Saturday, May 30, 2009

Ph.D defense Candace K. Chan, Monday June 8 @ 2pm, Braun Lec

One-dimensional nanostructured materials for Li-ion battery and supercapacitor electrodes

Candace K. Chan (Dept. of Chemistry)
Adviser: Yi Cui (Dept. of Materials Science & Engineering)

Monday, June 8 @ 2 pm (Refreshments served at 1:45 pm)
Braun Lecture Hall (Mudd Chemistry Building)

Abstract 

The need for improved electrochemical storage devices has necessitated research on new and advanced electrode materials. One-dimensional nanomaterials such as nanowires, nanotubes, and nanoribbons, can provide a unique opportunity to engineer electrochemical devices to have improved electronic and ionic conductivity as well as electrochemical and structural transformations. Several properties of nanomaterials, including 1) facile strain relaxation and phase transformation, 2) good ionic diffusion, and 3) good electronic conduction are important characteristics that allow for improvements in performance over bulk materials. Several examples of how nanomaterials are being used to improve problems in energy storage will be given, with discussion on fundamental and applied studies at the single nanowire and ensemble level all the way up to the nanocomposite level.

A study on the phase transformations in V2O5 nanoribbons during reaction with lithium will be presented, with implications for Li-ion cathodes. Transformation of the V2O5 nanoribbons into the fully lithiated ω-Li3V2O5 phase was found to depend not only on the width but also the thickness of the nanoribbons. For the first time, complete delithiation of ω-Li3V2O5 back to the single-crystalline, pristine V2O5 nanoribbon was observed, indicating a 30% higher energy density.

For Li-ion battery anodes, the use of Si and Ge nanowires (NWs) as high capacity replacements for graphite will be discussed. By using a SiNW electrode, a 10X higher specific capacity was achieved. Problems plaguing bulk Si, such as pulverization and poor charge storage retention, were not observed in the SiNWs due to the NWs having improved accommodation of strain and volume expansion.

Finally, an entirely printable supercapacitor device will be presented based on high surface area carbons and a flexible, printable silver nanowire-based current collector. These devices demonstrate how nanomaterials can be integrated into a roll-to-roll manufacturing process while still displaying good performance.






--  Candace K. Chan Ph.D. Student, Department of Chemistry Stanford University McCullough Building Room 209 476 Lomita Mall Stanford, CA 94305

Friday, May 29, 2009

MEMS & Neuroscience Seminar: Monday June 1st, 4-5 PM, Allen 101X (Wesley Chang, UCSF)

Please forward widely the following seminar announcement:

Microdevice Technologies for Neuroscience
Wesley Chang, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher
Programs in Neuroscience and Bioengineering
University of California, San Francisco

Abstract:
Given the broad efforts to develop MEMS technologies for serving biology, new clinical
and research capabilities are becoming available in specialties such as neuroscience. In
our own work, we have used novel, MEMS-based microsurgical tools to explore the
possibility of repairing nerves by directly reconnecting individual axons, the slender
projections from nerve cells that carry signals throughout the nervous system. This
capability can only be developed with tools that can operate with microns-scale precision
and perform numerous tasks within a confined volume and may provide an important
alternative nerve repair strategy to conventional approaches based on stimulating
regeneration, which have only seen limited successes. As we continue to develop MEMS-based
nerve repair as a clinical application, we have also identified another essential use
for microfabrication technology in support basic research in neuroscience. By employing
thin film deposition and batch microfabrication methods, we have developed specialized
cell culture substrates that can be mass-produced with reliable, high-resolution
micropatterning to provide neuroscientists with well-organized neuron cultures that can
be arranged into efficient arrays for high-throughput experimentation. While bioengineers
have demonstrated numerous methods for micropatterning of cell culture over the years,
our new method is user-friendly and can potentially permit widespread adoption of cell
micropatterning among biologists and non-engineers. My talk will discuss both of these
applications of microtechnology to neuroscience.

Bio:
Wesley Chang is a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of Dr. David Sretavan in the
Departments of Ophthalmology and Physiology and Programs in Neuroscience and
Bioengineering at UC San Francisco. He received both his Ph.D. and B.S. degrees in
Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley. Dr. Chang is also a founder of Aperys LLC, a
new company that develops research tools for neuroscience and biology.

New Coral features .... runtime data charts.

SNF Lab Members:

We have just released a new version of Coral that has two main differences of note:

1. Based on inputs from Nancy, Maurice, Raja, and Mary, we have added collection of runtime data for tylanbpsg, tylanpoly, tylannitride, and teos2.

2. We have also added the ability to search for and plot existing runtime data.  Obviously, that only works for the tools for which we are or have been collecting runtime data ... and at this point, the bulk of the data is for tylan oxidation furnaces 1-4.

Let me tell you a bit more about the use of this feature.  If you have a tool selected in the equipment tree for which you would like to see runtime data, you can select the "Display run data" menu item from the "Process Actions" menu.

When you do that, you will see a window that looks like:



For the Tylan furnaces, there are a handful of processes, but you will find the most data under the Furnace Qualification process.  If you select that, you will see the search window that looks like:



By default, this will search over a time period of 90 days in the past .... but you can alter the dates which will be examined. The only thing that you have to select, however, is the "Run data to display" field.

For example, if we select "Location #3 (wafer center) thickness", we get a plot that looks like:



This plot shows you the center wafer thickness of each of the 4 wafers in each of the 4 runs that have occurred between the two search dates.

Alternatively, if you determine that you wish to plot "Location #3 (wafer center) thickness mean" you get the following Box and Whisker plot that includes the min and max values (the extent of the "whiskers", the mean (the dot), the median (the black horizontal bar), and the first and third quartile values (the bottom and top of the green box, respectively) for the the center point of all wafers in each of the four applicable runs in that time window.



Finally, if you select to plot "Wafer mean" you get a box and whisker plot for each wafer in each data set that will look like that includes the statistics for all 9 points on each of the 4 wafers in each of the 4 runs that occurred during the time window:



There are a number of features that you will find on these plots.  For example, there are tool tips that show specific data values if you hold your cursor over the data.  If you right click when your mouse is over the plot, you will find that you can print the plot, save it as a PNG (portable network graphics) file, change labels, colors, etc.

