2024, November
The Magic “T”!
Mohammad Rezaei, POWERlab
Electrons obey better a T-shaped gate; A sub-100 nm T-gate transistor can operate at frequencies as high as THz range. A metallic upstanding T-structure is obtained using only a single e-beam exposure and a single lift-off process, achieved in collaboration with CMi-Ebeam. SEM images (HSE and InLens) have a tilt of 70° towards in-plane (25° stage + 45° oblique holder).
Nanospiked maces
Franco De Palma, HQC
Semiconducting quantum dots can operate only at cryo-temperatures, and here is the proof! As you can see, it is so cold that the structures are covered by crystals of ice. This ice crystals, which also look like thorns in your worst dreams about quantum physics, are the result of exposing the palladium nanogates to chlorine gases during ICP dry etching, followed by photoresist stripping with oxygen plasma.
Underground Cave
Wenhong Yang, BIOS
Following IBE and RIE over-etching, an intricate network of caves has been sculpted into the silicon ground, all beneath a gleaming gold film! This cross-sectional image was captured using a Zeiss SEM Crossbeam.
Christmas Balls
Valerio Piazza, LMSC
Christmas has truly taken over Grand Lausanne these days, and our samples make no exception! While probing electrical built-in fields in photovoltaic devices, we’ve spotted some unexpected nano-Christmas balls shimmering deep within the structures. Scientific evidence, or just our holiday imagination playing tricks? Either way, it’s proof that the festive mood really does extend to the nanoscale!
2024, October
The Golden Spring Rolls
Wenhong Yang, BIOS
Crafted using the gold deposition and lift-off recipe – delicious golden “Spring Rolls” made at CMi! Bon appétit! This image was captured using a Zeiss SEM Crossbeam.
The Hollow Golden Columns
Wenhong Yang, BIOS
Following IBE and RIE etching, hollow golden columns have been constructed at CMi to commemorate the wonders of the nanoworld! This image was captured using a Zeiss SEM Crossbeam.
Edgy Starfish
Jiaheng Wang, Xuxin Wang, LPQM
This microscope image shows a drumhead resonator composed of Al/Nb/Al layers after HF vapor etching. The etching process partially oxidizes and removes the niobium layer, forming varying NbOx thicknesses that create colorful rings around the drum. The aluminum layer serves as an etch-stop to preserve the niobium, though partial loss reveals a Nb structure reminiscent of an “edgy” starfish in appearance.
Micro Canyon
Ibrahim Elhagali, POWERLAB
Canyons are never well-organized; nonetheless, you can make them organized in CMi.
The Wall
Hao Li, LPQM
The wall (Game of Thrones) stretches across the northern border of the Seven Kingdoms, protecting them from the invasion of the White Walkers.
Jagged Rocks
Hao Li, Jiaheng Wang, Xuxin Wang, LPQM
This SEM image captures the remains of a Josephson junction array fabricated using Dolan-bridge technique, which was accidentally damaged by a mixture of NMP remover and water during lift-off. The etched Al layer on top of the Si substrate now appears jagged and uneven, resembling the image of reefs swept by massive waves. This scenario mirrors a famous ancient Chinese poem: “…Jagged rocks tower in the air, Swashing waves beat on the shore, Rolling up a thousand heaps of snow. [乱石穿空，惊涛拍岸，卷起千堆雪]…”
2024, September
The Micro Artist’s Palette
Mehdi Ali Gadiri, MICROBS
In the quiet depts of the cleanroom, a tiny yet talented artist embarked on an unprecedented mission. Armed with the finest brushes, this micro-painter set out to create a masterpiece—an abstract palette on an unusual canvas: the contact pads of a microchip! Rest assured, no CMi probes were harmed during the creation of this artistic marvel.
Eyes staring at you
Nobuaki Oyamada, Zhiyuan Xie, LQNO
During the synthesis of gold crystal on substarate, some remains of spherical shape were deposited on the crystal. Since the Si chip substrate was on the bottom of a glass flask, until we take a SEM image, no one knows about the lonely face are there. In addition, the bump looks like the chattering mouth. He or she was trying to say some complaints.
Nano crocodile
Yichi Zhang, LPQM
A crocodile opens its mouth and stares straight ahead, positioned atop a silicon dioxide layer. Particles drop onto the wafer, and the pattern is transferred during etching. The particles are then partially peeled off but remain connected to the previous pattern. With the help of the Crossbeam SEM, we can capture the particles and their traces. This photo is taken after a silicon dioxide etch, followed by a O2 plasma ashing. Particles are unavoidable, even in a cleanroom and cause defects during etching. In most of the time, we can only observed the defects induced by the particles since they will peel off after the photoresist removal. But in this time, we catch the criminal.
