SBIR Phase I: Development of an Imaging X-Ray Spectrometer

这项小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段研究项目涉及开发一种具有纳米尺度空间分辨率的诊断和表征工具，这对于实现纳米技术的快速商业化至关重要。该研究涉及开发一种创新的x射线成像光谱仪，该光谱仪将提供强大的元素特定成像能力，具有以下重要属性：(1)高分辨率：一期项目分辨率低于50纳米，二期项目分辨率低于25纳米；(2)并行（全场）成像，从而实现高吞吐量：可同时成像多达一百万像素；(3)非破坏性：很少或不需要样品制备。该仪器可作为独立系统开发，也可作为扫描电子显微镜的附件，广泛应用于研发实验室和制造环境。除了纳米技术之外，预计该仪器将在先进的半导体制造中找到重要的应用，其中设备的特征尺寸已经远远低于100纳米尺度，以及生物医学应用，它将弥合光学显微镜和电子显微镜之间的分辨率差距。提出的x射线成像光谱仪解决了纳米技术和半导体工业对非破坏性高分辨率成像分析和表征的新兴需求。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I research project involves the development of a diagnostic and characterization tool with a spatial resolution at a nanometer scale that is critical to enable rapid commercialization of nanotechnology. The research involves developing an innovative x-ray imaging spectrometer that will provide powerful element specific imaging capability with the following important attributes: (1) high resolution: sub-50 nm resolution in the Phase I project and sub-25 nm in the Phase II project; (2) parallel (full field) imaging and thus high throughput: up to a million pixels can be imaged simultaneously; and (3) nondestructive: little or no sample preparation is required. The proposed instrument can be developed as a standalone system or as an attachment to a scanning electron microscope, which is widely deployed in R&D laboratories and manufacturing environment. In addition to nanotechnology, it is anticipated that the proposed instrument will find important applications in advanced semiconductor manufacturing where device feature size is already well below 100 nm scale, and biomedical applications where it will bridge the resolution gap between optical and electron microscopes. The proposed x-ray imaging spectrometer addresses an emerging need of the nanotechnology and semiconductor industries for non-destructive high resolution imaging analysis and characterization.