N1005 IBM Research: nano

30 Years of Atomic Force Microscopy: IBM Scientists Trigger and Observe Reactions in an Individual Molecule

<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Once again, IBM scientists are opening the eyes of the world to objects that exist only at the atomic scale.</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: "helvneue light for ibm" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></i><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OOkbt16M3Mg" width="560"></iframe></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In a new paper <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nchem.2438">appearing today</a> in the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nchem.2438">peer-reviewed journal </a><i><a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nchem.2438">Nature Chemistry</a>, </i>IBM researchers, in collaboration with CiQUS at the University of Santiago de Compostela</span><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">, have observed a fascinating molecular rearrangement reaction known as a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergman_cyclization">Bergman cyclisation</a></span><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>– </span>which was</span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> first described in 1972 by American chemist Robert George Bergman. The paper will be featured on the cover of the March issue.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"></span><br /></span><br /><a name="more"></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://www.usc.es/ciqus/en/general-information/staff/diego-pena-gil">Professor Diego Peña</a>, a chemist at the University of Santiago de Compostela and co-author of the paper, explains the significance: “At first the rearrangement was simply considered a curiosity, but in the late 1980s it was discovered that the mechanism of action for some anticancer drugs, which are based on this reaction. This naturally attracted a lot of attention from the scientific community, and now it's a very popular reaction in organic chemistry.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The secret to imaging the Bergman reaction is a technique known as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_force_microscopy">atomic force microscopy</a> (AFM), which makes use of a nanosized-sharp tip to measure tiny forces between the tip and the sample.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The AFM was first <a href="http://www.qudev.ethz.ch/phys4/studentspresentations/afm/Atomic%20force%20microscope.pdf">demonstrated</a>in 1986 by IBM scientists Gerd Binnig, Christoph Gerber, and Calvin Quate of Stanford University. Binnig, who is solely listed on the <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="https://www.google.com/patents/US4724318">first patent</a>,</span></span><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">was quoted in <a href="http://spectrum.ieee.org/geek-life/profiles/a-beautiful-noise"><i>IEEE Spectrum Magazine</i> in 2004</a> saying that the idea for the AFM came to him subconsciously while he was lying on the couch. Not long afterwards Binnig and his colleague, the late <a href="http://www.research.ibm.com/articles/heinrich-rohrer.shtml">Heinrich Rohrer</a>, received the Nobel Prize for the <a href="http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/ibm100/us/en/icons/microscope/">scanning tunneling microscope</a> (STM), the predecessor of the AFM.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVMbH8Tkwdmr2A0Jm5Nnfw2LA2CD53zooo1y3Y_lhJYxy-Y3RUR929vK_LmSIyekcEEsEowhwbc-_wmyCHoJwm1SOHLoLI7NQs322n6siDK95WQsVF2uLtvrLFV_6kefIUrqY-kq8nx_o/s1600/berg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVMbH8Tkwdmr2A0Jm5Nnfw2LA2CD53zooo1y3Y_lhJYxy-Y3RUR929vK_LmSIyekcEEsEowhwbc-_wmyCHoJwm1SOHLoLI7NQs322n6siDK95WQsVF2uLtvrLFV_6kefIUrqY-kq8nx_o/s400/berg.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Bergman cyclisation is a fascinating rearrangement reaction with<br />implications beyond organic chemistry. It has now been shown that a reversible<br />Bergman cyclisation action in a single molecule sitting on an ultra thin NaCl film<br />can be directly imaged using atomic force microscopy.</td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Studying Individual Bonds With Advanced Tip</span></b><br /><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">More recently, IBM scientists in Zurich have modified the tip of their AFM with a single carbon monoxide molecule. This diatomic molecule, which is less than one nanometer long, produces images so clear that scientists are able to study the sample’s chemical nature based on the minute differences between individual bonds.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The IBM team, led by <a href="http://researcher.ibm.com/researcher/view.php?person=zurich-GME">Gerhard Meyer</a> and <a href="http://researcher.ibm.com/researcher/view.php?person=zurich-LGR">Leo Gross</a>, first published their technique in 2009 in the journal <a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/325/5944/1110.full%29"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Science</span></i></a><span style="font-size: 13pt; line-height: 107%;">by producing a stunning image of the flat molecule pentacene. Over the next several years, they worked on refining the technique and pushing its limits beyond what they ever expected.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Gross comments, “One main differentiator of our technique, with respect to other established techniques, is that we measure single<b> </b>molecules. Another advantage is that we can use the tip to initiate chemical reactions of individual molecules and we can follow the reactions and study their products at the atomic scale.