IMR: Acquisition of a FESEM for Characterization of Advanced Materials and Development of Improved EBSD Tools.

IMR：购买 FESEM 用于表征先进材料并开发改进的 EBSD 工具。

• 批准号: 0414294
• 负责人: David Field
• 金额: $ 25.2万
• 依托单位: Washington State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-09-01 至 2007-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0414294&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: IMR; Acquisition; FESEM; Characterization; Advanced

A thermal-source field-emission SEM (FESEM) will be acquired to perform structural characterization on nano-scale and nano-crystalline materials. Specifically, projects in the development and optimization of functional thin films will be enabled by this instrument. The WSU MEMS based engine which operates on layers of piezo-electric films (lead zirconate titanate, PZT) currently produces power sufficient to operate small electrical devices (such as a wrist-watch). Optimization of the structures through strategic processing will boost the power output to tens of watts. This will be accomplished through complete structural characterization of the grain structure and local crystallographic texture. Such analysis is only possible through electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) on an FESEM. Cu interconnects for integrated circuits have enabled continued miniaturization of the interconnect structure that now requires maximum spatial resolution for adequate crystallographic analysis of the structures. Local crystallogaprhic texture and grain boundary structure (including twin boundary content and morphology) are important for improved manufacturability and resistance to electromigration that now has driving forces on the order of 106 A/cm2. Finally, mechanical properties of nanocrystalline materials are controlled by mechanisms that are not considered to be important in conventional polycrystals. Investigation of the mechanisms controlling the performance of nanocrystalline metals requires complete structural characterization on the scale of the crystallites that can be accomplished using the FESEM. The instrument will add significant new strength to existing funded research areas such as MEMS, structures and properties of metal films for microelectronics applications, the study of radiation induced structures in wide bandgap materials, and nano-materials for biological applications. In addition to the several graduate students that will be primary users of the FESEM, there will be access to the instrumentation for various undergraduate students working on specific topic areas under one of the principal or ancillary users, or as part of the requirements to complete undergraduate research projects. The instrument will be used by undergraduate students in a Materials Characterization Laboratory course, and will be highly utilized in our NSF sponsored REU program in Characterization of Advanced Materials (in which about 50% of the participants are women or minority students). The proposed FESEM can easily be adapted for remote operation and will be remotely operated for training purposes. This will benefit existing courses on our main campus. In the future, this remote access will be offered to the various high school and community colleges in Washington State that may have an interest. A field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) will be purchased for use in characterization of nano-scale materials. Advances in SEM technology have enabled superior imaging resolution, via the field emission electron source. Electron back-scatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis enables crystallographic information (phase and orientation) to be obtained in the SEM. These enhancements have empowered researchers to embark on an entirely new class of research that previously could not be reasonably approached with any other analytical instrumentation. Fine structures in crystalline materials ultimately control the macroscopic properties of materials. The FESEM will be used to develop microstructure-property relationships and processing/synthesis-microstructure relationships in several key application areas. It will be used to further develop and optimize the world's smallest engine currently in development at WSU. This micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) device is only millimeters in total dimension, and can generate power on the order of tens of watts. The power-generating films in this device are sub-micron in thickness, with structural features on the order of 50 nm. Local structure analysis can only be performed using an FESEM in concert with EBSD technology. Additional major research projects require the characterization power of the FESEM. Mechanical properties of nanocrystalline materials are generally superior to conventional materials. Optimizing the structures of such materials will allow for stronger, more efficient materials that will result in lighter, stronger materials for use in automotive, aerospace, and structural applications. Finally, modern integrated circuits require highly optimized interconnect structure with minimum feature sizes on the order of 100 nm and shrinking with each new generation. This research will continue to further the understanding of optimal structures, particularly in the copper interconnect wires, that will lead to increased speed and reliability of computer chips.In addition to the several graduate students that will be primary users of the FESEM, there will be access to the instrumentation for various undergraduate students working on specific topic areas under one of the principal or ancillary users, or as part of the requirements to complete undergraduate research projects. The instrument will be used by undergraduate students in a Materials Characterization Laboratory course, and will be highly utilized in our NSF sponsored REU program in Characterization of Advanced Materials (in which about 50% of the participants are women or minority students). The proposed FESEM can easily be adapted for remote operation and will be remotely operated for training purposes. This will benefit existing courses on our main campus. In the future, this remote access will be offered to the various high school and community colleges in Washington State that may have an interest.

