SBIR Phase II: Resonance Force Microscopy for Nanoscale Manufacturing Process Monitoring

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第二阶段项目旨在开发基于共振力显微镜(RFM)的自动化纳米级制造过程监控工具的生产原型。该工具将结合图像力显微镜(IFM，测量磁化率的线性部分的RFM的一种版本)和散射近场光学显微镜(SSNOM)与原子力显微镜，用于硬盘驱动器(HDD)和半导体行业。SSNOM测量偶极-偶极相互作用力，IFM测量偶极-偶极力梯度，两者都具有纳米级的空间分辨率。这些技术可以直接成像与电子、声子和等离子激子相关的共振。等离子体共振成像的能力非常适合于探测与热辅助磁记录(HAMR)中使用的称为近场换能器(NFT)的等离子体结构相关联的近场(NF)分布。随着HAMR被普遍认为是硬盘行业的下一代技术，由于目前还没有简单的方法来探测NFT的核磁共振分布，因此迫切需要一种用于大规模生产HAMR磁头的监控工具。拟议项目的目标是(1)成功制作自动NFT表征工具的原型，(2)在一个或多个硬盘制造商中对其进行现场测试。该项目的广泛影响/商业潜力将不仅在硬盘行业，而且在许多行业都能感受到。虽然对NFT生产的监控是自动化工具的短期利基应用，但同样的工具在不同行业的制造环境中将具有在线表征纳米材料和结构的物理化学性质的价值，例如，包括测量沟道层的应力、半导体行业缺陷的化学表征以及对蛋白质类药物的监测。在研发和学术环境中，RFM技术提供了对单个生物分子进行原位成像的能力，例如用于实时监测细胞上的膜蛋白动态，这将在生物医学和临床研究中提供前所未有的实用价值。一种可靠的无标记成像工具，能够在分子水平上识别化学键信息，可能会在许多基础和应用生物科学领域带来革命性的进展，包括药物发现、蛋白质组学、结构生物学和个性化医学。与涉及高分辨率显微镜的其他混合仪器相比，RFM技术将更容易实施，从而为学术和研究机构提供负担得起的仪器。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project aims to develop a production prototype of an automated nanoscale manufacturing process monitoring tool based on the resonance force microscope (RFM). The tool will combine image force microscopy (IFM, a version of RFM that measures the linear part of the susceptibility) and scattering near-field optical microscopy (sSNOM) with atomic force microscope for use in the hard disk drive (HDD) and semiconductor industries. sSNOM measures the dipole-dipole interaction force while IFM measures the dipole-dipole force gradient, both with nanometer spatial resolution. These techniques allow direct imaging of resonances associated with electrons, phonons, and plasmons. The capability to image plasmon resonances is well suited to probe the near-field (NF) profile associated with a plasmonic structure called near-field transducer (NFT) utilized in heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR). With HAMR universally viewed as the next generation technology for HDD industry, the need for a monitoring tool for mass production of HAMR head is acute since there is currently no simple way to probe the NF profile of NFTs. The objectives of the proposed project are (1) to successfully prototype an automated NFT characterization tool and (2) to field test it with one or more HDD manufacturers.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will be felt not only in the HDD industry but across many industries. While the monitoring of NFT production is the near-term niche application for the automated tool, the same tool will have longer-term value for in-line characterization of physical and chemical properties of nanoscale materials and structures in the manufacturing environment of diverse industries, including, for example, the measurement of stress in the channel layer and chemical characterization of defects in semiconductor industry and monitoring of protein-based pharmaceuticals. In R&D and academic settings, the RFM technique provides the capability to image individual biomolecules in situ, such as for the real-time monitoring of membrane protein dynamics on cells, which will provide unprecedented utility in biomedical and clinical research. A reliable label-free imaging tool with the capability to identify chemical bond information at the molecular level will potentially bring about revolutionary advances in many fields of basic and applied biological science, including drug discovery, proteomics, structural biology, and personalized medicine. The RFM technique will be simpler to implement as compared to other hybrid instruments involving high resolution microscopy, resulting in an affordable instrument for academic and research institutions.