Dr. Armin W. Knoll Profile

Dr. Armin W. Knoll

at IBM Research Zurich

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Author

Publications (8)

Proceedings Article | 13 June 2022 Presentation

Automated batch device processing using thermal Scanning Probe Lithography

Armin Knoll

Proceedings Volume PC12054, PC120540S (2022) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2624509

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Thermal Scanning Probe Lithography has become a successful, commercially available tool for the fabrication of nanoscale devices. The growing maturity of the technology is reflected in the increasing number of publications originating from users around the globe. In particular, the unique technology aspects such as nanometer accurate grayscale patterning and low damage patterning of high-resolution structures has fueled this success. In this talk I will give a brief overview over the technology and its accomplishments. I will focus on some key results from IBM and external groups and explain how the tool capabilities enabled these achievements. The work covers a range of application from nanofluidic Brownian motors [1] to optical Fourier series [2] and low contact resistances for 2D material devices [3]. In addition to this growing success, the tool has potential in many areas for further innovation. For a widespread use in the research environment and for first manufacturing applications, the reliability, endurance, and throughput must be improved. Recently, we made significant progress in this direction. A key enabler was the highly improved resist material that is now commercially available. For grayscale pattern fabrication, it allows for several days of continuous patterning with a single tip. For high resolution patterning, it enables the fabrication of multiple chips with a single tip. We showcase the potential of the tool by fabricating arrays of field effect transistors on SOI substrates. All the lithographical steps are done by the tSPL tool, assisted by the integrated laser writer [4]. The field effect transistors have a channel width between 15 and 50 nm. Gates of similar size are patterned using a markerless overlay approach. The algorithm extracts the device geometry from the programmed pattern and correlates it with the observed topography. This alignment procedures optimizes the overlay at the critical position where the gate and the fin meet and allows for a fully automated process over the chip area. I will discuss the statistical variations in the observed device dimensions and overlay accuracies. This work is a first step for tSPL to develop towards a high precision, fully automated lithography tool. Considering the relative ease of implementing parallel concepts with cantilevers, we see an exciting future for the technology.

Proceedings Article | 1 August 2021 Presentation + Paper

Nanofluidic rocking Brownian motors for multi-channel separation of spherical nanoparticles with nanometer scale resolution

Philippe Nicollier, Christian Schwemmer, Francesca Ruggeri, Daniel Widmer, Xiaoyu Ma, Armin Knoll

Proceedings Volume 11798, 117980M (2021) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2593705

KEYWORDS: Nanoparticles, Light scattering, Diffusion, Interferometry

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Proceedings Article | 21 March 2016 Paper

PVD prepared molecular glass resists for scanning probe lithography

Christian Neuber, Hans-Werner Schmidt, Peter Strohriegl, Daniel Wagner, Felix Krohn, Andreas Schedl, Simon Bonanni, Felix Holzner, Colin Rawlings, Urs Dürig, Armin Knoll

Proceedings Volume 9779, 97791C (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2219080

KEYWORDS: Scanning probe lithography, Molecules, Physical vapor deposition, Polymers, Photoresist materials, Lithography, Resistance, Etching, Crystals, Silicon, Silica, Optical lithography, Thin films

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Proceedings Article | 20 March 2015 Paper

Tailored molecular glass resists for scanning probe lithography

Christian Neuber, Hans-Werner Schmidt, Peter Strohriegl, Andreas Ringk, Tristan Kolb, Andreas Schedl, Vincent Fokkema, Marijn G. van Veghel, Mike Cooke, Colin Rawlings, Urs Dürig, Armin Knoll, Jean- François de Marneffe, Ziad el Otell, Marcus Kaestner, Yana Krivoshapkina, Matthias Budden, Ivo Rangelow

Proceedings Volume 9425, 94250E (2015) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2085734

KEYWORDS: Glasses, Scanning probe lithography, Etching, Thin films, Optical lithography, Plasma etching, Resistance, Electron beam lithography, Lithography, Crystals

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Proceedings Article | 28 March 2014 Paper

