Indirect Measurement Methods forQuality and Process Control in Nanomanufacturing

Rapid advancement over the past decades in nanomanufacturing has led to the realization of a broad range of nanostructures such as nanoparticles,nanotubes,and nanowires.The unique mechanical,chemical,and electrical properties of these nanostructures have made them increasingly desired as key components in industrial and commercial applications.As the geometric dimension of nano-manufactured products is on the sub-micron to nanometer scale,different mechanisms and effects are involved in the nanomanufacturing process as compared to those for macro-scale manufacturing.Although direct measurement methods using atomic force microscopy and electron beam microscopy can determine the dimensions of the nano structure with high accuracy,these methods are not suited for online process control and quality assurance.In comparison,indirect measurement methods analyze in-process parameters as the basis for inferring the dimensional variations in the nano products,thereby enabling online feedback for process control and quality assurance.This paper provides a comprehensive review of relevant indirect measurement methods,starting with their respective working principles,and subsequently discussing their characteristics and applications in terms of two different approaches:data-based and physicsbased methods.Relevant mathematical and physics models for each of the methods are summarized,together with the associated effect of key process parameters on the quality of the final product.Based on the comprehensive literature conducted,it was found that:(1)indirect measurement,especially the data-based method,plays a critical role when it comes to online process control and quality assurance in nanomanufacturing,because of the short processing time compared to the direct method,and(2)physics-based method is providing a way to optimize the process set up for desired geometrical dimensions.

CAD/CAM for scalable nanomanufacturing:A network-based system for hybrid 3D printing

Micro-and nano-structuring have been highlighted over several decades in both science and engineering fields.In addition to continuous efforts in fabrication techniques,investigations in scalable nanomanufacturing have been pursued to achieve reduced feature size,fewer constraints in terms of materials and dimensional complexity,as well as improved process throughput.In this study,based on recent micro-/nanoscale fabrication processes,characteristics and key requirements for computer-aided design and manufacturing(CAD/CAM)systems for scalable nanomanufacturing were investigated.Requirements include a process knowledge database,standardized processing,active communication,adaptive interpolation,a consistent coordinate system,and management of peripheral devices.For scalable nanomanufacturing,it is important to consider the flexibility and expandability of each process,because hybrid and bridging processes represent effective ways to expand process capabilities.As an example,we describe a novel CAD/CAM system for hybrid three-dimensional(3D)printing at the nanoscale.This novel hybrid process was developed by bridging aerodynamically focused nanoparticle printing,focused ion beam milling,micromachining,and spincoating processes.The system developed can print a full 3D structure using various inorganic materials,with a minimum process scale of 50 nm.The most obvious difference versus CAD/CAM at‘conventional’scales is that our system was developed based on a network to promote communication between users and process operators.With the network-based system,it is also possible to narrow the gap among different processes/resources.We anticipate that this approach can contribute to the development of CAD/CAM for scalable nanomanufacturing and a wide range of hybrid processes.

Progress in Bio‑inspired Anti‑solid Particle Erosion Materials:Learning from Nature but Going beyond Nature

Solid particle erosion is a common phenomenon in engineering fields,such as manufacturing,energy,military and aviation.However,with the rising industrial requirements,the development of anti-solid particle erosion materials remains a great challenge.After billions of years of evolution,several natural materials exhibit unique and exceptional solid particle erosion resistance.These materials achieved the same excellent solid particle erosion resistance performance through diversified strategies.This resistance arises from their micro/nanoscale surface structure and interface material properties,which provide inspiration for novel multiple solutions to solid particle erosion.Here,this review first summarizes the recent significant process in the research of natural anti-solid particle erosion materials and their general design principles.According to these principles,several erosion-resistant structures are available.Combined with advanced micro/nanomanufacturing technologies,several artificial anti-solid particle erosion materials have been obtained.Then,the potential applications of anti-solid particle erosion materials are prospected.Finally,the remaining challenges and promising breakthroughs regarding anti-solid particle erosion materials are briefly discussed.

