SBIR Phase II: Integrated Thermal Scanning Probe Development

这项小型企业创新研究（SBIR）二期项目旨在将一种独特的扫描探针商业化，该探针能够以纳米级分辨率绘制热特性。大量的物理科学、工程和生物材料和现象需要具有高空间分辨率和灵敏度的导热系数和温度测量。然而，这样的测量是具有挑战性的，传统的热探针技术限制在横向分辨率只有100纳米左右。这个二期项目将克服扫描热显微镜的主要挑战。所提出的活动的智力优点与新的和创新的设计和过程有关，以实现热感测元件集成到扫描探针设计中。这种设计最大限度地提高了从样品到探头的热流，同时最大限度地减少了远离传感器区域的背景热传递。这些器件将采用独特和可扩展的半导体加工技术进行纳米制造，以最大限度地降低制造成本，并确保可重复性和再现性。该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是高分辨率热测量工具的可用性，这将使科学家和工程师能够研究新材料并开发下一代产品。在半导体行业，该工具将有助于过程监控，材料表征和失效分析。数据存储行业将发现各种应用，从记录磁头“飞行高度”的热效应测绘，到结合集成激光脉冲的记录技术特征，再到限制面密度的超顺磁效应的研究。这些都是价值数十亿美元的产业，对社会有着广泛的影响。此外，这项新技术的应用将面向软结构热成像，这是目前技术无法实现的，因为探针尺寸大。这些测量也将非常适合医学研究。例如，在肿瘤中加热的金纳米球的热显微镜和在射频磁场下跟踪细胞结构内的磁性纳米粒子是该技术影响非常大的领域。这种研究有可能改善针对许多疾病的治疗干预措施。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project aims to commercialize a unique scanning probe capable of mapping thermal properties with nanoscale resolution. A large number of physical science, engineering, and biological materials and phenomena require thermal conductivity and temperature measurements with high spatial resolution and sensitivity. Yet such measurements are challenging, with conventional thermal probe technology limited to a lateral resolution of only about 100 nanometers. This phase II project will overcome the major challenges of scanning thermal microscopy. The intellectual merits of the proposed activity are related to new and innovative designs and processes to realize thermal sensing elements integrated into a scanning probe design. This design maximizes heat flow from a sample to the probe while minimizing background heat transfer to areas away from the sensor. These devices will be nanofabricated using both unique and scalable semiconductor processing techniques to minimize the cost of manufacturing and ensure repeatability and reproducibility. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is the availability of a high resolution thermal measurement tool which will enable scientists and engineers to investigate new materials and develop next-generation products. In the semiconductor industry, the tool will aid in process monitoring, material characterization, and failure analysis. The data storage industry will find applications ranging from mapping thermal effects on recording head "fly heights" to the characterization of recording technologies incorporating integrated laser pulsing to the investigation of superparamagnetic effects which limit areal densities. These are both multi-billion dollar industries that have broad impacts on society. Moreover, applications of this new technology will be geared towards soft-structure thermal mapping, which is not possible with current technologies because of large probe size. These measurements will also be ideally suited for medical research. For example, thermal microscopy of heated gold nanospheres localized in tumors and magnetic nanoparticle tracking inside cellular structures under radio frequency magnetic fields are areas where the impact of this technology will be very high. Such research has the potential to improve therapeutic interventions targeting a number of diseases.