Bill has done a nice job of automatically determining what sort of plot makes sense based on the type of data that you are plotting without asking you what kind of plot you want to see.  I am hopeful that you will find these charts and the data that they contain to be of use to you.

If you have questions or comments related to the use of this tool you are welcome to send email either to me directly or to coral@snf.stanford.edu.

Thank you for your continued support.

John




Re: Shutdown p5000etch SNF 2009-05-28 10:44:22: System intermittently reboots

Reset the system. Has stayed on for several hours. Possible hard drive problem. Trying to contact field service. Waiting for response.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

MEMS Seminar, TODAY: Commercializing New Technologies - From Lab to Fab , 4-5pm in Allen-101X

MEMS Seminar Announcement:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today, May 27th, 2009
4:00 – 5:00 pm
Allen-101X (formerly known as CISX-101)

Title:
Commercializing New Technologies - From Lab to Fab

Speaker:
Prakash Krishnan
Director of Strategic Marketing at SVTC


Abstract:
As an independent development services company for the commercialization of novel silicon-based technologies, SVTC provides its silicon development customers access to two state-of-the-art, IP-secure development fabs –in San Jose, California, and Austin, Texas –with a full complement of 200 mm (8-inch) and 300 mm (12-inch) advanced CMOS and MEMS fabrication equipment, designed to speed the development of best-of-class solutions.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Re: Shutdown p5000etch SNF 2009-05-23 14:26:22: Computer down

System lost communication with an external remote controller. Reset the controller and ran 4 wafers through all of the chambers.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Re: litho room smell .... update

SNF Lab Members:

I believe that the smell in the litho area is actually the smell of
varnish that is getting pulled into the lab.

There is a crew re-varnishing the woodwork at the main entrance to the
building. Between about 2 and 2:30 pm they were spraying a fresh coat
of varnish with a compressed-air power sprayer ... which was quite
smelly in the office areas. They also had opened the front doors to let
the smell escape. I suspect that the varnish fumes were going out the
front door .... which is very close to the intake to the air system for
the cleanroom ... and then getting pulled into the cleanroom. Because
the air handler intake closest to the Allen building entrance doors
supplies the lithography area close to the headway, I suspect this is
why the smell is strongest in that area.

In fact, I have gone in to make sure that there is not a resist problem
near the headway .... and believe that it is residual varnish that is
the source of smell in the area.

They are done spraying now and the smell near the freshly varnished area
is already noticeably less as the varnish dries. The work crew expects
that the varnish should be almost completely dry in another hour or so.

These smells can give you a headache. If you find this smell bothersome
.... either in the lab or in the offices .... I suggest that you clear
out for an hour or two. I fully expect that there will be no noticeable
smell by late this afternoon.

I apologize that were not aware that this project was going to happen
today so that we could have provided some advance warning.

Have a good weekend,

John


> dear all,
> the litho room (around headway) has a fairly strong resist smell. This
> was confirmed by several of us...take care

litho room smell

dear all,
the litho room (around headway) has a fairly strong resist smell. This
was confirmed by several of us...take care

Shutdown p5000etch SNF 2009-05-23 14:26:22: Computer down

system monitoring computer down. Shows DOS screen with "EXEPTION NUMBER 2, Bus error" message.
One unprocessed wafer in exchange chamber, 8 processed wafers in loadlock.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Reminder: Oral defense - Daniel Witte (Tuesday, May 26)

Rapid laser crystallization of semiconductors for three-dimensional integration

Stanford University PhD Dissertation Defense

Daniel Witte (dwitte@stanford.edu)
Research Advisor: R. Fabian W. Pease
Department of Electrical Engineering

Time: Tuesday, May 26 @ 9.30 a.m. (refreshments served at 9:00 a.m.)

Location: Clark Center S360 (Third floor, through Peet's Coffee & Tea)

Abstract:

Three-dimensional integration of semiconductor devices can yield
advantages in circuit density, power consumption, and speed over
conventional integrated circuit (IC) technology in which all
transistors are fabricated in one plane. 3D integration allows circuit
functions to be split across multiple layers, which – for certain
kinds of circuits – allows significant reductions in average wire
length. Since wires are the dominant factor in determining logic
delay, this can result in faster systems. Vertical interconnect
densities of more than a million per square millimeter are critical to
achieving this advantage, and to do this, a monolithic approach is
required where circuit layers are fabricated sequentially on a single
wafer.

The critical operation is obtaining single-crystal, device-quality
semiconductor material on upper circuit layers. We show that,
beginning from an amorphous silicon film deposited at low temperature
on a silicon dioxide substrate, a rapid laser crystallization process
using a 532nm Nd:YAG laser can form preferentially oriented crystals
with a <001> out-of-plane orientation. Best results were achieved with
pulse lengths 2ms and greater, on a thermally insulating
quartz substrate. By patterning the amorphous silicon film into neck
structures, a single <001> crystallite can be selected to seed a
finger region 10µm in length and several microns wide. Carrier
mobility in these crystals can be above 900 cm^2/Vs for electrons and
250 cm^2/Vs for holes, and is comparable to SOI reference material.
These regions could be used for fabrication of devices, or as seed
material for further crystallization. A technique such as rapid melt
growth (RMG) could be used to propagate these crystals over an entire
die. Simulation shows that this can be done without damaging circuit
layers underneath, by keeping their temperature below 400 degrees
Celsius. The combination of preferentially oriented seed
crystallization with an RMG approach would allow the fabrication of
multiple circuit layers on a single wafer in a sequential, monolithic
fashion.

Possible temperature, humidity, or chilled water problems today ....

SNF Lab Members:

We have just been notified that there have been some failures at the Central Energy Facility this morning that may have an impact on humidity control, temperature control, and/or cooling water.

They believe that chilled water service should be restored shortly with steam expected to return by about noon.  Because we use steam as a part of the temperature control system, we may see more fluctuation than normal in room temperature.  Folks in lithography, in particular, should try to keep an eye on this.