Sub-10 nm fabrication:methods and applications

Reliable fabrication of micro/nanostructures with sub-10 nm features is of great significance for advancing nanoscience and nanotechnology.While the capability of current complementary metal-oxide semiconductor(CMOS)chip manufacturing can produce structures on the sub-10 nm scale,many emerging applications,such as nano-optics,biosensing,and quantum devices,also require ultrasmall features down to single digital nanometers.In these emerging applications,CMOS-based manufacturing methods are currently not feasible or appropriate due to the considerations of usage cost,material compatibility,and exotic features.Therefore,several specific methods have been developed in the past decades for different applications.In this review,we attempt to give a systematic summary on sub-10 nm fabrication methods and their related applications.In the first and second parts,we give a brief introduction of the background of this research topic and explain why sub-10 nm fabrication is interesting from both scientific and technological perspectives.In the third part,we comprehensively summarize the fabrication methods and classify them into three main approaches,including lithographic,mechanics-enabled,and post-trimming processes.The fourth part discusses the applications of these processes in quantum devices,nano-optics,and high-performance sensing.Finally,a perspective is given to discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with this research topic.

Nanoparticle assembly enabled by EHD-printed monolayers

Augmenting existing devices and structures at the nanoscale with unique functionalities is an exciting prospect.So is the ability to eventually enable at the nanoscale,a version of rapid prototyping via additive nanomanufacturing.Achieving this requires a step-up in manufacturing for industrial use of these devices through fast,inexpensive prototyping with nanoscale precision.In this paper,we combine two very promising techniques—self-assembly and printing—to achieve additively nanomanufactured structures.We start by showing that monolayers can drive the assembly of nanoparticles into pre-defined patterns with single-particle resolution;then crucially we demonstrate for the first time that molecular monolayers can be printed using electrohydrodynamic(EHD)-jet printing.The functionality and resolution of such printed monolayers then drives the self-assembly of nanoparticles,demonstrating the integration of EHD with self-assembly.This shows that such process combinations can lead towards more integrated process flows in nanomanufacturing.Furthermore,in-process metrology is a key requirement for any large-scale nanomanufacturing,and we show that Dual-Harmonic Kelvin Probe Microscopy provides a robust metrology technique to characterising these patterned structures through the convolution of geometrical and environmental constraints.These represent a first step toward combining different additive nanomanufacturing techniques and metrology techniques that could in future provide additively nanomanufactured devices and structures.

Rapid synthesis of transition metal dichalcogenide-carbon aerogel composites for supercapacitor electrodes

Transition metal dichalcogenide(TMD)materials have recently demonstrated exceptional supercapacitor properties after conversion to a metallic phase,which increases the conductivity of the network.However,freestanding,exfoliated transition metal dichalcogenide films exhibit surface areas far below their theoretical maximum(1.2%),can fail during electrochemical operation due to poor mechanical properties,and often require pyrophoric chemicals to process.On the other hand,pyrolyzed carbon aerogels exhibit extraordinary specific surface areas for double layer capacitance,high conductivity,and a strong mechanical network of covalent chemical bonds.In this paper,we demonstrate the scalable,rapid nanomanufacturing of TMD(MoS2 and WS2)and carbon aerogel composites,favoring liquid-phase exfoliation to avoid pyrophoric chemicals.The aerogel matrix support enhances conductivity of the composite and the synthesis can complete in 30 min.We find that the addition of transition metal dichalcogenides does not impact the structure of the aerogel,which maintains a high specific surface area up to 620 m^(2) g−1 with peak pore radii of 10 nm.While supercapacitor tests of the aerogels yield capacitances around 80 F g^(−1) at the lowest applied currents,the aerogels loaded with TMD’s exhibit volumetric capacitances up to 127% greater than the unloaded aerogels.In addition,the WS2 aerogels show excellent cycling stability with no capacitance loss over 2000 cycles,as well as markedly better rate capability and lower charge transfer resistance compared to their MoS2-loaded counterparts.We hypothesize that these differences in performance stem from differences in contact resistance and in the favorability of ion adsorption on the chalcogenides.

Surface Nanopatterning Using the Self-Assembly of Linear Polymers on Surfaces after Solvent Evaporation

The morphology of linear polybutadiene physisorbed on freshly cleaved mica from a dilute polymer solution is investigated through atomic force microscopy.A fine-structure study shows that the monolayer morphology in air(after rapid solvent evaporation)depends strongly on the molecular weight(Mw)of the linear polymer,the adsorbed amount,and the conformation adopted by the adsorbed polymer chains under good solvent conditions.The dependence of the observed polymer structure on Mw is most significant for samples with high surface density,where the intermolecular interactions among the adsorbed polymers are important.For high surface density,the adsorbed polymers tend to aggregate and minimize unfavorable contacts with air for all of the different Mw samples,leading to an isotropic structural pattern.These structural phenomena with increasing surface density are explained on the basis of the intermolecular interactions of the adsorbed polymers under good solvent conditions,and after the abrupt solvent evaporation corresponding to poor solvent conditions.The experimental observations are further discussed using the results obtained from molecular dynamics simulations of a simple coarse-grained model.

