Development of a Quantitative Electrostatic Force Microscope

定量静电力显微镜的研制

• 批准号: 0076486
• 负责人: Harry Atwater
• 金额: $ 9.1万
• 依托单位: California Institute of Technology
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2000
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2000-08-01 至 2001-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0076486&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Development; Quantitative; Electrostatic; Force; Microscope

0076486AtwaterThis grant will help develop quantitative electrostatic force scanning probe microscopy. The project includes modification of a commercial ultrahigh vacuum scanning probe microscope and development of new electrostatic force microscopy simulation software. The program comprised both ultrahigh vacuum electrostatic force microscopy measurements and development and testing of finite element electrostatic simulation software describing tip-sample interactions, including van der Waals and electrostatic force contributions . This will enable more quantitative understanding of nanometer-scale charge distributions and low mobility electronic transport. The immediate scientific use for the instrument will be in a collaborative Caltech/Bell Labs/NASA-JPL multi-investigator research program aimed at probing charge injection and storage in silicon nanoparticle structures for nonvolatile memory applications. Information and software needed to perform quantitative EFM will be disseminated to the materials research community.Electrically insulating thin films are critical and ubiquitous components of electronic devices such as integrated circuits and micromechanical devices. Trapping of electronic charge, whether by design or as an unintended effect, is a common characteristic of insulating thin films. It is desirable to be able to quantitatively measure the extent of and mechanisms for charge trapping in order to better understand the performance and reliability of insulating thin films. Scanning probe microscope techniques such as electrostatic force microscopy have opened a new vista in the understanding charge trapping in insulators because they enable measurement at nanometer-scale spatial resolution and total charge sensitivity down to the single electron level. To date, such electrostatic force microscopy measurements have been used as a qualitative but not a quantitative tool for understanding charge trapping in insulators. This project aims to put the electrostatic force microscopy method on a firm quantitative foundation, through a combination of measurements and development of simulation software needed for quantitative understanding. The results will be applied to characterize charge trapping in nonvolatile floating gate memory device materials containing semiconductor nanocrystals. These materials and the devices made with them are very promising candidates for the next-generation of ultradense, low-power nonvolatile "flash" memory chips like those now used widely in portable electronic devices such as wireless telephones, pagers, electronic cameras and personal digital assistants.

0076486阿特沃特这笔赠款将有助于发展定量静电力扫描探针显微镜。 该项目包括修改一个商业化的真空扫描探针显微镜和新的静电力显微镜模拟软件的开发。 该计划包括双真空静电力显微镜测量和有限元静电模拟软件的开发和测试，描述尖端样品的相互作用，包括货车德瓦尔斯和静电力的贡献。 这将使人们能够更定量地了解纳米尺度的电荷分布和低迁移率的电子传输。 该仪器的直接科学用途将是加州理工学院/贝尔实验室/NASA-JPL多研究者合作研究计划，旨在探测硅纳米颗粒结构中的电荷注入和存储，用于非易失性存储器应用。 进行定量EFM所需的信息和软件将传播到材料研究界。电绝缘薄膜是集成电路和微机械器件等电子器件的关键和普遍存在的部件。 电子电荷的捕获，无论是通过设计还是作为非预期的效果，都是绝缘薄膜的共同特性。 为了更好地理解绝缘薄膜的性能和可靠性，希望能够定量地测量电荷捕获的程度和机制。 扫描探针显微镜技术，如静电力显微镜已经打开了一个新的远景，在绝缘体中的电荷捕获的理解，因为它们使测量在纳米尺度的空间分辨率和总电荷的灵敏度下降到单电子水平。 迄今为止，这种静电力显微镜测量已被用作定性的，但不是一个定量的工具，了解绝缘体中的电荷捕获。 该项目旨在将静电力显微镜方法建立在坚实的定量基础上，通过测量和定量理解所需的模拟软件的开发相结合。 研究结果将应用于表征含有半导体纳米晶体的非易失性浮栅存储器件材料中的电荷捕获。 这些材料和用它们制成的器件是下一代超密度、低功耗非易失性“闪存”芯片的非常有前途的候选者，这些芯片目前广泛用于便携式电子设备，如无线电话、寻呼机、电子照相机和个人数字助理。