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A few years later the team produced a string of breakthroughs in 2012, including the ability to <a href="http://www.nature.com/nnano/journal/v7/n4/full/nnano.2012.20.html"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">measure the electric field produced by a single molecule</span></a><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">, </span><span lang="DE" style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/337/6100/1326.full"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">a demonstration of</span><span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;"> bond-order discrimination</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">and in 2013, </span><span lang="DE" style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.111.106103"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">the exact measurement of adsorption geometries</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPddO0tYfaGNPjZNxARD2XMLwFoo3jEqPwklNeXy0odxMjwyXn5TUG1bwF-RO_oXVLTbKQabJUyTaPPleJdjFWESBJHqpkEbe8EjNjmL-6eDtrZCvEJj0eY_RNEWn5F-iKy4pa7adouhE/s1600/ezgif.com-video-to-gif-2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPddO0tYfaGNPjZNxARD2XMLwFoo3jEqPwklNeXy0odxMjwyXn5TUG1bwF-RO_oXVLTbKQabJUyTaPPleJdjFWESBJHqpkEbe8EjNjmL-6eDtrZCvEJj0eY_RNEWn5F-iKy4pa7adouhE/s320/ezgif.com-video-to-gif-2.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Bergman cyclisation Diyne from model to image. </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">During this period of notable publications, the team began receiving requests from scientists around the world, including a professor at Aberdeen University, who proposed in 2009 to use their technique to identify a species of bacterium collected from the deepest place on Earth. This pressure-tolerant bacterium — called Dermacoccus abyssi — produced a chemical compound which could not be recognised. Using their technique, IBM scientists </span><span style="font-size: 13pt; line-height: 107%;">successfully <a href="http://www.nature.com/nchem/journal/v2/n10/abs/nchem.765.html"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">imaged and identified it as cephalandole A</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 13pt; line-height: 107%;">, a molecule previously isolated from a Taiwanese orchid.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">With their latest work, the team has found another application for their technique</span><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">: the ability to induce chemical reactions, like the Bergman cyclisation.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“Working at low temperatures and on special, inert surfaces like the two-atom-thick layers of salt that we used in our paper, we are able to stabilize reactive intermediates that under normal conditions are too short-lived to be studied in detail. Not only can we form highly reactive intermediates using the tip to create and cleave bonds within the molecule, we can even switch between different reaction intermediates.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Remarkably, we can change almost all important properties of these molecules by switching them, affecting their reactivity, structure and their optical, electronic and magnetic behavior,” said Gross.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As reported in <i>Nature Chemistry</i> this is the first time that a reversible Bergman cyclization has been demonstrated.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/463/19305686289_baba0887a7_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/463/19305686289_baba0887a7_n.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">IBM scientist Bruno Schuler</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Professor Pe</span><span lang="ES-TRAD" style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">ñ</span><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">a adds, “This work suggests the great potential of this technique to discover unexpected new reactions. In conventional solution chemistry, after so many decades of rigorous research, the chances of finding new important reactions are quite limited. Compared to this, single-molecule chemistry by tip manipulation is in its infancy, and I expect extremely exciting discoveries in the near future.”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The next steps for the team will be to synthesize large custom-designed molecules and molecular networks with the tip that cannot be made by any other means. The team is also interested in exploring new applications for molecules, such as molecular logic devices based on single-electron transfer. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://researcher.watson.ibm.com/researcher/view.php?person=zurich-BSC">Bruno Schuler</a>, IBM postdoc and first author of the paper, adds, “The molecules we have investigated here are promising building blocks for molecular logic devices. We can envision forming networks with covalent bonds established between these radicals. Moreover, the switching of the molecules, effecting its transport and magnetic properties, might be useful functions for such devices in the future.”</span><br /><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large; line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://www.cchem.berkeley.edu/rgbgrp/">Prof. Robert Bergman</a> shared his excitement on the paper with IBM scientists via email commenting, "When we first reported this reaction I had no idea that it would be biologically relevant, or that the reaction could someday be visualized at the molecular level."</span></span><br /><i style="font-family: 'helvetica neue';"><br /></i><i style="font-family: 'helvetica neue';">Read the paper here: </i><i><span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0.54902); color: #333333; font-family: "lato" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Reversible Bergman cyclization by atomic manipulation,” Nature Chemistry, AOP 25 Jan 2016, doi: </span><a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nchem.2438" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s ease-out 0s; background-position: 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #d32605; font-family: Lato, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; transition: all 0.1s ease-out 0s;" target="_blank">10.1038/nchem.2438</a></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><br /><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3821464279005499761" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3821464279005499761" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>

