Filamentary high-resolution electrical probes for nanoengineering

Confining electric fields to a nanoscale region is challenging yet crucial for applications such as high resolution probing of electrical properties of materials and electric-field manipulation of nanoparticles. State-of-the-art techniques involving atomic force microscopy typically have a lateral r...

Descripció completa

Dades bibliogràfiques
Autors principals: Soh, EJH, Sarwat, GS, Mazzotta, G, Porter, BF, Riede, M, Nicholas, R, Kim, JS, Bhaskaran, H
Format: Journal article
Idioma:English
Publicat: American Chemical Society 2020
Matèries:
_version_ 1826303565011877888
author Soh, EJH
Sarwat, GS
Mazzotta, G
Porter, BF
Riede, M
Nicholas, R
Kim, JS
Bhaskaran, H
author_facet Soh, EJH
Sarwat, GS
Mazzotta, G
Porter, BF
Riede, M
Nicholas, R
Kim, JS
Bhaskaran, H
author_sort Soh, EJH
collection OXFORD
description Confining electric fields to a nanoscale region is challenging yet crucial for applications such as high resolution probing of electrical properties of materials and electric-field manipulation of nanoparticles. State-of-the-art techniques involving atomic force microscopy typically have a lateral resolution limit of tens of nanometers due to limitations in the probe geometry and stray electric fields that extend over space. Engineering the probes is the most direct approach to improving this resolution limit. However, current methods to fabricate high-resolution probes, which can effectively confine the electric fields laterally involve expensive and sophisticated probe manipulation, which has limited the use of this approach. Here, we demonstrate that nanoscale phase switching of configurable thin films on probes can result in high-resolution electrical probes. These configurable coatings can be both germanium-antimony-tellurium (GST) as well as amorphous-carbon, materials known to undergo electric field-induced non-volatile, yet reversible switching. By forming a localized conductive filament through phase transition, we demonstrate a spatial resolution of electrical field beyond the geometrical limitations of commercial platinum probes (i.e. an improvement of ~48%). We then utilize these confined electric fields to manipulate nanoparticles with single nanoparticle precision via dielectrophoresis. Our results advance the field of nanomanufacturing and metrology with direct applications for pick and place assembly at the nanoscale.
first_indexed 2024-03-07T06:04:37Z
format Journal article
id oxford-uuid:ed6900b5-686f-46f7-b5e6-8be12e11d892
institution University of Oxford
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-07T06:04:37Z
publishDate 2020
publisher American Chemical Society
record_format dspace
spelling oxford-uuid:ed6900b5-686f-46f7-b5e6-8be12e11d8922022-03-27T11:24:56ZFilamentary high-resolution electrical probes for nanoengineeringJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:ed6900b5-686f-46f7-b5e6-8be12e11d892ProbesPlatinumMetal nanoparticlesCoating materialsNanoparticlesEnglishSymplectic Elements at OxfordAmerican Chemical Society2020Soh, EJHSarwat, GSMazzotta, GPorter, BFRiede, MNicholas, RKim, JSBhaskaran, HConfining electric fields to a nanoscale region is challenging yet crucial for applications such as high resolution probing of electrical properties of materials and electric-field manipulation of nanoparticles. State-of-the-art techniques involving atomic force microscopy typically have a lateral resolution limit of tens of nanometers due to limitations in the probe geometry and stray electric fields that extend over space. Engineering the probes is the most direct approach to improving this resolution limit. However, current methods to fabricate high-resolution probes, which can effectively confine the electric fields laterally involve expensive and sophisticated probe manipulation, which has limited the use of this approach. Here, we demonstrate that nanoscale phase switching of configurable thin films on probes can result in high-resolution electrical probes. These configurable coatings can be both germanium-antimony-tellurium (GST) as well as amorphous-carbon, materials known to undergo electric field-induced non-volatile, yet reversible switching. By forming a localized conductive filament through phase transition, we demonstrate a spatial resolution of electrical field beyond the geometrical limitations of commercial platinum probes (i.e. an improvement of ~48%). We then utilize these confined electric fields to manipulate nanoparticles with single nanoparticle precision via dielectrophoresis. Our results advance the field of nanomanufacturing and metrology with direct applications for pick and place assembly at the nanoscale.
spellingShingle Probes
Platinum
Metal nanoparticles
Coating materials
Nanoparticles
Soh, EJH
Sarwat, GS
Mazzotta, G
Porter, BF
Riede, M
Nicholas, R
Kim, JS
Bhaskaran, H
Filamentary high-resolution electrical probes for nanoengineering
title Filamentary high-resolution electrical probes for nanoengineering
title_full Filamentary high-resolution electrical probes for nanoengineering
title_fullStr Filamentary high-resolution electrical probes for nanoengineering
title_full_unstemmed Filamentary high-resolution electrical probes for nanoengineering
title_short Filamentary high-resolution electrical probes for nanoengineering
title_sort filamentary high resolution electrical probes for nanoengineering
topic Probes
Platinum
Metal nanoparticles
Coating materials
Nanoparticles
work_keys_str_mv AT sohejh filamentaryhighresolutionelectricalprobesfornanoengineering
AT sarwatgs filamentaryhighresolutionelectricalprobesfornanoengineering
AT mazzottag filamentaryhighresolutionelectricalprobesfornanoengineering
AT porterbf filamentaryhighresolutionelectricalprobesfornanoengineering
AT riedem filamentaryhighresolutionelectricalprobesfornanoengineering
AT nicholasr filamentaryhighresolutionelectricalprobesfornanoengineering
AT kimjs filamentaryhighresolutionelectricalprobesfornanoengineering
AT bhaskaranh filamentaryhighresolutionelectricalprobesfornanoengineering