2024, August
Godzilla’s Plasmonic Breath
Wenhong Yang, BIOS
In a world where science meets imagination, nano-Godzilla was brought to life through the power of advanced nanofabrication technology. After charging from the delicate gold nanohole array system, Godzilla generates plasmonic breath inside its body, concentrating it into a laser-like beam – a weapon of unimaginable power. We need King Kong! This image was captured using a Zeiss SEM Crossbeam.
Impression of a Melted Raclette Wheel
Claudio Jaramillo, LQNO
Electrons on diamond. After coming back from my holidays by the beach I realized that a piece of banana got stuck to my sample, and it made an unexpected appearance during a recent SEM session. Or is it maybe a jellyfish? I forgot quite frankly. I asked a Swiss colleague and he said it resembled a half-wheel of raclette ready to be served. It seems we can all agree to disagree.
Transistor in the galaxy
Vanessa Conti, Nanolab
Have you ever looked up on the starry sky, asking the galaxy for a solution to a long-standing dilemma? Well, it looks like the answer is clearly “transistor”, even though someone would argue we are just spending too much time in CMi… This celestial body is made of VO2 and imagined with an optical microscope in dark field configuration. The bright spots are metallic residuals that agglomerated after an annealing process.
2024, July
The Bloom of the Golden Lotus Pod
Wenhong Yang, BIOS
Following the IBE etching and the photoresist stripping process, a golden lotus pod begins its serene bloom at CMi. Emerging from the nanohole array, its intricate structure reveals a mesmerizing pattern, akin to the seeds of a sacred lotus. This image was captured using a Zeiss SEM Crossbeam.
Thorny castle
Sönke Menke, LMIS1
Imagine building your castle on the plains of your kingdom. For better defense you add small towers on the surrounding area and many big ones on your castle this surely will keep attackers out. This is a remnant of a dry etch on a Si-Wafer.
2024, June
GaNs and Roses
Francesco Marcantoni, POWERLAB
GaN rose-like crystallites grown on Silicon Dioxide by Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition
TiAl crater
Matthieu Duret, CORINTIS S.A.
Who would have thought that diving into the microscopic world, you would eventually land on the moon ? This micro-crater was formed by a gold particle, inducing weird growth of the titanium/aluminum layer deposited on top, then partially etched by developer.
Thor’s Nano-Hammer
Wenhong Yang, BIOS
Following the functionalization of a gold nanohole array, remarkable cubes appear atop the array. The nanocube bears a striking resemblance to Thor’s Hammer, seemingly engaged in the fabrication of nanoholes at CMi! This image was captured using a Zeiss SEM Crossbeam.
Shoelaces
Sönke Menke, LMIS1
Already as kids tying your shoelaces into a bow is a challenge. Doing his in the microscale is even harder. The bow was made from polycaprolactone using melt electrowriting (MEW).
Picasso or Kandinsky?
Ines Belrhiti, LPMAT
In the style of Picasso or Kandinsky, pyramids and squares intertwine, overlap, and chase each other in this geometric universe. Artistic Cubism finds its rightful place in this surreal ferroelectric material, blending the scientific precision of materials research with the whimsical creativity of artistic expression. It is in fact a thin film of BaTiO3 on a SrTiO3 substrate, beautifully captured by the Z15 Zeiss Merlin Scanning Electron Micro-scope at CMi.
The Junction and The Rose
Philippine Milward, SQIL
Like many other people at CMi, I spend my hours there making Josephson Junctions for quantum computing, just like the one you can see in the center of the image. This one is made using a combination of e-beam lithography, angled aluminum deposition, and lift-off. But this time, a rose invited itself, feeling lonely while waiting for the Little Prince to come back, it is now enjoying the company of this nanometric junction.
Petits pilons
Manuel Pillon, CMI
Fabricated with precision, ready to serve your grinding needs.
2024, May
DIY 16um micro-bolts and micro-nuts
Rui Ning Wang, Luxtelligence SA
Don’t miss our special deal on these premium micro-nuts, limited time offer only! These nuts are made of ECI3027 photoresist, displayed here on an etched Cu surface. Buy Now! Only few left! (Micro-bolts not included.)
Polymeric Micro-grapes
Tao Zhang, LMIS1
Polymeric micro-grapes are shimmering with a blend of natural artificial beauty, provoking Déjà vu of the wine festival in late May. Microspheres are made of acrylate PEGDA using PDMS-based microfluidics.
Star gazing in CMi
Anja Tiede, LMSC
The mountain range night sky you can observe here are actually results of a lift-off process of TiO2 nano-pillars (sputtered by DP650) that did not work as intended; scale bar is 2µm. The view even inspired ChatGPT to write a little Haiku: Waiting for ebeam, Process paused, dreams linger on — Mountains ‘neath the stars.