30 Years of Atomic Force Microscopy: IBM Scientists Trigger and Observe Reactions in an Individual Molecule

AFM atomic force microscopy CiQUS IBM Research - Zurich nano 30 Years of Atomic Force Microscopy: IBM Scientists Trigger and Observe Reactions in an Individual Molecule

Once again, IBM scientists are opening the eyes of the world to objects that exist only at the atomic scale. In a new paper appearing today...

IBM Scientists Present III-V Epitaxy and Integration to Go Below 14nm

12:23 AM N1000 0

<div class="BodyA"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">IBM scientists in Zurich and Yorktown Heights, New York have unveiled a breakthrough approach in two publications for growing and integrating nano-sized III-V semiconductor devices on silicon. Both papers offer the microelectronics industry a possible answer to the long term challenge of creating a new powerful and energy efficient, yet smaller transistor to pave path for technology scaling for advanced CMOS nodes. </span></span></div><div class="BodyA"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="BodyA"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Researchers from the <a href="http://www.zurich.ibm.com/st/nanoscale/">I</a><a href="http://www.zurich.ibm.com/st/nanoscale/">BM</a><a href="http://www.zurich.ibm.com/st/nanoscale/">’</a><a href="http://www.zurich.ibm.com/st/nanoscale/">s Materials Integration and Nanoscale Devices</a> group demonstrated a novel, robust and yet versatile approach for integrating III-V compound semiconductor crystals on silicon wafers – a novel and an important step toward making chips smaller and more powerful at lower power density.</span></span><br /><a name="more"></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.aip.org/sites/default/files/aippub/journal-highlights/images/APL-Schmid-IBM-resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="175" src="http://www.aip.org/sites/default/files/aippub/journal-highlights/images/APL-Schmid-IBM-resized.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="caption none" style="width: 820px;">Scanning electron  microscope images of single crystal structures fabricated<br />using template-assisted selective epitaxy. For better visibility, the silicon<br />is colored in green, and the compound semiconductor in red.</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="BodyA"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The technique developed can be used to combine III-V materials, including indium, gallium and arsenide (InGaAs), with silicon germanium technology to create CMOS chips. It is fully compatible with current high volume chip fabrication technology, making it economically viable for chip manufacturers.</span></span> </div><div class="BodyA"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="BodyA"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The first paper was published last week in the journal <a href="http://www.aip.org/publishing/journal-highlights/futuristic-components-silicon-chips-fabricated-successfully">Applied Physics Letters</a> <span class="MsoCommentReference"><span style="color: windowtext;"><a class="msocomanchor" href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3821464279005499761#_msocom_1" id="_anchor_1" name="_msoanchor_1"></a></span></span>by lead author Heinz Schmid who describes the crystal growth starting from a small area and evolving into a much larger, defect-free crystal. In this so-called template-assisted selective epitaxy the oxide templates are defined and selectively filled via epitaxy to create arbitrary shaped III-V semiconductors such as nanowires, cross junctions, nanostructures containing constrictions and 3D stacked nanowires. </span></span></div><div class="BodyA"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="BodyA"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Using this small seed area epitaxy, today at the <span lang="DE"><a href="http://www.vlsisymposium.org/press_kit.html"><span class="Hyperlink0">VLSI Symposium</span></a></span> in Kyoto, IBM scientist <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/lukas-czornomaz/2b/340/715">Lukas Czornomaz</a> is <a href="http://www.vlsisymposium.org/images/press_kit/tec/T-178.pdf">presenting</a> a solution for large scale and controlled integration of high quality InGaAs on bulk Silcon (Si) which is based on standard CMOS process modules. Gate-first CMOS-compatible InGaAs FinFETs on Si with excellent performance have been demonstrated and integrated seamlessly in a CMOS manufacturing flow. </span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5336/18638973940_6e438df123_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5336/18638973940_6e438df123_c.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Cross-sectional TEM view along InP integrated on Si using the new technique.<br />High number of defects are observed at the seed region by<br />HR-STEM(b)/TEM(c) mostly consisting of stacking faults. Away from the seed,<br />a perfect lattice structure is observed with 8% mismatch to Si corresponding to fully relaxed InP (d,e).</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="BodyA"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Integrating high quality III-V materials on silicon is critical for getting the benefit of higher electron mobility to build transistors with improved power and performance for technology scaling at 7 nm and beyond. Unfortunately, growing III-V materials on 300 mm silicon substrates isn’t easy and often produces wafers with so many defects that they are rendered useless. </span></span> </div><div class="BodyA"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="BodyA"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The described novel epitaxy and integration process allows the materials to be grown precisely with a low number of defects on the wafer position where they are needed and therefore represent a significant, economical and manufacturable breakthrough towards the introduction of high-mobility channels into advanced CMOS nodes. </span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The new technique may also impact photonics on silicon, with active photonic components integrated seamlessly with electronics for greater functionality.<span style="border: medium none; color: black;"> </span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Both papers are part of <a href="https://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/44357.wss">IBM’s $3 billion</a>, five year investment to push the limits of silicon technology to 7 nanometers and below. More specifically, IBM scientists are motivated to integrate III-V materials on silicon for faster and more powerful devices. IBM is betting that future chips made of these materials will create more energy efficient and powerful cloud data centers and consumer devices.</span></span>

