Nanomanufacturing and System Integration of Multi-Functional Metallic Pyramidal Probes

多功能金属金字塔探针的纳米制造和系统集成

• 批准号: 1363334
• 负责人: Sang-Hyun Oh
• 金额: $ 30万
• 依托单位: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-06-15 至 2017-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1363334&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Nanomanufacturing; System; Integration; Multi; Functional

Optical microscopy and spectroscopy is limited in resolution to roughly half the wavelength of light, generally about 200 to 250 nanometers. Scientists can overcome this limit using a sharp metal tip as an antenna to focus light into the optical near-field, gleaning crucial information about nanoscale light-matter interactions inaccessible by other methods. Current state-of-the-art tips for near field applications are fabricated one at a time, are fragile, and have rough surfaces. These manufacturing inconsistencies limit resolution and often give irreproducible results. The objective of this project is to manufacture, integrate, characterize, and disseminate a new generation of metal probes. Dissemination of reproducible, high-performance, and multi-functional probes will democratize access to high-resolution near-field optical microscopy and spectroscopy and enable its use in user facilities, promoting this technology from the realm of a few experts to general use. The research team will use a high-throughput manufacturing technique known as template stripping for reproducible, wafer-scale production of nanometrically sharp, noble metal pyramidal tips. Crystalline-orientation-dependent wet etching of silicon will be used to define an atomically smooth template, into which gold or silver will be deposited. The metal will then be stripped off, using epoxy, exposing the ultra-smooth, sub-nanometer roughness, backside surface. The resulting ultrasmooth metal pyramids mitigate parasitic random hotspots, endemic to other metallization techniques, and promote optical energy delivery to and concentration at the tip. Robust packaging methods will be developed to integrate these probes with scanning probe microscopy systems. These scanning-probe-affixed metal pyramids will be quality controlled in an atomic force microscope, enhancing spectroscopic signals from standard samples while simultaneously acquiring topographic images. Detailed manufacturing and packaging protocols will be published in peer-reviewed journals and provided to researchers upon request. This will transform near-field microscopy and spectroscopy from a difficult niche technique used by a small number of specialists to a widespread, routine characterization method adopted by many researchers in broad range of disciplines such as nanotechnology, materials science, chemistry, and biology.

光学显微镜和光谱学的分辨率仅限于大约光波长的一半，通常约为 200 至 250 纳米。科学家可以使用锋利的金属尖端作为天线，将光聚焦到光学近场，从而克服这一限制，从而收集其他方法无法获得的有关纳米级光与物质相互作用的关键信息。当前用于近场应用的最先进的尖端是一次制造一个、易碎且表面粗糙。这些制造上的不一致限制了分辨率，并且常常会产生不可重复的结果。该项目的目标是制造、集成、表征和传播新一代金属探针。可重复、高性能和多功能探针的传播将使高分辨率近场光学显微镜和光谱学的使用变得大众化，并使其能够在用户设施中使用，从而将这项技术从少数专家的领域推广到普遍使用。研究团队将使用一种称为模板剥离的高通量制造技术，以可重复的晶圆级生产纳米锋利的贵金属金字塔尖端。取决于晶体取向的硅湿法蚀刻将用于定义原子级光滑的模板，金或银将沉积在其中。然后使用环氧树脂剥离金属，露出超光滑、亚纳米粗糙度的背面。由此产生的超光滑金属金字塔可以减轻其他金属化技术特有的寄生随机热点，并促进光能传输到尖端并在尖端集中。将开发稳健的封装方法，将这些探针与扫描探针显微镜系统集成。这些固定有扫描探针的金属金字塔将在原子力显微镜中进行质量控制，增强标准样品的光谱信号，同时采集形貌图像。详细的制造和包装方案将在同行评审的期刊上发表，并根据要求提供给研究人员。这将使近场显微镜和光谱学从少数专家使用的困难的利基技术转变为纳米技术、材料科学、化学和生物学等广泛学科的许多研究人员采用的广泛的常规表征方法。