Let me begin by expressing my thanks for the privilege and opportunity to address you today. I would like to provide you with an industry-based perspective of nanotechnology in order to help you understand why we at IBM view nanotechnology to be so important. What is nanotechnology? For some, nanotechnology is narrowly defined as a technology in which structures are assembled in a “bottom up” manner by placing the individual atoms into desired positions.

The following collection of material is an introduction to cross-disciplinary efforts centering on the study and control of living systems. Cross-disciplinary interactions in the field of biology are not new. Mendel’s work in genetics was a fusion of biology and the mathematical science of statistics.

The opportunity afforded by nanoscience and technology offers a broadening of scope in electronics technologies and creates the foundation for the Nanoelectronics Era. Superior electronics is a major “forcemultiplier” for military systems. It is anticipated that nanoelectronics will augment the power of this multiplier. This paper explores the scientific and technological trends that will produce nanoelectronics and gives a few examples of the military applications of this emerging technology.

The promise and challenge of nanotechnology is immense. The National Nanotechnology Initiative provides an opportunity to develop a new technological base for U.S. Industry. Nanometrology is the basis of the new measurement methods that must be developed to support the nanotechnology. Nanometrology has played a key role in support for the semiconductor and other U.S. industries already developing products with nanometer-sized dimensions. Nanometrology techniques, standards and infrastructure development are needed to control fabrication and production, ensure product quality, and enable different parts to work effectively together. Size and tolerance are important considerations and require standardization. Metrology is critical to developing a complete understanding of any new phenomenon or process. Only those things that can be measured can be fully understood. Ultimately, this understanding is critical to obtaining the immense economic benefits predicted by the National Nanotechnology Initiative for U. S. industry.

Step and Flash Imprint Lithography (SFIL) is an attractive method for printing sub-100 nm geometries. Relative to other imprinting processes SFIL has the advantage that the template is transparent, thereby facilitating conventional overlay techniques. The purpose of this work is to investigate alternative methods for defining features on an SFIL template. The first method used a much thinner (< 20 nm) layer of Cr as a hard mask. Thinner layers still suppress charging during e-beam exposure of the template, and have the advantage that CD losses encountered during the pattern transfer of the Cr are minimized. The second fabrication scheme addresses some of the weaknesses associated with a solid glass substrate. Because there is no conductive layer on the final template, SEM and defect inspection are compromised. By incorporating a conductive and transparent layer of indium tin oxide on the glass substrate, charging is suppressed during inspection, and the UV characteristics of the final template are not affected. Templates have been fabricated using the two methods described above. Features as small as 30 nm have been resolved on the templates. Sub-80 nm features were resolved on the first test wafer printed.

Ultra-shallow junction layers are required for deep submicron CMOS and quantum devices. Low-temperature (320°C) molecular-beam epitaxy was used to form highly conductive, ultra-shallow layers in silicon using boron delta doping. The as-grown junction depths, determined with secondary ion mass spectrometry, ranged from 7 nm to 18 nm. A minimum resistivity of 3 x 10-4 ?-cm was obtained when the delta-doped layers were spaced 2.5 nm apart. The sheet resistances of the epitaxial layers, plotted as a function of junction depth, followed the theoretical curve for a boxdoped layer having a boron doping concentration equal to the solid solubility limit, 6 x 1020/cm3. Minimal change was detected in either the atomic profiles or the resistivity after a 10 s rapid thermal anneal (RTA) or a 10 min furnace anneal (FA) up to 700°C. The sheet resistances of the as-grown shallow junctions are substantially less than those obtained by ion implantation. Only after the 800 °C FA did the MBE-grown layers degrade to have as large a sheet resistance as the best ion implanted layers.

An important new area of biomedical engineering is the development of neural prosthesis particularly in the area of cochlear and retinal devices. An intraocular retinal prosthesis test device is currently under development at NRL/JHU. The microelectronic device has an image format of 80 x 40 unit cells interfaced to the retinal surface via an array of microwires in a glass matrix. The system architecture and technology development issues are discussed as well as the topic of biocompatibility. This test device will enable acute human experiments in an operating room environment to demonstrate a massively parallel interface between retinal tissue and a microelectronic array.