finFET III-V nano photonics silicon transistor IBM Scientists Present III-V Epitaxy and Integration to Go Below 14nm

IBM scientists in Zurich and Yorktown Heights, New York have unveiled a breakthrough approach in two publications for growing and integratin...

Replacing Solder with All-Copper Interconnects

12:10 AM N1000 0

<div style="text-align: right;"></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Today we can cram more than one billion transistors onto a single microprocessor die thanks to <a href="http://asmarterplanet.com/blog/2015/04/end-moores-law-search-next-switch.html">50 years of miniaturization of integrated circuits</a>. However, the scaling is becoming a headache for engineers as transistor dimensions of only a few atoms are being approached. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One alternative concept is <a href="http://ibmresearchnews.blogspot.ch/2012/09/learning-from-sand-castles-to-build.html">3D integration</a>, the stacking of individual integrated circuits on top of each other. This improves integration density, but also energy efficiency and compute performance thanks to proximity and improved wiring of electronic circuits, similarly to the neural network inside our brain.</span><br /><a name="more"></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /> </span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But challenges arise as you stack the chips, namely the demand of increased current densities and communication bandwidth to the chip stack. Currently, microprocessors are connected to printed-circuit-boards (PCB) by several 10,000s of solder balls, which are arranged in a regular grid at the bottom side of the chip. The pain is that as much as 80% of the electrical interconnects are occupied for provisioning of up to 300 Amps of current and only 20% are left for the main purpose of signaling. <br /> </span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flip_chip">solder ball interconnect technology</a> was invented by IBM engineers in the 1960s resulting in the still widely used flip chip technology, also known as the controlled collapse chip connection (C4). A chip with solder balls is placed onto a PCB and both components are transferred into an oven. The solder melts above 230°C and instantly wets the pads of the PCB. During cool-down, the solder solidifies to form the electrical contact. </span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNUjUacvf7q500cV0cXzdSz_ei67Bmsz_0rkCJKBvopnKaYICVh4BiNW8QOFYZqIyNTnbxaJWwkxWywBed63mMyx7d8ROLGkNaatPLC7EuaKG4rejouHx440GsXYPMdbLFQJWMqTwU1q4/s1600/cupillar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNUjUacvf7q500cV0cXzdSz_ei67Bmsz_0rkCJKBvopnKaYICVh4BiNW8QOFYZqIyNTnbxaJWwkxWywBed63mMyx7d8ROLGkNaatPLC7EuaKG4rejouHx440GsXYPMdbLFQJWMqTwU1q4/s1600/cupillar.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cross-section of All-Copper Interconnects formed by low temperature sintering of copper nano-particles</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A challenge is that voids form in the solder interconnects at high current densities and system failures occur. The voids are a consequence of the passing “electron wind”, causing material transport in the direction of the current flow. An alternative interconnect material to solder is copper, a material already used for electrical wires for most chips and PCBs. Copper is about ten-fold more resistant against the “electron wind”, resulting in what is termed electromigration.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">IBM researchers invented together with colleagues from <a href="http://intrinsiqmaterials.com/">Intrinsiq Materials</a>, <a href="http://www.sintef.com/home/">SINTEF</a> and the <a href="https://www.tu-chemnitz.de/index.html.en">Technical University of Chemnitz</a> a process where solder is replaced with copper to create All-Copper Interconnects. The physical limitation of the high melting temperature of copper (1085°C) was overcome. These interconnects can be formed via the self-assembly of copper nanoparticles between a copper pillar and a pad, followed by an annealing step at temperatures as low as 150°C. The resulting interconnect allows to increase the current density and to reduce the interconnect pitch. IBM scientists from Zurich are presenting their latest developments using copper today in San Diego at the <a href="https://www.ectc.net/">IEEE Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC)</a>.<br /> </span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To perform All-Copper Interconnects, the scientists are working with a paste containing copper micro and nano-particles, which is smeared out to yield a uniform Cu-paste film with so-called “doctor blading”. Cu-paste is transferred to copper pillars of a microprocessor chip simply by dipping. The chip is aligned and placed onto pads of a PCB. The final joint is achieved by annealing at a temperature well below the melting temperature of copper. This is an example of the beauty of nanotechnology; nano-particles have a very large surface compared to their volume and hence diffusion of copper atoms is promoted to form metallic contacts. Formic acid is applied during the annealing step to reduce the copper oxide from the nano-particles.</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpMHzxGguQRRrR_1knU1z_Qo-RFedAmxqpPMcDHPt2Xb4jMuhQrMlf0fLnX95QpWn0cG-cadHt6hOBdJT0oZuoDBa6G_ByJheymgQgQRAibRrpWBteSOJgmNTxc4_Taayzl_f2fZmqm9c/s1600/cupaste.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpMHzxGguQRRrR_1knU1z_Qo-RFedAmxqpPMcDHPt2Xb4jMuhQrMlf0fLnX95QpWn0cG-cadHt6hOBdJT0oZuoDBa6G_ByJheymgQgQRAibRrpWBteSOJgmNTxc4_Taayzl_f2fZmqm9c/s1600/cupaste.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Formation of All-Copper Interconnects: a)  Copper film formation by doctor blading, b) dipping of <br />microprocessor into paste film, c) alignment and d) placement of chip to substrate, including annealing</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The novel All-Copper Interconnects have the potential of overcoming the current density and interconnect pitch limitations of current solder joints and thereby support the continuation of the system integration, in particular 3D stacking for the next decades to come.   </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">While multiple hours of lab work remains, <a href="http://researcher.ibm.com/researcher/view.php?person=zurich-tbr">Dr. Thomas Brunschwiler</a> at IBM Research is optimistic. He adds, “If we can demonstrate the All-Copper Interconnects in high-volume production, it will have a significant impact on devices ranging from laptops to data centers and our vision of a supercomputer the size of a shoebox will become reality.”<br /> </span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>This research is part of <a href="http://www.hyperconnect.eu/">HyperConnect</a>, a European funded activity with 10 partners from industry, research institutes and universities. </i></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>  </i></span><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gpb-0enkAeg" width="560"></iframe>

3D IBM Research - Zurich ieee moore's law nano Replacing Solder with All-Copper Interconnects

Today we can cram more than one billion transistors onto a single microprocessor die thanks to 50 years of miniaturization of integrated cir...