Thanks,

John


From: Conway, Daragh James
Sent: Friday, May 22, 2009 10:19 AM
To: Conway, Daragh James; Price, Bettye; Luma, Patrick W; Prussing, Tom; Osterlund, David; Todd Eberspacher; Juanes, Pamela M; Green, Steven; Fernald, Russell D; Block, Steven; Fiksdal, Christine; Tyx, Mark R; Washington, Chester
Cc: Wheeler, Bob; Sandoval, George E.; Julie Hardin-Stauter; Baldwin, Kathleen M.; Hoang, Khoa; Spinali, Gregory R.; Troxell, Tim; 'Mario Vallejo'; Adams, Jack, Jr; Tran, Tai; Fry, Janet
Subject: RE: Friday Steam outage,

 

All,

Chilled water normal service to return in 15 minutes, Steam expected to return in 90 minutes.

 

Daragh

 

From: Conway, Daragh James
Sent: Friday, May 22, 2009 10:08 AM
To: Price, Bettye; Luma, Patrick W; Prussing, Tom; Osterlund, David; 'Todd Eberspacher'; Juanes, Pamela M; Green, Steven; Russell D. Fernald; 'sblock@stanford.edu'; Fiksdal, Christine; Tyx, Mark R; Washington, Chester
Cc: Wheeler, Bob; Sandoval, George E.; Julie Hardin-Stauter; Baldwin, Kathleen M.; Hoang, Khoa; Spinali, Gregory R.; Troxell, Tim; 'Mario Vallejo'; Adams, Jack, Jr; Tran, Tai; Fry, Janet
Subject: Friday Steam outage,

 

All,

Our Cogen plant tripped today, it is too early to say why but all Steam is lost, so room temperature control is lost, all autoclave service is lost.

Electricty has not been lost, we are currently getting a feed from PG&E which is our default supplier.

The chilled water supply pressure is good but has a supply temperature of 49*F-50*F which will allow a constant feed for the day. We have plenty of Ice in the pool should we lose chillers

 

All hands are on deck in Cogen to troubleshoot then restart the plant and there is no ETA of return to normal service.

 

Daragh

650 444 6720

TODAY: PhD. Defense Rohan D. Kekatpure @2pm, Room CIS-X Auditorium (Refreshments @ 1:45 pm)

TITLE: Challenges toward realizing silicon-nanocrystal-based lasers
and light sources

Rohan D. Kekatpure

Friday, May 22, 2:00 pm
CIS-X 101
Refreshments 1:45 pm

ABSTRACT:

The past decade has witnessed a dramatic surge in eliciting active
optical functionality out of silicon. Following successful
realizations of modulators, switches, and detectors, a silicon-based
electrically-pumped laser now remains the last challenge in heralding
the era of short-distance optical interconnects. In the year 2000,
evidence of optical amplification from silicon nanocrystals at visible
wavelengths, and Si-nanocrystal-sensitized erbium emission at 1550 nm
unlocked an encouraging route to overcome this obstacle. Despite its
disruptive technological significance, and the decade long hunt for
its realization, why is silicon-nanocrystal laser still an elusive
dream?

I will address this question by demonstrating how optical
microcavities can be used to quantify gain-limiting processes in
semiconductor quantum-dot ensembles. Specifically, I will highlight
our microcavity-based measurement of absorption processes in silicon
nanocrystals at visible and near-infrared wavelengths. Quite
surprisingly, we find that silicon nanocrystals show an increased free-
carrier absorption compared to bulk silicon. This finding has
initiated a rethinking of various existing strategies aimed at
obtaining optical amplification from silicon nanocrystals. A hurdle in
one path frequently proves to be a stepping stone in another: Can an
increased absorption in nanocrystals make them an alternative material
to SOI for making low-cost modulation and switching devices?

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Stanford ERT Drill, Friday, May 22, 11-3 pm

Greetings Allen building occupants --

The Stanford campus Emergency Response Team will be holding their annual
chemical release drill on Friday, May 22, from 11 am - 3 pm. There
should be no disruption to general activities in the building, but don't
be alarmed at the sight of white-suited people wearing full SCBA units
and vehicles with flashing lights, especially in and around the loading
dock/receiving areas.

Mary

--
Mary X. Tang, Ph.D.
Stanford Nanofabrication Facility
CIS Room 136, Mail Code 4070
Stanford, CA 94305
(650)723-9980
mtang@stanford.edu
http://snf.stanford.edu

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Jin-Hong Park's University Oral Exam

Ph.D Dissertation Defense; “Physics and Technology of Low Temperature Germanium MOSFETs for Monolithic Three Dimensional Integrated Circuits”

 

Jin-Hong Park / Advisor: Prof. Krishna C. Saraswat / Dept. of Electrical Engineering

Date : 3pm (Refreshments served at 2:30 pm) on 26th May @ location : CISX auditorium

 

As the minimum feature size of silicon (Si) CMOS devices shrinks to the nanometer regime, device behavior becomes increasingly complex, due to new physical phenomena at short dimensions and fundamental limitations in material properties are reached. One of the techniques that shows promise to overcome this obstacle is the utilization of monolithic three-dimensional integrated circuits (3D-ICs). By stacking devices vertically, it is expected that (1) more functionality can fit into a smaller space and (2) the signal delay and power consumption in the interconnect layers will decrease and bandwidth will increase. The major challenge in fabricating monolithic 3D-ICs is the maximum process temperature limit of 400 ºC in the upper layers of CMOS device processing, due to the fact that higher process temperature would destroy the underlying device and interconnect layers.

1. Single crystalline GeOI growth technique at below 360 ºC

First, we have investigated Ni or Au-induced crystallization and lateral crystallization of planar amorphous germanium (α-Ge) on SiO2 at 360 ºC without the deleterious effects of thermally induced self-nucleation. Subsequently, single crystalline Ge growth has been achieved on SiO2 by making dimension of α-Ge line smaller than the size of grains formed using Ni and Au-induced lateral crystallization at 360 ºC.

