 |
|
Tough new probe developed for nanotechnologists
August 11, 2005EVANSTON, Ill. -- Since the invention of the atomic force microscope (AFM) in 1986 by Nobel laureate Gerd Binnig, the tool has been employed to advance the science of materials in many ways, from nanopatterning (dip-pen nanolithography) to the imaging of surfaces and nano-objects such as carbon nanotubes, DNA, proteins and cells. In all these applications, the quality and integrity of the tip used to obtain the images or interrogate materials is paramount.
A common problem in atomic force microscopy is the deterioration of the tip apex as surfaces are scanned. To overcome this problem, a team of scientists from Northwestern University and Argonne National Laboratory report the microfabrication of monolithic ultra-nano-crystalline diamond (UNCD) cantilevers with tips exhibiting properties similar to single-crystal diamond. Their results are published in the Aug. 9 issue of Small, a journal dedicated to breakthroughs in nanoscience and engineering (http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/smll.200500028).
Diamond, the hardest known material, is probably the optimal tip material for many applications. In addition to hardness, diamond is stiff, biocompatible and wear resistant. Until now, commercially available diamond AFM tips are either glued to a microcantilever (a very slow and non-scalable manufacturing approach) or made by coating a silicon tip manufactured using conventional microfabrication techniques. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques for growing thin films of synthetic diamond typically do not produce single-crystal films, in which atoms are all oriented in a regular lattice. UNCD, a material discovered at Argonne in the 1990s, is the closest diamond atomic structure in which the material is organized in very small grains (a few nanometers in size) leading to smooth surfaces easy to mold and shape by microfabrication techniques. The similarity of UNCD to single-crystal diamond and its superiority to silicon, silicon carbide and other micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS and NEMS) materials, in the context of strength, toughness and wear performance, has been established.
The standard MEMS microfabrication techniques used for the diamond tips - an important feature of this development - provides scalability to massively parallel arrays of probes for high throughput.
"This technology offers tremendous potential for the large-scale production of single- and two-dimensional tip arrays of doped and undoped diamond exhibiting superior wear resistance and functionality," said team leader, Horacio D. Espinosa, professor of mechanical engineering at Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science. "The approach can be easily integrated with the AFM Nanofountain Probe (NFP) recently developed by our group and, in this way, achieve the merging of two unique technologies.
"The demonstrated low wear and writing capability of UNCD tips with chemical inks is very promising. Moreover, the possibility of doping the material to make it conductive is very exciting and opens a large number of opportunities for scientific discovery. We believe the processing technology will likely lead to many novel applications not only in AFM tips but also in MEMS and NEMS.\\\
Northwestern University
The standard MEMS microfabrication techniques used for the diamond tips - an important feature of this development - provides scalability to massively parallel arrays of probes for high throughput.
"This technology offers tremendous potential for the large-scale production of single- and two-dimensional tip arrays of doped and undoped diamond exhibiting superior wear resistance and functionality," said team leader, Horacio D. Espinosa, professor of mechanical engineering at Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science. "The approach can be easily integrated with the AFM Nanofountain Probe (NFP) recently developed by our group and, in this way, achieve the merging of two unique technologies.
"The demonstrated low wear and writing capability of UNCD tips with chemical inks is very promising. Moreover, the possibility of doping the material to make it conductive is very exciting and opens a large number of opportunities for scientific discovery. We believe the processing technology will likely lead to many novel applications not only in AFM tips but also in MEMS and NEMS.\\\
Northwestern University
Microfabrication Techniques Current Events and Microfabrication Techniques News RSSMechanics: Ordinary meets quantum
At the quantum level, the atoms that make up matter and the photons that make up light behave in a number of seemingly bizarre ways.
MIT: Peeling stickers may lead to stretchable electronics
A study of stickers peeling from windows could lead to a new way to precisely control the fabrication of stretchable electronics, according to a team of researchers including one at MIT.
Self-assembled nanowires could make chips smaller and faster
Researchers at the University of Illinois have found a new way to make transistors smaller and faster. The technique uses self-assembled, self-aligned, and defect-free nanowire channels made of gallium arsenide.
Manchester physicists pioneer new super-thin technology
Researchers have used the world's thinnest material to create a new type of technology, which could be used to make super-fast electronic components and speed up the development of drugs.
New ion trap may lead to large quantum computers
Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have designed and built a novel electromagnetic trap for ions that could be easily mass produced to potentially make quantum computers large enough for practical use.
Promising new metamaterial could transform ultrasound imaging
Using the same principles that help create a guitar's complex tones, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have developed a new material that holds promise for revolutionizing the field of ultrasound imaging.
UC Berkeley researchers create a biologically-inspired artificial compound eye
Using the eyes of insects such as dragonflies and houseflies as models, a team of bioengineers at University of California, Berkeley, has created a series of artificial compound eyes.
Discovery of Two-Dimensional Fabric Denotes Dawn of New Materials Era
EMBARGO: 2:00 pm US Eastern Time Thursday, 21 October 2004
September Issue Tip-Sheet
An e-fab way for making the micro world A new manufacturing technique that has produced what researchers believe is the world's narrowest chain could open a whole world of new micro-mechanical devices. The technique, known as EFAB (electrochemical fabrication), is much faster and quicker than other microfabrication techniques, allowing the research team to manufacture new devices at a fraction of the cost but more complex than ever before.