IBM scientists use the STM to image molecules in liquid

12:24 AM N1000 0

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5558/15030498715_07a6f97660_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5558/15030498715_07a6f97660_n.jpg" width="183" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nirmalraj in the Noise Free Lab</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Since the first microscope was invented, researchers and scientists  around the world have searched for new ways to stretch their  understanding of the microscopic world.  In 1981, two IBM researchers,  Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer, broke new ground in the science of the  very, very small with their invention of the scanning tunneling  microscope (STM).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Like no instrument before it, Binnig and Rohrer’s invention enabled  scientists to visualize the world all the way down to its molecules and  atoms. The STM was recognized with the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1986 and is widely  regarded as the instrument that opened the door to nanotechnology and a  wide range of explorations in fields as diverse as electrochemistry,  semiconductor science, and molecular biology.</span><br /><a name="more"></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In a new paper appearing today titled "<a href="http://www.nature.com/srep/2015/150511/srep10116/full/srep10116.html"><i>Capturing the embryonic stages of self-assembly - design rules for molecular computation</i></a>" in <a href="http://www.nature.com/srep/2015/150511/srep10116/full/srep10116.html" target="_blank">Nature Scientific Reports</a>, IBM scientists in Zurich are adding a new chapter to the STM's legacy by reporting on a new methodology for the reliable extraction of incredibly high resolution images of the swarming behavior of molecules<i> in situ</i> or which translates to "on site".</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I spoke with the lead author of the paper <a href="http://researcher.ibm.com/researcher/view.php?person=zurich-PNI">Dr. Peter Nirmalraj</a> about his research and what's next.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIoUvr2UVXCrjEOIMRs1nsUKp7lRLt7DzuTPx2EYM5fUOeHF-iryKpqWlsNLuqV6XcIL-xBOcyLbwc4YiDsxRA4A9wf5SqMTOQy_z8kPPmabF4TOucltptDf3GdNuePyXiKlZaZd2ZON0/s1600/Table+of+contents+graphic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIoUvr2UVXCrjEOIMRs1nsUKp7lRLt7DzuTPx2EYM5fUOeHF-iryKpqWlsNLuqV6XcIL-xBOcyLbwc4YiDsxRA4A9wf5SqMTOQy_z8kPPmabF4TOucltptDf3GdNuePyXiKlZaZd2ZON0/s320/Table+of+contents+graphic.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><i>Q. Why has it taken so long to use the STM for in situ imaging in liquid?</i></b></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Peter Nirmalraj (PN): </span><i>In situ</i> STM imaging (imaging in liquids at room-temperature) has been around for the last 20 years, however extracting high resolution data comparable to UHV STM standards has remained a challenge, mainly due to the electrochemical congestion and external noise interference occurring when performing such measurements in liquids at room temperature. <br /><br /><i><b><span id="goog_1146759398"></span><span id="goog_1146759399"></span>Q. How did you come up with the idea to make it work?</b></i><br /><br />PN: We have <a href="http://www.nature.com/nmat/journal/v13/n10/full/nmat4060.html">previously demonstrated</a> how to control molecular motion for stable electrical readouts. