Non-Destructive Nanoscale Resolution using a Carbon Nanotube Scanning Thermal Probe

材料和设备中精确的能量传输测量是聚合物、生物医学和制药行业电子技术最新发展的核心。例如，在一个腐烂的癌细胞中的时间-温度曲线的测量传达了关于生物化学组成和代谢的关键信息，这对于患病细胞筛选是必不可少的。然而，随着电子器件的尺寸减小到纳米级，用于测量电和热传输的经典技术变得不那么准确。为了更好地理解传输机制，必须开发新的纳米级工具来测量能量传输，而不会对分析的样品或测量仪器本身造成损坏。尽管最近在被称为局部热分析（LTA）的小规模热传输测量中取得了进展，但是性能受到测量探针尺寸、探针磨损和探针尖端对材料（例如细胞）造成的损坏的严重限制。为了解决这些问题，达勒姆大学和兰开斯特大学之间的这项合作提案将使用传统的集成电路（IC）制造技术将碳纳米管（CNT）集成到LTA探针尖端的结构中。碳纳米管是非常小的类石墨碳管，直径约为一纳米（人类头发的十万分之一），长度为几微米（人类头发的直径）。碳纳米管的特殊性能使其成为纳米探针设计的理想选择。该提案旨在开发一种非破坏性的CNT扫描热探针，其分辨率优于20 nm，并且能够同时记录经历光能激发的材料的热传输特性和响应。这项研究将导致从电子到生物医学的广泛行业的新应用，跨越传统的跨学科界限。例如，它将有可能监测纳米级电子电路的性能，这对生产更便宜，更快和更可靠的设备至关重要;还可以帮助准确筛选生物样品，甚至监测药物向生物细胞的输送。

Accurate energy transport measurement in materials and devices is at the heart of recent developments of electronics in the polymer, bio-medical and pharmaceutical industries. For example, the measurement of the time-temperature profile in a decaying cancer cell conveys critical information on biochemical composition and metabolism, essential for diseased cell screening. However, as the dimensions of electronic devices reduce to the nanoscale, classical techniques for measuring electrical and thermal transport become less accurate. To achieve a better understanding of transport mechanisms, it is essential to develop new nanoscale tools to measure energy transport without causing damage to the samples analysed or to the measuring apparatus itself. Despite recent progress in small scale thermal transport measurements, known as Local Thermal Analysis (LTA), the performance is severely limited by measurement probe size, probe wear and damage caused to materials, such as cells, by the probe tip. To address these problems, this collaborative proposal between Durham University and Lancaster University will integrate carbon nanotubes (CNT) into the structure of an LTA probe tip, using conventional integrated circuit (IC) fabrication technology. CNTs are extremely small graphite-like carbon tubes with a diameter of about one nanometre (one hundred thousandth that of a human hair) and length of a few microns (the diameter of a human hair). CNTs' exceptional properties make them ideal for the design of nanoscale probes. The proposal aims to develop a non-destructive, CNT, scanning, thermal probe having a resolution better than 20 nm and capable of recording simultaneously the thermal transport properties and response of materials undergoing optical energy excitation. This research will lead to new applications across a wide range of industries from electronics to biomedicine, crossing traditional interdisciplinary boundaries. For example, it will be possible to monitor the performance of nanoscale electronic circuitry, essential to produce cheaper, faster and reliable devices; and also to assist the accurate screening of biological samples and even to monitor drug delivery to bio-cells.