nanoFabUK Symposium 🗓 🗺

The nanoFabUK symposium will serve as a dynamic learning and networking platform for Research Technical Professionals (RTPs) that manage or work primarily in academic micro/nanofabrication and characterisation facilities (cleanrooms) from around the UK.

Quantum Design UK and Ireland will be attending the event with QD Microscopy’s Christian Schwalb, who will also be giving a talk about the FusionScope, our correlative AFM/SEM Microscopy Platform:

Tuesday September 3 | 16:10

Abstract

The combination of different analytical methods into one instrument is a powerful technique for the
contemporaneous acquisition of complementary information. This is especially true for the in-situ
combination of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), two of the
most powerful microscopy techniques available. This combination gives completely new insights into
the nanoscale.

In this work, we introduce a highly integrated new correlative microscopy platform – the FusionScope.
It offers the analysis of micro- and nanoscale objects with great efficiency by seamlessly combining
AFM and SEM within a unified coordinate system for maximum throughput using minimum resources.

We will present a variety of novel case studies to highlight the advantages of this new tool for
interactive, correlative, in-situ nanoscale characterization for different materials and nanostructures.
First results will focus on hard-to-reach samples. FusionScope allows for fast and easy identification of
the area of interest and precise navigation of the cantilever tip for correlative SEM and AFM
measurements. We demonstrate that approach for analysis of mechanical properties of 3D
Nanostructures and the characterization of lacunae structures on bone surfaces.

In addition, we will present results for the in-situ characterization of semiconducting ceramics based
on BaTiO3 with a positive temperature coefficient of resistance (PTCR). These materials, widely used
in the field of self-regulating heating elements or temperature sensors, offer a wide range of
applications in the energy sector. In this context, electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) combined with
SEM shows that an accurate co-localized analysis of the grain boundary potential barriers of various
BaTiO3-based samples can be performed within nanometre resolution. The grain boundaries were
localized using backscattered electron (BSE) detection and subsequently measured using the in-situ
EFM technique demonstrating the influence of SiO2 as a sintering agent on the barriers.

Based on the broad variety of applications regarding the inspection and process control of different
materials and devices, we anticipate that this new inspection tool to be one of the driving
characterization tools for correlative SEM and AFM analysis in the future.

The FusionScope is very exciting for nanoscale analysis because it is the first true correlative microscopy platform designed from the ground up to seamlessly add the benefits of SEM imaging to a wide range of AFM measurement techniques.

This allows users to perform direct in-situ combinations of these complimentary techniques due to the simultaneous operation of SEM and AFM inside one single vacuum chamber. Especially exciting is the capability to precisely navigate the AFM cantilever tip via the SEM, which enables users to analyse hard-to-reach sample areas or easily locate nanometre-sized objects and structures on your sample surface.

In addition, all of the AFM and SEM data can be directly correlated and combined within a single software interface using FusionScope’s joint coordinate system.