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In the current work we employ the same STM tool capable of measuring dynamics of individual molecules at the liquid-solid interface, with excellent spatio-temporal sensitivity. In particular we chose electrically inert and low vapor pressure liquids as the medium, that does not interfere with the tunneling mechanism. The entire setup is located within our state-of-the-art noise free laboratories located in the <a href="http://www.zurich.ibm.com/nanocenter/">Binnig and Rohrer Nanotechnology Center</a> which immensely aids such nanoscopic measurements in liquids. <br /><br />The question we asked ourselves, can we record in real-time the evolution of an organic molecular layer and in particular capture the very early-stages of self-assembly rather than only imaging a fully packed thermodynamically stable molecular matrix? </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPF3EXRkC8Jmqpaxa2GTg_Gn0TeOJxfODtkx-8I5wPveOBvYmbsIT4DRl3e6l3a-Bnq78e5VhEPTR7mPT5JYo6gbjeabECIrc7nGLI4lLv14IAjW_vhzBb8lna6B2mFIUqCqwzlkwtkvk/s1600/STM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPF3EXRkC8Jmqpaxa2GTg_Gn0TeOJxfODtkx-8I5wPveOBvYmbsIT4DRl3e6l3a-Bnq78e5VhEPTR7mPT5JYo6gbjeabECIrc7nGLI4lLv14IAjW_vhzBb8lna6B2mFIUqCqwzlkwtkvk/s200/STM.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Information obtained from such carefully designed experiments can and have provided deeper insights on the fundamentals of molecular self assembly, which is central in molecular computation and in refining step-by-step equilibration rules for agent-based algorithms (algorithmic self-assembly).<br /><br /><i><b>Q. Why did you choose C60 molecules for the molecular solution?</b></i><br /><br />PN: Fullerenes are a well studied class of molecules. This makes it easier to calibrate our STM tool as the dimensions and intermolecular packing arrangements of this system is known from both theory and previous STM studies. More importantly fullerenes are compatible with our solvent of choice, n-tetradecane and form a stable molecular solution (molecules are well dispersed with minimal treatment and does not aggregate in solution). Currently we are exploring other molecules with different dimensions from porphyrins to ferrocene. <br /><br /><i><b>Q. Could this technique be used for healthcare, to image bacteria and and viruses for example?</b></i><br /><br />PN: Yes, biomolecules which are generally not highly rigid and less conductive in nature can be imaged using STM when drop casted from a liquid-phase onto conductive metal surfaces. However, the solvents that generally support biomolecules are polar which necessitates an additional step for insulating the STM probe, minus the apex, to minimize parasitic currents during tunneling. Such measurements also need to be performed under closed-liquid cells with larger volume to contain rapid solvent evaporation. <br /><br /><i><b>Q. What's next for your research?</b></i><br /><br />PN: The next step would be to investigate naturally occurring pattern formation and understand better the local structural dynamics of organic molecules such as porphyrins as they evolve from a disordered phase to an energetically stable stage and verify their internal response to external electrical pulses. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Large data sets generated from such studies will then be directed towards constructing predictive algorithms for assembly of new 2D and 3D molecular configurations and for testing basic logic gate operations in molecular layers.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Follow the authors on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/stm_pnn">@stm_pnn</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/HeikeRiel">@HeikeRiel </a></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This research is partly funded by the Marie Curie Actions-Intra-European Fellowship (IEF-PHY) under grant agreement N° 275074 “To Come” within the 7th European Community Framework Programme.</span></i></span>