2. Low temperature dopants activation technique in Ge

Second, we have investigated low temperature boron and phosphorus activation in α-Ge using the metal-induced crystallization technique. Eight candidates of metals including Pd, Cu, Ni, Au, Co, Al, Pt, and Ti are used to crystallize α-Ge at low temperatures followed by resistivity measurement, TEM, and XRD analyses, thereby revealing behaviors of the metal-induced dopants activation process where metals react with α-Ge at a low temperature. It is found that Co achieves the highest B and P activation ratio in Ge below 360 oC with slow diffusion rate. The feasibility of low temperature activation technique has been demonstrated for a Ge gate electrode in a Si P-MOSFET using Schottky Ni (or Co) silicide source/drain.

3. High performance and low temperature Ge CMOS technology

Third, we demonstrate high performance n+/p & p+/n junction diodes and N & P-channel Ge MOSFETs, where Ge is heteroepitaxially grown on a Si substrate at sub 360 ºC and the low temperature gate stack comprises of Al/Al2O3/GeO2. Shallow (~100 nm) source/drain junctions with very low series resistivity [5.2×10-4 Ω-cm (in n+/p junction) and 1.07×10-3 Ω-cm (in p+/n junction) at the lowest point of SRP] and high degree of dopant activation are achieved by Co-induced dopant activation technique. Consequently, high diode and transistor current on/off ratios (~1.1×104 & ~1.13×103 for N-MOSFETs and ~2.1×104 & ~1.09×103 for P-MOSFETs) were obtained in these N & P-channel Ge MOSFETs.

These low temperature processes can be utilized to fabricate Ge CMOS devices on upper layers in three-dimensional integrated circuits, where low temperature processing is critical.

on-campus or external source for DLTS?

Hello all:
I was wondering if anyone knew of an on-campus lab or an off-campus service for deep level transient spectroscopy. I am interested in measuring low concentrations of traps in silicon.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Sincerely,
Alex

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Reminder: Special Event: MEMS, Making Micro Machines, 5/20, noon

Dear Labmembers --

SNF and Silicon Run Productions <http://www.siliconrun.com/> invite you
to the world premiere screening of "MEMS: Making Micro Machines"
which will be held on Wednesday, May 20, at noon, in the Allen 101X
Auditorium. Join us in viewing this latest video from Ruth Carranza,
well-known for her *"Silicon Run"* series.

This event will also feature the short "Nanotechnology: Carbon Nanotube Electronics"
<http://nano.stanford.edu/nanovideo/> by filmmaker, May Lin Au Yong, and
our fellow labmember, Albert Lin, showcasing the work of the Wong Lab
Nanoelectronics Group <http://www.stanford.edu/%7Ehspwong/>.

Meet the filmmakers and share in refreshments.

All are welcome.

--
Mary X. Tang, Ph.D.
Stanford Nanofabrication Facility
CIS Room 136, Mail Code 4070
Stanford, CA 94305
(650)723-9980
mtang@stanford.edu
http://snf.stanford.edu


--
Mary X. Tang, Ph.D.
Stanford Nanofabrication Facility
CIS Room 136, Mail Code 4070
Stanford, CA 94305
(650)723-9980
mtang@stanford.edu
http://snf.stanford.edu

PhD. Defense Rohan D. Kekatpure; Friday May 22 @2pm, Room CIS-X Auditorium

TITLE: Challenges toward realizing silicon-nanocrystal-based lasers
and light sources

Rohan D. Kekatpure

Friday, May 22, 2:00 pm
CIS-X 101

ABSTRACT:

The past decade has witnessed a dramatic surge in eliciting active
optical functionality out of silicon. Following successful
realizations of modulators, switches, and detectors, a silicon-based
electrically-pumped laser now remains the last challenge in heralding
the era of short-distance optical interconnects. In the year 2000,
evidence of optical amplification from silicon nanocrystals at visible
wavelengths, and Si-nanocrystal-sensitized erbium emission at 1550 nm
unlocked an encouraging route to overcome this obstacle. Despite its
disruptive technological significance, and the decade long hunt for
its realization, why is silicon-nanocrystal laser still an elusive
dream?

I will address this question by demonstrating how optical
microcavities can be used to quantify gain-limiting processes in
semiconductor quantum-dot ensembles. Specifically, I will highlight
our microcavity-based measurement of absorption processes in silicon
nanocrystals at visible and near-infrared wavelengths. Quite
surprisingly, we find that silicon nanocrystals show an increased free-
carrier absorption compared to bulk silicon. This finding has
initiated a rethinking of various existing strategies aimed at
obtaining optical amplification from silicon nanocrystals. A hurdle in
one path frequently proves to be a stepping stone in another: Can an
increased absorption in nanocrystals make them an alternative material
to SOI for making low-cost modulation and switching devices?

Van der Pauw method setup

Dear all,

I plan to measure the sheet resistance using van der Pauw method, with
the old probe station in CAD room.
However, I was not successful in setting up the analyzer several times.
Basically, I want to setup the analyzer to force current and measure
voltage from another two probes.
I am sure for those of you who has taken EE410 know a lot about this.
Could anybody show me the probe station setup?

Many thanks,
Shu

--
Hu Shu, PhD Candidate
476 Lomita Mall, Rm 203
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Stanford University, CA 94305

Nano-bio seminar, May 20 (Wed), 4-5p, CIS-101X, Satellite Nanoscopes and Cellular BioASICs for Molecular Medicine

Dear all

Please plan to attend the Nano-bio seminar on May 20 (Tomorrow) at 4pm in CIS-101X

"Satellite Nanoscopes and Cellular BioASICs for Molecular Medicine"

Speaker - Luke P. Lee, PhD
Lester John and Lynne Dewar Lloyd Distinguished Professor
Department of Bioengineering
University of California, Berkeley

Abstract attached.

--
Gaurav Thareja
Ph.D candidate, Nishi nano-electronics group
Electrical Engineering
Stanford University
420 Via Palou Mall, CISX 128
Stanford, CA 94305
Tel: 650-704-1029
Email: gthareja@stanford.edu

Monday, May 18, 2009

Oral defense announcement - Daniel Witte

Rapid laser crystallization of semiconductors for three-dimensional integration

Stanford University PhD Dissertation Defense

Daniel Witte (dwitte@stanford.edu)
Research Advisor: R. Fabian W. Pease
Department of Electrical Engineering

Time: Tuesday, May 26 @ 9.30 a.m. (refreshments served at 9:00 a.m.)

