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Physical Measurement Laboratory / Nanoscale Device Characterization Division

Advanced Electronics Group

Projects/Programs

Displaying 1 - 16 of 16
Schematic of a PEEM measurement

Advancing PEEM-based Metrology

Ongoing
With the rise of emergent material systems, nanoscale devices and components, there is a need to assess their electronic properties at similar length scales. Bulk-sensitive measurements provide characteristic information averaged over the sample or device, and these properties may not be uniform
Advancing Power Electronics with Defect Metrology, Key challenges of near market devices of

Advancing Power Electronics with Defect Metrology

Ongoing
Power electronics play a central role in all aspects of electrical energy storage, distribution, conversion, and consumption. Currently, power electronics heavily rely on Si-based insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBT), which have large footprints, are inefficient, and require extensive cooling
Contrast enhancement at the diffraction limit using DUV Fourier ptychography (left) and 3D reconstructed image (right).

DUV/EUV Nanoscopy for Imaging Nanostructures

Ongoing
Novel optical nanoscopy techniques using deep-ultraviolet (DUV) and extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) laser sources are developed to characterize nanostructures with high dimensional sensitivity and low uncertainty for advancing the semiconductor devices manufacturing process. The illumination beam is
Massively parallel wafer-level long-term reliability test system featuring 30 fully functioning mini probe stations each supporting 100 probe pins with all the supporting stress/measure electronics integrated (without cables).

Electrical Characterization of Nanoscale Electron Devices

Ongoing
Over the decades, many measurement methods were developed to meet the needs of advancing electron device/circuit/system technology. As technology continue to advance, new needs continue to surface, either due to old measurements are no longer adequate or due to no established method exists. A case
Electric Field Gradient reference prototype

Electrical Scanning Probe Microscopy

Ongoing
Electrical scanning probe microscopes (eSPMs) are a subset of scanning probe microscopes which measure some electrical parameter as well as surface topography. These include techniques such as scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM), scanning spreading resistance microscopy (SSRM), conductive atomic
Three-dimensional view of carbon nanostructures grown on the surface of a glass fiber

Electron Microscopy of Carbon Nanotube Composites

Ongoing
Multi-wall CNTs (MWCNTs) are a common nano-carbon reinforcement material and are frequently dispersed into a polymer matrix to form composites that can be engineered with specific combinations of desirable properties – electrical, thermal, optical and mechanical, etc. However, this
Harnessing EUV capabilities for non-destructive metrology

EUV Scatterometry

Ongoing
To measure and inspect the smallest printed features on an IC chip, researchers and manufacturers use a combination of electron scanning modalities (i.e., transmission electron and scanning electron microscopies) and an optical method, scatterometry. Industrially, the most common modality for
Schematic diagram of a 3D stacked integrated circuit (3D-SIC), achieved using copper through-silicon via interconnects.

Metrology for Emerging Integrated Systems

Ongoing
The Emerging Integrated Systems Metrology program supports measurements for advanced manufacturing and secure nano-manufacturing, novel devices and electronic materials. Specifically, the program aims to develop the metrology required to enable a quantitative assessment and physical understanding of

Metrology for Printing and Graphic Arts Substrates

Ongoing
Paper is a complex, heterogeneous, multi-phased material. While there is a significant body of work related to the dielectric properties of cellulose, comparatively fewer studies have been done on printing and writing grades of paper. In our previous work, we have been able to differentiate between
EDMR set up to measure the electrode process of an electrochemical cell.

Operando Measurements of Electrochemical (Charge-transfer) Processes

Ongoing
There are two ways to study a very fast process such as charge transfer. One can use very high-speed measurement that can follow the effect of the process, or one use a method that is sensitive only to the process itself. Either way has its weakness. Many fast measurements can follow the process
NIST 193 nm Microscope.

Optical Methods for 3-D Nanostructure Metrology (Archived)

Completed
This project develops new approaches to optical microscopy based on a high magnification optical platform that samples the full 3-D scattered field. Both the semiconductor industry and the evolving nanomanufacturing sector are facing enormous challenges measuring nanometer scale features over large
Schematic of quantum entangled molecules or nanoparticles in dual cavity system.

Photonic Quantum State Imaging Metrology

Ongoing
Fundamental understanding of quantum behavior of single molecules, which is a favorable candidate for quantum information processing technologies, has advanced gradually, relying on empirical studies mostly. This requires a measurement platform to study fundamental quantum characteristics in single
Schematic of unresolved imaging of a periodic structure. Extracting deep-subwavelength information from such images requires mastery of several techniques; this project seeks to integrate machine learning for metrology.

Quantitative Nanoscale Imaging Through Artificial Intelligence

Ongoing
This project extends optical capabilities for the characterization of nanoscale devices as they increase in complexity, with challenging new materials properties, thicknesses, and length scales that challenge simplistic applications of the fundamental equations of electromagnetism. Critical