We present a novel method for making 2D photonic crystal structures. The method relies on exposing a multilayer electron beam resist. The different layers exhibit different dissolution rates in the developer, which makes it possible to produce a perforated membrane released from the substrate if the resist closest to the substrate has a higher dissolution rate than the resist on the surface. The entire structure is created in a single development step. Various structures fabricated with this method are reported.

The nascent nanotechnology revolution promises many benefits to humankind. An exciting and sometimes bewildering variety of new nanofabrication technologies and nanodevices based on electrical, optical, magnetic, mechanical, chemical and biological effects are reported almost daily. It is prudent to ask, however, how many of these breakthroughs will remain laboratory curiosities and how many will proceed to widespread industrialization. We argue that a metrology infrastructure has underpinned all industrial revolutions, and that this infrastructure is weak or nonexistent for many of the proposed nanosystems. More attention needs to be paid to metrology or progress will be derailed in a number of areas.

Recent theoretical analysis and experimental investigations indicate that the physics of clusters deposited on semiconductor surfaces such as Silicon may be a promising future avenue for nanostructure science. Clusters of small number (5 - 10) of atoms in free space have also been shown to have interesting energy structures as well as magnetic and electrical moments. We report on the formation of Mn islands on Si(111) surfaces and their optical scattering response. We show that Mn islands of diameter 15 to 30nm exhibit paramagnetism at low temperatures, while thick films of Mn do not. In addition, our experiments verify previous theoretical suggestions that polarized optical scattering can be used to detect magnetism in small clusters. We will discuss some of these along with possible future applications of cluster physics.

A critical requirement for using thin polymer films in many microelectronics applications is the ability to selectively immobilize materials on patterned polymer templates.1 Adaptation of standard covalent solution phase chemistries is the most direct approach, but suffers several drawbacks, including the following: (1) reduced reaction rates or yields due to surface steric effects, (2) distortion or dissolution of surface templates due to reagent/polymer incompatibilities, and (3) environmental and cost concerns arising from the use of nonaqueous solvents.

The author has developed a new instrument mechanism that is sufficiently sensitive to operate in the nanometer and subnanometer dimensional regimes and has sufficient stability to maintain calibration for extended periods of time. The mechanism has been designed into a calibrated displacement actuator for use in calibrating surface metrology instruments. Tests at China Lake, California, and Gaithersburg, Maryland, suggest linearity better than 1:10,000, repeatability better than 1:10,000 and stability better than 6:10,000 per year. These results include contributions from all sources of metrology error and no attempt has been made to separate the contributors and isolate the actuator’s own contributions. The physics of the actuator suggests that its behavior may be even better than these measurements demonstrate. The actuator may be easily adapted to 2- and 3-axis motion control in instruments. It may provide very reliable resources for metrology in the nanometer and sub-nanometer regimes.

NIST is responsible to U.S. industry for developing length intensive measurement capabilities and calibration standards in the nanometer scale regime. The Nanometer-Scale Metrology Program is an integrated Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory program composed of projects all aimed at accurate nano-length metrology. These projects range (in part) from scanning probe microscopies, optical microscopy, interferometry, scanning electron microscopy, and include traditional linescale interferometry which maintains the NIST capability for length scale measurements at a World-class level. The industrial relevancy of the research and standards provided by this program has resulted in a large number of industrial interactions.

This article is directed towards nanolithography, which is the unit process required to pattern nanostructures. While the critical dimension in the microelectronics industry is continually going down due to developments in photolithography, it is coming at the expense of exponential increase in lithography tool costs and rising photomask costs. Step and Flash Imprint Lithography (S-FIL) is a nano-patterning technique that not only results in significantly lower cost of the lithography tool and process consumables, but also appears to be at least as good as photolithography in other aspects of patterning costs. In this study, a comparison of SFIL with Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) photolithography technique is provided at the 50nm node†. Advantages and disadvantages of S-FIL for various application sectors are provided. Finally, cost of ownership (CoO) computations of S-FIL versus EUV is provided. CoO computations indicate that S-FIL may be the cost-effective technology in the sub-100nm domain, particularly for emerging devices that are required in low volumes.