Tip-and Laser-based 3D Nanofabrication in Extended Macroscopic Working Areas

The field of optical lithography is subject to intense research and has gained enormous improvement.However,the effort necessary for creating structures at the size of 20 nm and below is considerable using conventional technologies.This effort and the resulting financial requirements can only be tackled by few global companies and thus a paradigm change for the semiconductor industry is conceivable:custom design and solutions for specific applications will dominate future development(Fritze in:Panning EM,Liddle JA(eds)Novel patterning technologies.International society for optics and photonics.SPIE,Bellingham,2021.https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2593229).For this reason,new aspects arise for future lithography,which is why enormous effort has been directed to the development of alternative fabrication technologies.Yet,the technologies emerging from this process,which are promising for coping with the current resolution and accuracy challenges,are only demonstrated as a proof-of-concept on a lab scale of several square micrometers.Such scale is not adequate for the requirements of modern lithography;therefore,there is the need for new and alternative cross-scale solutions to further advance the possibilities of unconventional nanotechnologies.Similar challenges arise because of the technical progress in various other fields,realizing new and unique functionalities based on nanoscale effects,e.g.,in nanophotonics,quantum computing,energy harvesting,and life sciences.Experimental platforms for basic research in the field of scale-spanning nanomeasuring and nanofabrication are necessary for these tasks,which are available at the Technische Universitiit Ilmenau in the form of nanopositioning and nanomeasuring(NPM)machines.With this equipment,the limits of technical structurability are explored for high-performance tip-based and laser-based processes for enabling real 3D nanofabrication with the highest precision in an adequate working range of several thousand cubic millimeters.

A Novel Approach to Fabricate Carbon Nanomaterials-Nanoparticle Solids through Aqueous Solutions and Their Applications

A better understanding of the bonding and aggregation processes occurring between carbon nanomaterials and metal oxide particles in aqueous solutions is important in the development of novel nanosolids for applications in the areas of sensor development,highly conductive paint,nanotube alignment,polymer composites,Li-ion batteries,and many other areas.The current investigation reviews these processes and presents a detailed description of the aggregation processes occurring between carbon nanomaterials and metal oxide particles(metals)in various aqueous solutions.The results indicate that the charge attraction between the particles results in a strong homogeneous bonding that occurs within the aqueous solution and for the first time demonstrate and describe the aggregation process of these nanoparticles.The relative importance of many parameters that impact the aggregation process is identified and discussed,and guidelines for controlling the aggregation process are presented.This is a simple and cost-effective process to manufacture a novel nano-solid based on carbon nanomaterial and metal oxide.In addition,the process is easy to scale up and optimize.The methodology could lead to many significant applications as well as commercialization.

Fundamental Investigations in the Design of Five-Axis Nanopositioning Machines for Measurement and Fabrication Purposes

The majority of nanopositioning and nanomeasuring machines(NPMMs)are based on three independent linear movements in a Cartesian coordinate system.This in combination with the specific nature of sensors and tools limits the addressable part geometries.An enhancement of an NPMM is introduced by the implementation of rotational movements while keeping the precision in the nanometer range.For this purpose,a parameter-based dynamic evaluation system with quantifiable technological parameters has been set up and employed to identify and assess general solution concepts and adequate substructures.Evaluations taken show high potential for three linear movements of the object in combination with two angular movements of the tool.The influence of the additional rotation systems on the existing structure of NPMMs has been investigated further on.Test series on the repeatability of an NPMM enhanced by a chosen combination of a rotary stage and a goniometer setup are realized.As a result of these test series,the necessity of in situ position determination of the tool became very clear.The tool position is measured in situ in relation to a hemispherical reference mirror by three Fabry-Perot interferometers.FEA optimization has been used to enhance the overall system structure with regard to reproducibility and long-term stability.Results have been experimentally investigated by use of a retroreflector as a tool and the various laser interferometers of the NPMM.The knowledge gained has been formed into general rules for the verification and optimization of design solutions for multiaxial nanopositioning machines.