SBIR Phase I: Development of New Pulsing Mechanisms for Local Electrode Atom Probe Analyses of Electronic Materials

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目寻求采用最高空间分辨率的分析技术原子探针显微镜，专门研究硅基电子材料，以及一般的半导体和绝缘材料。半导体和信息存储行业是美国经济的大型和关键部门，它们面临着艰巨的发展任务，这些任务需要分析技术在原子尺度上提供定量的三维图像。原子探针显微镜是唯一已知的能够满足这一巨大而关键需求的技术，但需要进行必要的研究才能使其发挥作用。原子探测器使用场蒸发从样本中一次提取一个原子，并确定其在三维中的身份和位置。如果要将这项技术应用于电子材料，我们必须提高对硅发生场蒸发的基本机制的理解。这项研究计划系统地探索和记录获得所需脉冲的新方法。该项目的商业应用是在分析仪器中研究、开发和控制半导体和绝缘电子材料。在许多对国民经济至关重要的领域(如先进材料、微电子学和医学)的科学/技术发展中都需要显微镜。随着我们步入纳米技术的世纪，显微技术在原子尺度上提供材料的完整图像将是至关重要的。没有其他现有的成像或分析技术可以确定具有原子探测器的分辨率和元素识别能力的3-D原子结构。因此，作为本项目的目标，开发拓宽可用原子探针分析的材料类型的方法将对新的微电子器件、新的纳米技术和新的科学的发展产生重大影响。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project seeks to adapt the highest spatial resolution analytical technique, atom probe microscopy, to work on silicon-based electronic materials specifically, and semiconductor and insulating materials generally. The semiconductor and information storage industries, large and critical sectors of the US economy, face daunting development tasks which require analytical techniques that provide quantitative three-dimensional images at the atomic scale. Atom probe microscopy is the only known technique that can fill this very large and crucial need but essential research is needed to make it work. The atom probe uses field evaporation to extract one atom at a time from a specimen and determine its identity and location in three dimensions. Our understanding of the basic mechanisms by which field evaporation of silicon occurs must be improved if this technique is to be applied to electronic materials. This research program proposes to systematically explore and document novel methods of achieving the requisite pulsing.The commercial application of this project is in analytical instrumentation to study, develop, and control semiconductor and insulating electronic materials. Microscopy is required for science/technology development in many areas critical to national economy (e.g. advanced materials, microelectronics, and medicine.) As we embark on the century of nanotechnology, it will be essential that microscopy techniques provide a complete picture of materials at the atomic scale. No other existing imaging or analytical technology can determine the 3-D atomic structure with the resolution and elemental identification capabilities of the atom probe. Therefore, development of methods to broaden the types of materials that may be analyzed with the atom probe, as is the goal of this project, will substantially impact the development of new microelectronic devices, new nanotechnologies, and new science.