We present a new technique for laser radiation delivery into a precise (micron-and submicron-scale) tissue area using a smart, tissue-activated optical fiber probe. The operating principal of the laser delivery system is based on the use of a delivery fiber with a specially angle-shaped tip. When the fiber tip is out of the tissue area, the laser emission is backreflected at the angled tip due to total-internal-reflection. However, when the fiber tip is placed on absorbing tissue, it becomes “transparent” for laser emission because of the frustrated-total-internal-reflectance and the energy then is coupled into the absorber.

Scan linearity of a review (cross-section) Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) has been studied using Nanometrology’s proprietary software and reference samples. Nonlinearity across the field of view was measured at greater than 6.5% before and under 1% after correction by the SEM company’s engineer. The scan non-linearity was measured with precision better than 0.2% across the field of view. This is in spite of the nonuniformity of the reference sample which was measured at greater than 2.5%. The precision of the non-uniformity measurement of the reference sample was better than 0.1%.

Tissue engineering has shown great potential for solving health problems through replacing or repairing malfunctioning tissue with functional constructs of living cells and associated molecules. To realize this potential, complicated cell-cell interactions both in the macro scale and micro scale need to be understood.

One-dimensional nanostructures hold the promise of becoming critical elements for next generation nanoscale electronic and photonic devices. While significant efforts have been devoted to the development of nanotube or nanowire based transistors, little has been done on their photonic counterpart. Here we summarize our recent efforts on one-dimensional crystalline nanostructures, in particular, the zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires grown on a sapphire substrate. ZnO is a wide bandgap (3.37 eV) compound semiconductor that is especially suitable for blue and ultraviolet (UV) optoelectronic applications. Room-temperature optical energy conversion and stimulated UV light emission from ZnO nanowires are emphasized, along with a discussion of potential applications of nanoscale lasers.

Nano-scale particles have a strong tendency to agglomerate due to their small size and high surface area. Agglomerate structures come in a variety of shapes and sizes; nonuniformity can present major challenges for nano-material processing.

We describe the development of an experimental system, consisting of a low temperature scanning tunneling microscope coupled to UHV tip and sample preparation chambers, with the goal of providing new measurement capabilities for the study of quantum and spin electronic systems on the nanometer scale. The physical information desired in such systems includes: the quantized electron energy distributions arising from spatial or magnetic confinement, the spatial extent of electronic wavefunctions, the role of electron-electron interactions in the presence of confining boundaries, the exact physical structure of the system, the shape of the confining potentials, and finally, the physics of electron transport on nanometer length scales. Additionally, we have incorporated a computer controlled facility for automated atom assembly to perform “bottom-up” fabrication of nanostructures. Some initial results will be discussed.

Critical dimension metrology of silicon integrated circuit features at the sub-micrometer scale is an essential task in state-of-the-art semiconductor manufacturing. Determining the width of a feature or the scale in a pitch measurement with appropriate accuracy is consistently one of the most challenging elements of semiconductor metrology and manufacturing.

A basic scheme of direct, highly accurate dimensional measurements of nanostructures is presented. We have constructed a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) unit combined with a diode laser-based Michelson interferometer module. The compact size of the STM allows it to be installed in an ultra high vacuum (UHV) chamber and is capable of measuring atomic spacings on a reconstructed single crystal surface. This method aims at direct dimensional calibration of microelectronic structures such as linewidths and line/space features. The calibrated dimensions of these features will be traceable to the international unit of length through the He-Ne laser wavelength and be a reliable standard for next generation nanostructures and nanofabrication.