Location: Clark Center S360 (Third floor, through Peet's Coffee & Tea)

Abstract:

Three-dimensional integration of semiconductor devices can yield
advantages in circuit density, power consumption, and speed over
conventional integrated circuit (IC) technology in which all
transistors are fabricated in one plane. 3D integration allows circuit
functions to be split across multiple layers, which – for certain
kinds of circuits – allows significant reductions in average wire
length. Since wires are the dominant factor in determining logic
delay, this can result in faster systems. Vertical interconnect
densities of more than a million per square millimeter are critical to
achieving this advantage, and to do this, a monolithic approach is
required where circuit layers are fabricated sequentially on a single
wafer.

The critical operation is obtaining single-crystal, device-quality
semiconductor material on upper circuit layers. We show that,
beginning from an amorphous silicon film deposited at low temperature
on a silicon dioxide substrate, a rapid laser crystallization process
using a 532nm Nd:YAG laser can form preferentially oriented crystals
with a <001> out-of-plane orientation. Best results were achieved with
pulse lengths 2ms and greater, on a thermally insulating
quartz substrate. By patterning the amorphous silicon film into neck
structures, a single <001> crystallite can be selected to seed a
finger region 10µm in length and several microns wide. Carrier
mobility in these crystals can be above 900 cm^2/Vs for electrons and
250 cm^2/Vs for holes, and is comparable to SOI reference material.
These regions could be used for fabrication of devices, or as seed
material for further crystallization. A technique such as rapid melt
growth (RMG) could be used to propagate these crystals over an entire
die. Simulation shows that this can be done without damaging circuit
layers underneath, by keeping their temperature below 400 degrees
Celsius. The combination of preferentially oriented seed
crystallization with an RMG approach would allow the fabrication of
multiple circuit layers on a single wafer in a sequential, monolithic
fashion.

MEMS & Energy Seminar : Today 3-4 pm Allen(CISX) 101X (Matt Hopcroft, BSAC, UC Berkeley)

MEMS Seminar Announcement:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Monday, May 18, 2009,
3:00 – 4:00 pm
Allen-101X

Title:
MEMS & Energy

Speaker:
Matthew Hopcroft, PhD
Berkeley Micromechanical Analysis and Design Laboratory
Berkeley Sensor and Actuator Center
University of California, Berkeley

Abstract:
Generation and consumption of energy at all scales is one of the most
pressing challenges
for the current generation of engineers. This talk will discuss the
application of MEMS
technologies to the future of energy generation and ongoing activities
in the Berkeley
Sensor & Actuator Center related to energy technologies.

Speaker:
Matthew A. Hopcroft received the B.Sc. in Computer Engineering from The George
Washington University in 1998, the M.Phil. degree from the Engineering
Department,
Cambridge University in 2002, and the Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering
from Stanford
University in 2007. He is currently a Research Specialist affiliated
with the Berkeley
Micromechanical Analysis and Design group and the Berkeley Sensor and Actuator
Center at the University of California at Berkeley. His research
interests include MEMS
material property measurements, microscale and portable power systems, and
micromechanical resonators.

Reminder: TODAY@2pm, PhD defense-Liang Xu

Stanford University PhD Dissertation Defense

Giant Magnetoresistive Sensor for Biomolecule Detection and Cancer Diagnosis

Liang Xu
Research Advisor: Shan Wang
Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Monday, May 18, 2009 @ 2:00 pm (refreshments served at 1:40 pm)

Location: Packard 202

Abstract:
Technology of detecting biomolecules is an integral part of early cancer diagnosis research. Various sensors based on fluorescence, mass, electrical interactions, etc have been developed to detect the cancer biomarkers. In this dissertation, a giant magnetoresistive (GMR) sensor is presented for biomolecule detections. The GMR sensor can detect small changes in local magnetic field. Therefore, if the target biomolecule is labeled with a magnetic nanoparticle and a specific probe is coated on the sensor surface, the target molecule will be captured and when an external magnetic field is applied to magnetize this magnetic nanoparticle, the stray field from the particle can be detected by the GMR sensor. In this dissertation, various components of the GMR sensor technology are described and several examples of the application of the GMR sensor are presented. Compared with other technologies for biomolecule detection, GMR sensor is more sensitive, can be easily integrated with electronics and microfluidics, and can be potentially made portable. In addition, GMR sensor and measurement system is much less expensive than most of other detection methods. Therefore, GMR sensor is a good candidate for detecting biomolecules, in particular, cancer biomarkers. In addition, it is shown in this dissertation that GMR sensor can be used to study the kinetics of biomolecule interactions, and therefore can serve as a complementary technology to Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR), which is the dominant technology currently used for kinetics measurement.


Liang Xu
650-521-3454
lxuwind@stanford.edu

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Gowning room sliding door problem

Hello weekend warriors:

It looks like the gowning room sliding door isn't sliding. Labmembers
are manually pushing the door to enter and exit the cleanroom. A note
has been posted on the door to warn everyone.

Because people can still get in and out, this is not considered a safety
problem requiring immediate attention, but as I'm sure you know, it's
darned inconvenient. The door sensor is suspect. Messages have been
left for the Facilities crew, but it is likely they will not be able to
address this until Monday morning.


Please call the SNF on-call phone if lab access/exit goes from being
simply annoying to becoming a real problem.

Many apologies for the inconvenience --

Mary


..

Friday, May 15, 2009

Pizza in CIS kitchen

For all hard-working SNF members, there is lots of pizza in CIS kitchen!

Enjoy,

Arash


Please conserve 50:1 HF Use

Dear labmembers:

Please conserve your use of 50:1 HF in the lab. Certainly, change acid
when the schedule requires it. But please be aware that there is a
very, very limited supply available to us right now. No need to panic,
as there are other equivalent options, but these will not be the from
the same supplier.