More Microfabrication Techniques Current Events and Microfabrication Techniques News Articles
 |
Manufacturing Techniques for Microfabrication and Nanotechnology by Marc J. Madou (Author) Authored by Marc Madou, bestselling author and leading expert in mems and manufacturing at the nano scale, this textbook focuses on emerging trends in industrial lithography and pattern transfer. It covers photolithography and next generation lithographies and presents a number of subtractive etching techniques, including dry, chemical, and electrochemical wet. The author also explains thermal, electrothermal, and mechanical removing techniques. Designed for chemistry and materials students, it includes extensive references and a comprehensive glossary and provides worked out problems, along with end of chapter problems. PowerPoint slides and solutions are available for qualifying instructors. Multi/Card Deck Copy |
|
Microfabrication Techniques for Microfluidics and BioMEMS [VHS] Starring: Marc J. Madou | |
 |
Microfabrication in Tissue Engineering and Bioartificial Organs (Microsystems) by Sangeeta Bhatia (Author) The drive to replace damaged tissues with `tissue engineered' constructs has led to fundamental questions regarding the importance of cell--cell and cell--substrate interactions in achieving the desired result. Photolithographic techniques coupled with standard silane chemistry can be readily adapted to reproducibly create arrays of cells on glass substrates, allowing control over the cell--cell and cell--substrate interactions of interest. These techniques have applications in bioartificial organs, in particular, and this study focuses on the utility of microfabrication in optimization of a bioartificial liver device. |
 |
Optical Integrated Circuits by Hiroshi Nishihara (Author), Masamitsu Haruna (Author), Toshiaka Suhara (Author) An indispensible guide to the uses of optical ICs, this practical volume examines the theory, fabrication techniques, and applications of the latest generation of optical devices. Focusing on the hybrid type of OIC, the book discusses passive waveguide devices, functional optical waveguide devices, micro-fabrication, optical waveguide theory, and current research problems. |
|
Mock CMOS: An inexpensive, fast and versatile microfabrication technique using one metal and one silicon dioxide film (Technical report. Carnegie Mellon University. The Robotics Institute) by George Christian Lopez (Author) | |
|
Microfabrication Techniques for Polymeric Mems by V.K Varadan (Author) Microfabrication Techniques for Polymeric MEMS reviews recent progress made in the field of polymeric microelectromechanical (MEMS) devices, focusing on the fabrication techniques currently in use. The book begins with an overview of polymeric MEMS systems, their applications, the different polymers (photoresists, PMMA, polyimide, PDMS, thermosetting polymers) used, and the more traditional fabrication techniques. It proceeds to cover microstereolithography (MSL), one of the most common rapid prototyping techniques that has greatly reduced fabrication times for MEMS systems. The book concludes with descriptions of recent developments in applications of polymeric MEMS, including those that have gone on to prove commercially successful. | |
 |
Microstereolithography and other Fabrication Techniques for 3D MEMS by Vijay K. Varadan (Author), Xiaoning Jiang (Author), V. V. Varadan (Author) This timely and accessible book focusses on microstereolithography and other microfabrication for 3D MEMS. The application of MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems) in such diverse fields as intelligent microsensors, data storage, biomedical engineering and wireless communications is booming, but although many MEMS books are available, this book is unique in that most others deal with 2D MEMS. This volume discusses the fundamental principles of microstereolithography for fabrication of 3D MEMS devices, providing an account of recent developments in related microfabrication and combined architecture techniques, and illustrating their application in the engineering and medical fields. It provides: |
 |
Optical Micro and Nano Technology by Jung-Chih Chiao (Author) Complete coverage of optical micro-/nanotechnology, from the fabrication of micro-/nanoscale devices to the variety of applications With contributions from renowned industry experts, this is a one-stop resource for optical micro and nanotechnology. Each chapter focuses on a separate device, systematically covering the fundamentals, fabrication, device characterization, existing applications, and future applications. Optical Micro and Nanotechnology includes details on devices ranging from nano-sensing devices to optical MEMS/MOEMS to photonic microresonators. The book also offers extensive coverage of photonic meta-materials, and includes hundreds of illustrations. . |
 |
Semiconductor Micromachining, Techniques and Industrial Applications (Volume 2) by S. A. Campbell (Editor), H. J. Lewerenz (Editor) Semiconductor Micromachining - Fundamentals and Technology - is a two volume work in which, for the first time, the various disciplines associated with the theory and practice of device fabrication are brought together in one comprehensive reference source. Volume 1 contains a detailed coverage of semiconductor electrochemistry and physics whilst Volume 2 describes the wide range of microengineering technologies with details of practical applications. The authors for each chapter have been carefully selected for their expertise and are acknowledged leaders in their respective fields. The purpose of this book is to enable workers in the area of semiconductor micromachining to have ready access to the basic literature, essential to provide a solid basis for the many different aspects of... |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |