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Material Measurement Laboratory /Applied Chemicals and Materials Division

Nanoscale Reliability Group

The Nanoscale Reliability Group develops and disseminates science, standards, and technology for high-resolution measurements of material structure, chemistry, and physical properties, to ensure reliability of materials and devices with critical dimensions in the micrometer to nanometer regime.

The performance of advanced, reliable engineering materials requires that the proper atoms are in the correct place within the material, and that the material displays the properties we intend. Innovative metrologies are developed and demonstrated in the realms of electron, ion, and scanned probe microscopies, to identify and locate atomic species, and to determine physical responses of materials. Test structures, measurement methods, and in situ testing approaches are developed to measure performance of complex material systems and geometries with high spatial resolution, enabling new reliability physics to be applied to nanoscale structures for electronics, structural material, and energy applications. We integrate material characterization metrologies with material performance and reliability assessments. 

Recent Group Highlights

Callie Higgins, a Materials Research Engineer in the Nanoscale Reliability Group, has won the FY21 Service to America Emerging Leaders award for her work in ensuring the reliability of polymeric materials created by 3D printing and in early career staff advocacy. She is one of seven medal winners selected from across the entire Federal government. Read the NIST News Release. Read and listen to her story from the Federal News Network. 

News and Updates

GROUP PATENTS

NIST encourages patent protection on inventions when a patent would further the interests of U.S. manufacturing, increase the potential for current or future commercialization or use of the technology, would likely to lead to a license, would have a positive impact on a new field of science or technology and/or the visibility and vitality of NIST, or would further the goals of collaborative agreements.

Although patents are issued in the name of the inventor, the rights to inventions resulting from government work belong to the government. NIST's Technology Partnerships Office negotiates licensing of patented NIST technology.

Sample holder, detector mask, and scope system for analytical transmission scanning electron microscopy
9,970,859; 9,746,415

Imaging spectrometer for extreme ultraviolet atom probe tomography
10,153,144; 9,899,197

Electron vibrometer for atomic force microscopy
10,060,946

Projects and Programs

2D Material Electronic Test

Electronic Material Characterization

Ongoing
Manufacturing optimized devices that incorporate newly-emerging materials requires predictable performance throughout device lifetimes. Unexpected degradation in device performance, sometimes leading to failure, is often traceable to poor material reliability. Reliability is rooted in the stability
A time series of a MoS2 flake exposed to increasing time under electrical stress shows the growth of defects denoted with red and yellow areas over time. S= source and D = drain electrode.

Evaluation of 2D and WBG Material Quality Toward Device Reliability

Ongoing
Two-dimensional (2D) and wide band gap (WBG) materials are some of the latest materials classes having the potential to be transformative because of their high carrier mobilities, tunable bandgap, and atomic-scale film thicknesses. Unexpected degradation and failure in device performance is often
extreme atom probe tomography illustration

Extreme Atom Probe Tomography

Ongoing
Sub-nanometer-resolved 3-D chemical mapping of any atom in any solid continues to be an imperative goal of materials research. If reduced to practice, it would have profound scientific, engineering, and economic impacts on U.S. industries collectively worth hundreds of billions of dollars. Such
An image showing the hybrid AFM + SLA system from the SPM4AMP project

Photopolymer Additive Manufacturing

Ongoing
NEWS September 2021: NIST and Radtech have launched a Photopolymer Additive Manufacturing Alliance (PAMA) to advance strategic goals for research, sustainability, and regulation in PAM. PAMA is on a mission to make photopolymer additive manufacturing (PAM) more accessible and to increase the safe
The SPMforAMP project develops novel SPM methods

Scanning Probe Microscopy for Advanced Materials and Processes

Ongoing
With a nanometer-sharp probe capable of delicate interaction with a limitless array of materials, SPM methods such as Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) can aid in characterizing a wide range of materials in diverse environments from vacuum to biological serums. The atomic force microscope is operated in

Publications

Multistage Networks for Glassy Holographic Photopolymers

Author(s)
Alexander Osterbaan, Andrew Sias, Marianela Trujillo-Lemon, Kieran Fung, Jason Killgore, ROBERT MCLEOD, Christopher Bowman
In the writing of holographic photopolymers, the addition of a third stage cure to the typical polyurethane matrix and acrylate writing monomer steps is used

Awards

Press Coverage

Group Staff

Name
Phone
Email
Primary Project
Benjamin Caplins(303) 497-6703benjamin.caplins [at] nist.gov (benjamin[dot]caplins[at]nist[dot]gov)

Extreme Atom Probe Tomography

Photopolymer Additive Manufacturing

Ann Chiaramonti Debay(303) 497-5701chiaramonti [at] nist.gov (chiaramonti[at]nist[dot]gov)Extreme Atom Probe Tomography
Callie Higgins(303) 497-5991callie.higgins [at] nist.gov (callie[dot]higgins[at]nist[dot]gov)Photopolymer Additive Manufacturing
Jason Holm(303) 497-4335jason.holm [at] nist.gov (jason[dot]holm[at]nist[dot]gov)Analytical Transmission Scanning Electron Microscopy
Bob Keller(303) 497-7651bob.keller [at] nist.gov (bob[dot]keller[at]nist[dot]gov) 
Jason Killgore(303) 497-4729jason.killgore [at] nist.gov (jason[dot]killgore[at]nist[dot]gov)

Scanned Probe Microscopy for Advanced Materials & Processes

Photopolymer Additive Manufacturing

Thomas Kolibaba(303) 497-5811thomas.kolibaba [at] nist.gov (thomas[dot]kolibaba[at]nist[dot]gov)Photopolymer Additive Manufacturing
Elisabeth Mansfield(303) 497-6405elisabeth.mansfield [at] nist.gov (elisabeth[dot]mansfield[at]nist[dot]gov)Electronic Material Characterization
Ryan White(303) 497-3938ryan.white [at] nist.gov (ryan[dot]white[at]nist[dot]gov) 

 

Contacts

Group Leader

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