Molecular glass resists for scanning probe lithography

Christian Neuber, Andreas Ringk, Tristan Kolb, Florian Wieberger, Peter Strohriegl, Hans-Werner Schmidt, Vincent Fokkema, Mike Cooke, Colin Rawlings, Urs Dürig, Armin Knoll, Jean-Francois de Marneffe, Peter De Schepper, Marcus Kaestner, Yana Krivoshapkina, Matthias Budden, Ivo Rangelow

Proceedings Volume 9049, 90491V (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2047108

KEYWORDS: Glasses, Etching, Scanning probe lithography, Lithography, Optical lithography, Silicon, Electron beam lithography, Polymers, Resistance, Photoresist processing

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Proceedings Article | 28 March 2014 Paper

Closed-loop high-speed 3D thermal probe nanolithography

A. Knoll, M. Zientek, L. Cheong, C. Rawlings, P. Paul, F. Holzner, J. Hedrick, D. Coady, R. Allen, U. Dürig

Proceedings Volume 9049, 90490B (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2046201

KEYWORDS: Optical lithography, Polymers, Lithography, Silicon, Scanning probe lithography, Image resolution, Molecules, Nanolithography, Scanning electron microscopy, Photomasks

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Thermal Scanning Probe Lithography (tSPL) is an AFM based patterning technique, which uses heated tips to locally evaporate organic resists such as molecular glasses [1] or thermally sensitive polymers.[2][3] Organic resists offer the versatility of the lithography process known from the CMOS environment and simultaneously ensure a highly stable and low wear tip-sample contact due to the soft nature of the resists. Patterning quality is excellent up to a resolution of sub 15 nm,[1] at linear speeds of up to 20 mm/s and pixel rates of up to 500 kHz.[4] The patterning depth is proportional to the applied force which allows for the creation of 3-D profiles in a single patterning run.[2] In addition, non-destructive imaging can be done at pixel rates of more than 500 kHz.[4] If the thermal stimulus for writing the pattern is switched off the same tip can be used to record the written topography with Angstrom depth resolution. We utilize this unique feature of SPL to implement an efficient control system for reliable patterning at high speed and high resolution. We combine the writing and imaging process in a single raster scan of the surface. In this closed loop lithography (CLL) approach, we use the acquired data to optimize the writing parameters on the fly. Excellent control is in particular important for an accurate reproduction of complex 3D patterns. These novel patterning capabilities are equally important for a high quality transfer of two-dimensional patterns into the underlying substrate. We utilize an only 3-4 nm thick SiOx hardmask to amplify the 8±0.5 nm deep patterns created by tSPL into a 50 nm thick transfer polymer. The structures in the transfer polymer can be used to create metallic lines by a lift-off process or to further process the pattern into the substrate. Here we demonstrate the fabrication of 27 nm wide lines and trenches 60 nm deep into the Silicon substrate.[5] In addition, the combined read and write approach ensures that the lateral offset between read and write field is minimized. Thus we achieve high precision in marker-less stitching of patterning fields. A 2D cross-correlation technique is used to determine the offset of a neighboring patterning field relative to a previously written field with an accuracy of about 1 nm. We demonstrate stitching of 1 μm2 fields with ~5 nm accuracy and stitching of larger 10x10 μm2 fields with 10 nm accuracy.[6]

Proceedings Article | 1 October 2013 Paper

Thermal probe nanolithography: in-situ inspection, high-speed, high-resolution, 3D

Felix Holzner, Philip Paul, Michel Despont, Lin Lee Cheong, James Hedrick, Urs Dürig, Armin Knoll

Proceedings Volume 8886, 888605 (2013) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2032318

KEYWORDS: Electron beam lithography, Optical lithography, Nanolithography, Silicon, Polymers, Scanning probe lithography, Reactive ion etching, Photomasks, Lithography, Scanning electron microscopy

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Proceedings Article | 3 April 2010 Paper

Direct write 3-dimensional nanopatterning using probes

David Pires, Armin Knoll, Urs Duerig, Ute Drechsler, Michel Despont, Heiko Wolf, James Hedrick, Ekmini de Silva

Proceedings Volume 7637, 76371E (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.847290

KEYWORDS: Optical lithography, Glasses, Silicon, Reactive ion etching, Lithography, Etching, Electron beam lithography, Molecules, Nanostructures, Sensors

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