Magnetostrictive actuators for superprecision positioning in steps of 10-2 nm over a range of displacements up to 1m have been developed and investigated. The actuators generate forces up to 104 N and are suitable as force actuators in steps of 10 nm. Exact displacement is achieved by an active element made from Terfenol D alloy based on rare-earth metals with a giant magnetostriction. The actuators can be controlled manually without any additional power source or by using a computer. For manual control the minimum linear-displacement step does not exceed 0,6 nm, and when the device is used on a turntable the minimum angular displacement step is 15-10-3 angular seconds, while for computer control these quantities are 10-2 nm and 4?10-5 angular seconds respectively. Using the above mentionned micropositionners we developed several new devices, which may radically change the situation in various high-tech fields of modern technology.

A novel tungsten heavy alloy with a nanocrystalline microstructure was produced. Tungsten powders were ball milled in a controlled atmosphere environment, with rapidly solidified powders of a binder alloy known to exhibit a stress-induced martensitic transformation. The milled powders were consolidated in a Hot Isostatic Press (HIP). Microstructural examinations and microhardness tests were conducted on the consolidated product. In quarter-scale ballistic testing, the penetration performance of the nanostructured tungsten composite was compared to those of penetrators of conventional tungsten-based composites and depleted uranium alloys, and showed promise as a kinetic energy penetrator material.

This is an essay in two parts aimed at assessing the National Nanoscience Initiative (NNI) in light of the current trends in science management. The first part of the essay provides a critical survey of current trends in science policy from the points of view of industry, university and government. Many of the trends described are shown to inhibit rapid insertion of new, science-based ideas into the arsenal of technology. The second part of the essay focuses on the NNI. The degree to which major government initiatives, like the NNI, can exacerbate this inhibition or breakdown barriers to insertion is explored here.

Direct, physical manipulation of matter at the atomic level is the heart of nanostructure science and technology. This requires very special capabilities in terms of tools and personnel. In the past, emphasis has been placed on specialized equipment (e.g., e-beam tools, plasma etchers, proximal probes, etc.), and on environmental control. The point taken here is that management philosophy is at least equally important (if not more important) in achieving project success. The discussion represents a perspective, as derived from experience as director of the Nanoelectronics Processing Facility at the US Naval Research Laboratory and interactions with other Nanofabrication Facilitiesi.

Q1: What is Nanoscience? Possible attempts at a definition: - Dimensional based definition (minimum feature size) - Pertaining to atomic or to molecular assemblages - Pertaining to interfaces: not bulk-like properties

Many future systems will be smaller and smarter. The technology to support these future systems will require an emphasis in nanoscience research in materials and in nano-techniques for advanced electronics. An important catalyst for this research will be collaboration among universities, government, and industry.

Participating members: Marylyn Bennett, Bill Banke, Yues Deslandes, Tim Goldburt, Al Szeienano, Al Hatheway, Mark Schattenburg, Jay Jun, Saroshi Gonda, Mike Thompson, Kevin Lyons, Jim Potzick, Mike McElfresh, John Villarruba, George Orsi, Dominique Drouin, Alexandre Couture

We believe that the answer is yes. However, given the incredible diversity and richness of the nanoscale world, we felt that it was necessary to devise a working definition in the context of microelectronics.

The marriage of nanotechnology tools and concepts with biological systems is in its infancy, and the potential for revolutionary advances in areas such as Health Care can barely be imagined at this early stage. While biomedical applications will certainly be one of the most important application areas, nanobiological systems will also almost certainly be important in areas that are not traditionally biological, such as computing and sensing.

Biological macromolecules (such as proteins, DNA, and RNA) are the machinery of biological processes. Sensors enabling quantitative, real-time detection of these objects promise an enhanced understanding and management of disease and illness, with obvious application to medicine and public health. Ideally, these such biosensors would be useable in the field, at medical point of care, or even in vivo, all of which places where sample preparation would be minimal and use of labeling reagents (e.g., fluorescently labeled antibodies) not practical. In a collaboration between the Electronics Science and Technology Division and the Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering we have developed a microelectronic biosensor capable of label-free detection of a variety of biological macromolecules. When fully realized and implemented as elements in an array format, this biosensor may enable low cost, simultaneous, real-time detection of thousands of target macromolecules from small sample volumes (10's of ?liters) or even in vivo. We describe here the construction and performance of an example sensor based on conventional siliconbased technology, as well as future applications.