The Nanoscale Reliability Group develops and demonstrates methods for evaluating and improving the reliability of extremely fine-scale materials such as thin films and nanostructures. We strive to help U. S. industries to incorporate reliable nanomaterials into a diverse range of high performance products, including microprocessors, nanocomposites, and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). We pursue our mission by integrating tools that reveal structure-property relations at the nano- to microscales. We have extensive expertise in our group in the areas of mechanical behavior, mechanical testing, reliability physics, multiscale modeling, microstructure, physical acoustics, scanned probe microscopy, and electron microscopy. This expertise provides us with the foundation to develop test methods that measure reliability-determining mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties of nanomaterials. Our vision is to be the primary source within the Federal Government for reliability metrologies for nanotechnology-related industries.
AFM-Based Nanomechanics — Our goal is to provide tools for nanotechnology research and development that rapidly and nondestructively map the nanoscale mechanical properties of new materials and devices. Measuring localized …
Microsystems for Harsh Environment Testing — Our goal is to develop and demonstrate a MEMS-based methodology for evaluating time-dependent mechanical properties and reliability of materials that undergo exposure to extreme and harsh …
Thin Film and Interconnect Reliability — Our goal is to develop new ways to evaluate the reliability of thin films and interconnects in their as-manufactured states. Such tests are particularly important for nanoscale structures, where …
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- Several years' worth of key developments targeting the measurement of mechanical properties of small-scale structures were summarized in a chapter for the book Micro and Nano Mechanical Testing of Materials and Devices (F. Yang and J. C. M. Li, Eds., Springer Science+Business Media, LLC). Chapter 12, entitled “Metrologies for Mechanical Response of Micro- and Nanoscale Systems,” by R. R. Keller, D. C. Hurley, D. T. Read, and P. Rice, describes the development of three measurement methods (contact-resonance AFM, microtensile testing, electrically-induced joule heating) developed by the group that are inherently sensitive to small volumes of matter (one or more dimensions less than 1 micrometer, and often in the range 10 nanometers to 100 nanometers).
- A NIST-NSF-University of Colorado workshop, "Materials Characterization for Nanoscale Reliability," was held on August 14-16, 2007. The objective was to identify specific characterization-related needs in a format to be used by NIST and academic researchers for developing characterization, modeling, and analysis techniques critical for continued advancements in the applications of nanomaterials.
- A desktop-computer-based approach to simulating the reliability of nanostructured materials has been developed. This advance is a first step on the path to enabling industry to take full advantage of the extreme properties offered by some nanostructured materials, without requiring the often exorbitant costs associated with conventional design, prototype manufacture, destructive qualification testing, and re-work.
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Nanoscale Reliability Group