For those of you interested in the gory details, part of the problem
appears to be with the manufacturer, Baker/Mallinkrodt, whose HF process
line is down. (This affects only their HF/water mixes; their BOE line
is not affected.) The other problem appears to be with the economy, as
distributors try to minimize their inventories.

Updates on the situation will be posted on the wet bench lists and Coral.

Thanks for your attention --

Your SNF Staf

--
Mary X. Tang, Ph.D.
Stanford Nanofabrication Facility
CIS Room 136, Mail Code 4070
Stanford, CA 94305
(650)723-9980
mtang@stanford.edu
http://snf.stanford.edu

Process Clinic: Mon 2-4, 5/18

Greetings Labmembers --

The next Process Clinic will be on, Monday, May 18, at 2 pm,
in the cubicle area outside Maureen's office.

All labmembers are welcome. Bring process questions, mask
layouts, SpecMat requests. New labmembers are especially
encouraged to come and review process flows and runsheets.
Staff and Keith Best from ASML will be on hand for discussion.
Experienced labmembers are also invited to offer advice.


Your SNF (and ASML!) staff

--
Mary X. Tang, Ph.D.
Stanford Nanofabrication Facility
CIS Room 136, Mail Code 4070
Stanford, CA 94305
(650)723-9980
mtang@stanford.edu
http://snf.stanford.edu

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Comment p5000etch SNF 2009-05-14 13:00:39: Ch.B maintenance work

Ran plasma clean and replaced the worn electrode quartz plate

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Re: Lost Karlsuss mask

I found my mask in the "lost masks" box close to headway and close to the door. Thanks to Uli for pointing out the location of this lost & found box.

Dany


On Wed, May 13, 2009 at 6:09 PM, Dany-Sebastien Ly-Gagnon <dalyx@stanford.edu> wrote:
Hi,

I lost a contact mask for Karlsuss titled "contact_mask". Has anyone found or seen that mask lying around?

Thanks,

Dany

Re: Problem p5000etch SNF 2009-05-13 00:39:20: ChB pressure error

Ran 4 wafers using the Jim_Ox recipe with no problems. Noticed that from the error log that the over pressure error ( 250 mT set , 270 mt actual) occured at step 2. The rf first turns on during this step. Perhaps the user's wafer was out gassing which added an extra gas load.

Problem p5000etch SNF 2009-05-13 00:39:20: ChB pressure error

I was running a jim_ox in chamber b with endpoint detection. For my last two wafers, I recieved an error that the pressure exceeded 250 mT setpoint. Was able to continue processing by resuming the process setp/

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Special Event: MEMS, Making Micro Machines, 5/20, noon

Dear Labmembers --

SNF and Silicon Run Productions invite you to the world premiere screening of  "MEMS: Making Micro Machines"  which will be held on Wednesday, May 20, at noon, in the Allen 101X Auditorium.  Join us in viewing this latest video from Ruth Carranza, well-known for her "Silicon Run" series.  This event will also feature the short  "Nanotechnology: Carbon Nanotube Electronics" by filmmaker, May Lin Au Yong, and our fellow labmember, Albert Lin, showcasing the work of the Wong Lab Nanoelectronics Group.   Meet the filmmakers and share in refreshments.

All are welcome.
--  Mary X. Tang, Ph.D. Stanford Nanofabrication Facility CIS Room 136, Mail Code 4070 Stanford, CA  94305 (650)723-9980 mtang@stanford.edu http://snf.stanford.edu 

A Bake Sale is Coming Your Way - Monday, May 18th

I know we haven’t had a bake sale is a while so, we are having one next Monday, May 18th to help support our famous Lab Member  – Jasmine Hasi.  She will be walking in the 3 Day Walk for the Cure in October.   The bake sale will run from 9:30A until we sell out of ALL bake goods.  It will be held in office #145 (Nancy Latta’s office) she is out that day.    All the proceeds from our bake sale will go towards the 3 day Walk for the Cure.

 

Please come out and support Jasmine or just because you would like to have something homemade instead of something from the vending machine for a change.

 

Thank you for your continued support for a great cause.

 

Maureen

 

 

 

Maureen Baran

Stanford Nanofabrication Facility

Lab Services Administrator

mbaran@stanford.edu

650-725-3664

 

Problem p5000etch SNF 2009-05-12 11:25:25: Ch.A is down for vac pump

Vacuum pump is leaking oil. New pump should be here today.

Re: Comment p5000etch SNF 2009-05-10 08:43:09: Load Lock Pump

Replaced load lock pump. Also replaced a leaky bellows right above the pump. Ran 2 wafers through Ch.B with no problems.

Re: Problem p5000etch SNF 2009-05-08 19:48:50: cannot pump load chamber to base pressure

Replaced load lock pump. Also replaced a leaky bellows right above the pump. Ran 2 wafers through Ch.B with no problems.

Re: Problem p5000etch SNF 2009-05-09 08:23:43: wafer stuck in LL

Replaced load lock pump. Also replaced a leaky bellows right above the pump. Ran 2 wafers through Ch.B with no problems.

Re: Shutdown p5000etch SNF 2009-05-09 11:49:28: see above

Replaced load lock pump. Also replaced a leaky bellows right above the pump. Ran 2 wafers through Ch.B with no problems.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Venture Clinic Postponed to Thursday, 4:30

Please note:  The Venture Clinic with Shahin Farschi originally scheduled for Tuesday has been postponed to Thursday, May 14, at 4:30 pm.  We'll still be in the cubicle area outside Maureen's office.


So, what's it like in venture these days?  Find out, when Shahin Farschi hosts another Venture Clinic session.     Shahin Farshchi is now a SENIOR Associate from Lux Capital.  The Venture Clinic which aims to provide an informal forum for researchers interested in  brainstorming with a venture capitalist on avenues for commercializing technology, and what to expect when starting a new venture.  [Particularly in this economic climate!]  Technical discussions should be limited to what has been already disclosed or published.    For more information, contact:  Shahin Farshchi, Ph.D. Phone: 925.323.2784 Email: shahin.farshchi@luxcapital.com   
--  Mary X. Tang, Ph.D. Stanford Nanofabrication Facility CIS Room 136, Mail Code 4070 Stanford, CA  94305 (650)723-9980 mtang@stanford.edu http://snf.stanford.edu 

Comment p5000etch SNF 2009-05-11 14:49:33: Loadlock pump update

Replaced the load lock pump. Still need to finish wiring and fill with fomblin.

