 2013

Announcements

Aspen Aerogels Announces $22.5 Million Private Placement May 18th, 2013

NanoInk, Inc. Assets To Be Sold May 18th, 2013

NIA Public Briefing: Nanotechnology and the Council of Europe May 17th, 2013

Scientists capture first direct proof of Hofstadter butterfly effect May 17th, 2013

Tools

NanoInk, Inc. Assets To Be Sold May 18th, 2013

Beautiful "flowers" self-assemble in a beaker: Elaborate nanostructures blossom from a chemical reaction perfected at Harvard May 17th, 2013

Scientists capture first direct proof of Hofstadter butterfly effect May 17th, 2013

DNA-Guided Assembly Yields Novel Ribbon-Like Nanostructures: Approach could be useful in fabricating new kinds of materials with engineered properties May 16th, 2013

Research partnerships

Advancements and developments of solid-state nanopores sensors May 16th, 2013

Imec and Renesas collaborate on ultra-low power short range radios: Collaboration will develop robust wireless solutions for future electronics May 16th, 2013

Silex Microsystems Joins ENIAC Project PROMINENT To Bring Flexible and Cost Effective Inkjet Technologies to the MEMS Manufacturing Process: Silex Will Develop New Solutions for Through-Silicon Via Manufacture and Hermetic Wafer Bonding May 13th, 2013

Cold atoms for quantum technology May 12th, 2013

NanoNews-Digest
The latest news from around the world, FREE





  Premium Products
NanoNews-Custom
Only the news you want to read!
 Learn More
NanoTech-Transfer
University Technology Transfer & Patents
 Learn More
NanoStrategies
Full-service, expert consulting
 Learn More












ASP
Nanotechnology Now Featured Books




NNN

The Hunger Project








abbigliamento uomo
Computer Accessories
© Copyright 1999-2013 7th Wave, Inc. All Rights Reserved PRIVACY POLICY :: CONTACT US :: STATS :: SITE MAP :: ADVERTISE