2024, April
Equiaxed dendritic gold grain
Tecla Bottinelli Montandon, Corintis SA
Particular conditions during anodic bonding sparked the nucleation of defects of gold electrodes to grow in equiaxed dendrites under the borofloat glass. Demogorgon? Weird sea creature? Just a beautiful crystal? You decide!
Le Léman 52024!
Frantisek Jerabek, LMSC
At CMi, the research pushes boundaries, offering a glimpse into tomorrow. Witness a rare portrayal of Lac Léman in the next Ice Age, captured from Lausanne-Ouchy. The AFM micrograph of Z16 MLA-150-fabricated gold tripods (Z50 EVA 451) embedded in a 25nm SiO2 mask (deposited by Z50 Oxford PECVD, etched by Z02 SPTS APS) was acquired using Z11 Bruker FastScan AFM. Join us on the frontier of discovery, where imagination meets reality.
Say “Cheese“
Shelly Ben-David, LMSC
3…2…1… Smile! Your picture is being taken 🙂 The alumina capping on my GeSn microstructures cracked into this camera-lens shape during annealing.
A good looking mistake
Fabian Linus Bauer, NEMS
The image shows needle like structures formed around a release hole on a hafnium carbide thin film after vapour HF release.
2024, March
Gothic sidewalls
Ivan Sinev, BIOS
These gothic sidewall motifs were found on a quest for a better etching recipe for germanium. Unfortunately, such architectural sophistications do not go well with the optical properties of the structure.
Bottles of wine
Amirhossein Esteghamat, POWERLAB
I hope there is at least one good wine bottle among them 🙂
The Interstellar Journey of Plasmonic Black Holes: Remnants of Mysterious Cubes
Wenhong Yang, BIOS
After the IBE350 etching and Tepla 300 Photo Resist (PR) stripping process, astonishing periodic cubes unexpectedly emerge alongside the gold nanohole arrays. These nanocubes seem to have been transported into the nano spatiotemporal realm at CMi through the spacetime teleportation of the plasmonic black hole. Warning: don’t stare at it for too long, or you may end up like the ‘Scale bar’ in the image, transported to unknown territories! This image was captured using a Zeiss SEM Crossbeam.
Here comes the (u)sun
Roberto Russo, LMIS1
“Little darlin’, it’s been a long, cold, lonely winter; Little darlin’, it feels like years since it’s been here; Here comes the sun; Here comes the sun”… A small resist contamination unleashed a full spectrum of colors under the microscope!
Pathway towards science
Chufan Zhou, AQUA
The pathway towards science is a journey marked by curiosity, exploration, and rigorous inquiry. It begins with a spark of wonder, a desire to understand the world around us and unravel its mysteries. As we continue along this pathway, we unlock new insights, innovate new technologies, and strive towards a better future for all. TiO2 nano-pillars fall down during the oxygen plasma process.
Neural spacecraft
Melania Coronese, BCI
Did you know that you can go seriously 3D from a slice of silicon wafer which is only 30µm-thick? SEM micrograph of a CMOS-compatible neural probe comprising a pair of Al shanks and a Si chip after planar fabrication and bending to implant configuration.
Microtransducers bonded on a PDMS flexible substrate
Hichem Ben Lakhdar, ETH Micro and Nanosystems lab
Wire bonding is always a challenge, in addition to the different force and pressure parameters of the machines that must be found, other complications are to be expected such as the different characteristics of the materials to be bonded as well as their supports. Here tiny squares of Palladium are bonded with a very fine 25-micron Aluminum wire. To complicate the task, this Nanosystems is deposited on a 2mm PDMS substrate which makes it totally unstable when in contact with the needle. Thanks to the expertise of Adrian Toros, we were able to find the exact parameters to carry out the project successfully.
NanoBrain – taking AI to the next level
Hernan Fernando Furci, LMIS1
We have optimized a process to produce NanoBrains on Silicon, a promising gateway to neuromorphic computing and fully integrated AI-on-a-chip. They come with a nanowire spinal cord that could potentially lead to synapses and complex networks. Neural activity measurements show, however, that these brains can be more stubborn than the scientist who produced them.
2024, February
Tropical Nanoislands
Shelly Ben-David, LMSC
Dreaming of a tropical holiday in February? Me too. Join me for an exclusive excursion to these (tweezer-induced contamination) nanoislands in a sea of germanium tin! Price: interest in the science. *Disclaimer: we do not provide trip insurance and the GeSn thin film was sputtered in the DP650.*
2024, January
Tungsten filament
Makhlad Chahid, CMi
This is a SEM image of the tungsten filament from the ebeam alignment microscope dead halogen light. To characterize the depth of field of the SEM Crossbeam, I have imaged at different values of Depth of Field. This one has been done at 100%.
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