PhD dissertation defense - Liang Xu

Stanford University PhD Dissertation Defense

Giant Magnetoresistive Sensor for Biomolecule Detection and Cancer Diagnosis

Liang Xu
Research Advisor: Shan Wang
Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Monday, May 18, 2009 @ 2:00 pm (refreshments served at 1:40 pm)

Location: Packard 202

Abstract:
Technology of detecting biomolecules is an integral part of early cancer diagnosis research. Various sensors based on fluorescence, mass, electrical interactions, etc have been developed to detect the cancer biomarkers. In this dissertation, a giant magnetoresistive (GMR) sensor is presented for biomolecule detections. The GMR sensor can detect small changes in local magnetic field. Therefore, if the target biomolecule is labeled with a magnetic nanoparticle and a specific probe is coated on the sensor surface, the target molecule will be captured and when an external magnetic field is applied to magnetize this magnetic nanoparticle, the stray field from the particle can be detected by the GMR sensor. In this dissertation, various components of the GMR sensor technology are described and several examples of the application of the GMR sensor are presented. Compared with other technologies for biomolecule detection, GMR sensor is more sensitive, can be easily integrated with electronics and microfluidics, and can be potentially made portable. In addition, GMR sensor and measurement system is much less expensive than most of other detection methods. Therefore, GMR sensor is a good candidate for detecting biomolecules, in particular, cancer biomarkers. In addition, it is shown in this dissertation that GMR sensor can be used to study the kinetics of biomolecule interactions, and therefore can serve as a complementary technology to Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR), which is the dominant technology currently used for kinetics measurement.


Liang Xu
650-521-3454
lxuwind@stanford.edu

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Comment p5000etch SNF 2009-05-10 08:43:09: Load Lock Pump

The load lock pump leaked oil, now it won't pump[ down.
It need to be change.. I removed the wafer from the load lock.

Venture Clinic with Shahin Farschi, 4:30 Tuesday, May 12

So, what's it like in venture these days? Find out, when Shahin Farschi
hosts another Venture Clinic session. This will be Tuesday, May 12, at
4:30 pm in the cubicle area outside Maureen's office.

Shahin Farshchi is an Associate from Lux Capital. The Venture Clinic
which aims to provide an informal forum for researchers interested in
brainstorming with a venture capitalist on avenues for commercializing
technology, and what to expect when starting a new venture.
[Particularly in this economic climate!]

Technical discussions should be limited to what has been already disclosed or published.

For more information, contact:

Shahin Farshchi, Ph.D.
Phone: 925.323.2784
Email: shahin.farshchi@luxcapital.com

Friday, May 8, 2009

Problem p5000etch SNF 2009-05-08 19:48:50: cannot pump load chamber to base pressure

Attempted 3 times and could not pump load chamber to base pressure. This occured after 2 succesful attempts. Running chmaber B jim ox.

Re: Comment p5000etch SNF 2009-05-07 15:53:51: HBr flow ok

removing this message so as to not encourage use of HBr

Problem p5000etch SNF 2009-05-08 09:32:35: HBr Update

HBr is unavailable because the toxic gas sensor in the HBR cabinet in the gas vault is faulty. (For safety reasons, we cannot run without a functioning gas sensor.) The gas detector is being replaced, which is planned for Monday, 5/11. If the sensor head also arrives on Monday, as we hope, testing of the system is planned for Tuesday and Wednesday. If all goes as well as planned, then we should have HBr back on Wednesday. We apologize for the inconvenience, but please continue to bear with us as we work on these safety concerns.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

[Stanford Nano Society Seminar] Tomorrow 12pm - 1pm, McCullough 115, Mechanical Properties of Small Scale Materials Using Nanoindentation

Stanford Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Society Seminar:

Mechanical Properties of Small Scale Materials Using Nanoindentation

Speaker - Dr. Seung Min Han
Bio - Dr. Han graduated with Ph.D. from Dr. William Nix's group in Materials Science and Engineering in 2006, and joined the MSE department as an Acting Assistant Professor since then. Dr. Han is currently also part of Dr. Yi Cui's group for in-situ TEM nanoindentation of nanosturctures.

Location: McCullough 115
Time: 12:00 noon - 1:00pm
Date: May 08(Friday) – Tomorrow!

Abstract:
As the dimensions of today's devices become smaller and smaller, understanding the mechanical properties of materials at sub-micron length scales becomes more challenging. The conventional methods for evaluating strengths of materials in bulk form cannot be applied, and new methodologies are required for accurately evaluating mechanical properties of thin films. In this study, the method of microcompression testing, which involves using a focused ion beam to synthesize sub-micron sized pillars and subsequently testing with a flat punch tip of a nanoindenter, is used to evaluate mechanical properties of Al-Al3Sc multilayers with varying bilayer thicknesses from 6-100nm. The measured yield strengths show the trend of increasing strength with decreasing bilayer period, and agree with the nanoindentation hardness results upon applying the suitable Tabor factor correction. The deformation of the Al-Al3Sc pillars at large strains showed strain softening that causes inhomogeneous deformation. A new model was developed to account for the inhomogeneous geometry to calculate the stress-strain in this regime of strain softening. A TEM study of deformed pillar showed shearing and rotation of layering structure that could be responsible for the observed strain softening behavior.

For more information please visit http://nanosociety.stanford.edu

-------------------------
Pizzas would be served!
--------------------------

All are welcome !

--
Gaurav Thareja
Ph.D candidate, Nishi group
Electrical Engineering
Stanford University
420 Via Palou Mall, CISX 128
Stanford, CA 94305
Tel: 650-704-1029
Email: gthareja@stanford.edu

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Found phone by Barlett Printer - Please claim if it belongs to you

A concerned lab member found a cell phone by the Barlett Printer this afternoon – if it is yours please come by cubicle #41 to claim it.