将获得一台热源场发射扫描电镜（FESEM），对纳米尺度和纳米晶体材料进行结构表征。 具体而言，该仪器将使功能薄膜的开发和优化项目成为可能。 WSU基于MEMS的发动机在压电膜层（锆钛酸铅，PZT）上运行，目前产生的功率足以操作小型电气设备（如手表）。 通过战略处理优化结构将使功率输出提高到数十瓦。 这将通过对颗粒结构和局部晶体学纹理的完整结构表征来实现。 这种分析只能通过FESEM上的电子背散射衍射（EBSD）进行。 用于集成电路的Cu互连已经实现了互连结构的持续小型化，这现在需要最大的空间分辨率来对结构进行充分的晶体学分析。 局部结晶织构和晶界结构（包括孪晶晶界含量和形态）对于改进的可制造性和对电迁移的抗性是重要的，所述电迁移现在具有大约106 A/cm 2的驱动力。最后，纳米晶体材料的机械性能是由在传统多晶体中不被认为是重要的机制控制的。 控制纳米晶金属的性能的机制的调查需要完整的结构表征的微晶，可以使用FESEM完成的规模。 该仪器将为现有的资助研究领域增加重要的新力量，如MEMS，微电子应用中金属薄膜的结构和性能，宽带隙材料中辐射诱导结构的研究，以及生物应用中的纳米材料。 除了几个研究生，将FESEM的主要用户，将有机会获得仪器的各种本科生工作的特定主题领域下的一个主要或辅助用户，或作为要求的一部分，以完成本科研究项目。 该仪器将被本科生用于材料表征实验室课程，并将在我们的NSF赞助的先进材料表征REU计划中得到高度利用（其中约50%的参与者是女性或少数民族学生）。 拟议的FESEM可以很容易地适应远程操作，并将远程操作的培训目的。 这将有利于我们主校区现有的课程。 将来，这种远程访问将提供给华盛顿州可能感兴趣的各个高中和社区学院。 将购买一台场发射扫描电子显微镜，用于表征纳米级材料。 SEM技术的进步已经通过场发射电子源实现了上级成像分辨率。电子背散射衍射（EBSD）分析使得能够在SEM中获得晶体学信息（相和取向）。 这些增强功能使研究人员能够进行一种全新的研究，这种研究以前无法通过任何其他分析仪器进行。 晶体材料中的精细结构最终控制材料的宏观性质。 FESEM将用于开发几个关键应用领域的微观结构-性能关系和加工/合成-微观结构关系。 它将用于进一步开发和优化目前在WSU开发的世界上最小的发动机。 这种微机电系统（MEMS）设备的总尺寸只有几毫米，可以产生几十瓦的功率。 该装置中的发电膜厚度为亚微米，结构特征为50 nm量级。 局部结构分析只能使用FESEM和EBSD技术进行。 其他重大研究项目需要FESEM的表征能力。 纳米晶材料的力学性能一般上级常规材料。 优化这些材料的结构将允许更强，更高效的材料，从而产生更轻，更强的材料，用于汽车，航空航天和结构应用。 最后，现代集成电路需要高度优化的互连结构，其最小特征尺寸为100 nm量级，并且随着每一代新集成电路的出现而缩小。 这项研究将继续进一步了解最佳结构，特别是铜互连线，这将导致提高速度和可靠性的计算机芯片。除了几个研究生将是FESEM的主要用户，将有机会获得仪器的各种本科生在特定主题领域的主要或辅助用户之一，或作为完成本科研究项目的要求的一部分。 该仪器将被本科生用于材料表征实验室课程，并将在我们的NSF赞助的先进材料表征REU计划中得到高度利用（其中约50%的参与者是女性或少数民族学生）。 拟议的FESEM可以很容易地适应远程操作，并将远程操作的培训目的。 这将有利于我们主校区现有的课程。 将来，这种远程访问将提供给华盛顿州可能感兴趣的各个高中和社区学院。