Nanocharacterization Laboratory

Pushing the limits of nanoscale instruments

In the world of the very small, the instruments required for characterization and manipulation are often only a step less advanced than the actual research. Unfortunately for a university, this makes them very expensive.

To ensure that Stanford stays at the forefront of nanotechnology research, FEI Company has helped us to acquire two of their most powerful nano-scale imaging systems. Together they form the core of the newly renovated, universitywide Stanford Nanocharacterization Laboratory. They are making new kinds of research possible – from transistors to rocket engines.

According to Robert Sinclair, chair of materials science and engineering department and the director of the facility, “the quality of imaging we can obtain on these systems is one or two orders of magnitude better” than what was possible before. Which means that devising new ways to use them is a big part of the research effort.

One instrument is an ultra high-resolution scanning electron microscope (SEM) with a wide range of imaging and analytical capabilities. The second machine combines a focused ion beam (FIB) and an SEM beam that both target precisely the same location. Together the two beams can etch or section a specimen to examine its underlying structure. They can also be used to build nanoscale structures by precisely depositing material from an organo-metallic gas.

Applications have followed quickly. One of Sinclair’s students, Kyung Hoon Min, is using the dual beam device to examine the electrical properties of small oxide crystals in a thin film. By identifying individual crystals in different orientations, then depositing platinum contacts on each one, he can test them individually to learn how orientation affects their conductivity. His research may lead to new materials for gates in field-effect transistors.

He Li, another doctoral student, is using the instrument’s sectioning capabilities to prepare specimens of extraordinarily hard materials. He can then examine them by transmission electron microscope (TEM) at extremely high magnification to evaluate possible materials for use in rocket engines.

How does FEI benefit from their generosity? Besides fostering relationships with a generation of young engineers, FEI sees the lab as an invaluable testing ground. Vahe Sarkissian, the company’s president, CEO, and chairman, recently told a group of doctoral students: “Push this equipment to its limits. In research environments such as these, we can really stretch the capabilities of these instruments, and jointly define roadmaps for future systems.”