 

Thanks,

 

Maureen

 

Maureen Baran

Stanford Nanofabrication Facility

Lab Services Administrator

mbaran@stanford.edu

650-725-3664

 

Reminder: MEMS Seminar, TODAY: Ultra-High Density MEMS-based Probe Storage, 4-5m in Allen-101X

MEMS Seminar Announcement:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today, May 6th, 2009
4:00 – 5:00 pm
Allen-101X

Title:
Ultra-High Density MEMS-based Probe Storage

Speaker:
Dr. Nickolai Belov
Nanochip, Inc.


Abstract:

Nanochip developed a conceptual prototype of a probe storage device ("nanochip") utilizing a ferroelectric non-volatile memory, which permits robust write, non-destructive read and simple data overwriting operations. Read-write operations require low power and can be performed very fast. The device contains: (a) an electromagnetic X-Y micro-mover featuring a large range of motion, low X-Y cross-talk, long-term stability, excellent shock protection and (b) an array of cantilevers with vertical and lateral electrostatic actuators and with AFM-type sharp tips (read-write heads) built on top of CMOS circuitry (read channel electronics and analog circuits for actuation control) using a low-temperature process. Vertical actuation allows for loading a selected set of tips onto media for read/write operations. Lateral actuators are used for adjusting multiple tips on corresponding data tracks permitting device operation over a wide temperature range. This work shows that significant drawbacks of the earlier probe storage concepts can be overcome and brings this type of memory devices much closer to commercialization.

Speaker:
Nickolai Belov received the M.S. degree in electronics and Ph.D. in microelectronics from Physics Engineering University, Moscow, Russia, in 1981 and 1989, respectively. He worked in a Sensoelectronics Lab of Physics Engineering University from 1981 to 1996. In 1996 Nickolai moved to US where he worked both for MEMS industry leaders and for startups. He has been involved in a large number of development projects in the areas of mechanical sensors, actuators, optical devices and custom microstructures as well as in support of volume manufacturing of MEMS devices and transferring MEMS devices into production. He is currently a Senior Engineering manager at Nanochip responsible for development of MEMS part of a probe storage device. His areas of expertise are in MEMS design and process development, process integration, testing and packaging of MEMS devices, physics of sensors and actuators.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Problem p5000etch SNF 2009-05-05 17:15:43: HBr unavailable

Do not use HBr. It is unavailable. (The sensor went off, the supply is OK, but we need to troubleshoot.)

Re: Comment p5000etch SNF 2009-04-29 21:20:15: Heat exchanger problem

Found the magnets in the heat exchanger's flow meter paddle wheel had popped out. This reduced the clearance between the paddle wheel and the flow meter body. The magnets most likely expanded enough when heated to 80 C to drag on the back wall of the flow meter.
Re-seated the magnets and tested.

Monday, May 4, 2009

Re: Comment p5000etch SNF 2009-04-29 18:26:43: Heat exchanger problem

Found the magnets in the heat exchanger's flow meter paddle wheel had popped out. This reduced the clearance between the paddle wheel and the flow meter body. The magnets most likely expanded enough when heated to 80 C to drag on the back wall of the flow meter.
Re-seated the magnets and tested.

Re: Problem p5000etch SNF 2009-04-30 09:10:11: CHA down

Found the magnets in the heat exchanger's flow meter paddle wheel had popped out. This reduced the clearance between the paddle wheel and the flow meter body. The magnets most likely expanded enough when heated to 80 C to drag on the back wall of the flow meter.
Re-seated the magnets and tested.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Seminar: May 4, Mon 3-4 pm, Prof Shuvo Roy, MEMS for Implantable Diagnostics and Therapy

BioMEMS Seminar announcement:

Monday (May 4)
3:00 - 4:00 pm
Paul G. Allen Building, Room 101X

Title: MEMS for Implantable Diagnostics and Therapy

Speaker:
Shuvo Roy, PhD
Harry Wm. and Diana V. Hind Distinguished Associate Professor
Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences
University of California, San Francisco

Abstract:
MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) technology, with its inherent
characteristics of batch fabrication, miniaturization, and compatibility
with electronics integration, is particularly attractive for the
development of next-generation, cost-effective tools for biomedical
research and clinical medicine. While a flurry of research activities in
the application of MEMS to biomedical problems (bioMEMS) has culminated
in some commercialization successes such as microarrays and lab-on-chip
in vitro diagnostics, the next decade promises offers even more exciting
opportunities for in vivo medical applications. This talk will present
examples of on-going research projects in Clinical BioMEMS, including
the development of nanoporous membranes for renal replacement therapy,
wireless pressure microsensors for spine fusion monitoring, and high
resolution ultrasonic microtransducers for vulnerable plaque detection.

Bio.:
Shuvo Roy, Ph.D. was recently appointed as Associate Professor of
Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences at the University of California,
San Francisco (UCSF). Previously, he was Co-Director of the BioMEMS
Laboratory in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Cleveland
Clinic in Cleveland, OH. He received a B.S. degree, Magna Cum Laude,
with General Honors for triple majors in Physics, Mathematics (Special
Honors), and Computer Science from Mount Union College, Alliance, OH in
1992. He received the M.S. in Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics
and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH in 1995 and 2001,
respectively. Dr. Roy serves on the editorial board of the following
peer-reviewed journals: Biomedical Microdevices and Sensors & Materials.
He has contributed more than 85 technical publications, coauthored 3
book chapters, awarded 14 U.S. patents, and given more than 50 invited
presentations. At UCSF, he is building a research and training program
to focus on the development of MEMS for medicine.

Friday, May 1, 2009

Process Clinic, Monday, 5/4, 2 pm

Greetings Labmembers --

Process Clinic, Monday, May 4, 2 pm, in the cubicle area outside
Maureen's office. Bring process questions, mask layouts, SpecMat
requests. New labmembers are especially encouraged to come and review
process flows and runsheets. Staff and experienced labmembers will be
on hand for discussion.

Your SNF staff