nano Nature STM IBM scientists use the STM to image molecules in liquid

Nirmalraj in the Noise Free Lab Since the first microscope was invented, researchers and scientists around the world have searched for new ...

Oil Applies Brakes to Molecules under STM at Room Temp

9:01 AM N1000 0

<div style="text-align: right;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcqdFz6oCMZJRGYOM5A50FsddPZm4MG5tddVxd_LOByIlSHb62cL7-Po8C1F7iKGv2jEmdVTSPkHl4Hsq3f-aCmFC9jxEdO8kJ9Rz4byZejNJP5wljvJGedosf13wIFOs-bNPkeTxGkJw/s1600/Peter_Nirmalraj_15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcqdFz6oCMZJRGYOM5A50FsddPZm4MG5tddVxd_LOByIlSHb62cL7-Po8C1F7iKGv2jEmdVTSPkHl4Hsq3f-aCmFC9jxEdO8kJ9Rz4byZejNJP5wljvJGedosf13wIFOs-bNPkeTxGkJw/s1600/Peter_Nirmalraj_15.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">IBM scientists              <a class="name" href="http://www.nature.com/nmat/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nmat4060.html#auth-4"><span class="fn">Marilyne Sousa</span></a>, <a class="name" href="http://www.nature.com/nmat/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nmat4060.html#auth-1"><span class="fn">Peter Nirmalraj</span></a><span class="comma">, </span><a class="name" href="http://www.nature.com/nmat/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nmat4060.html#auth-7"><span class="fn">Heike Riel</span></a> and <a class="name" href="http://www.nature.com/nmat/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nmat4060.html#auth-6"><span class="fn">Bernd Gotsmann</span></a> </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Since the first microscope was invented, researchers and scientists around the world have searched for new ways to stretch their understanding of the microscopic world. In 1981, two IBM researchers, who went on to become Nobel Laureates, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FczS5y4mmZc">Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer</a>, broke new ground in the science of the miniscule with their invention of the <a href="http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/ibm100/us/en/icons/microscope/">scanning tunneling microscope</a> (STM), which enabled scientists to visualize the world all the way down to its molecules and atoms using a a quantum phenomenon called tunneling.<br /><br />Tunneling atoms escape the surface of a solid to form a kind of cloud that hovers above the surface; when another surface approaches, its atomic cloud overlaps and an atomic exchange occurs. By maneuvering a sharp metal conducting tip over the surface of a sample at an extremely small distance, Binnig and Rohrer found that the amount of electrical current flowing between the tip and the surface could be measured. Variations in this current could provide information about the inner structure and the height-relief of the surface. And from this information, one could build a three-dimensional atomic-scale map of the sample’s surface to reveal what atoms look like for the first time.<br /><br />IBM scientists in Zurich continue to push the boundaries of this instrument and in a paper appearing in Nature Materials today titled <a href="http://www.nature.com/nmat/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nmat4060.html"><i>Nanoelectrical analysis of single molecules and atomic-scale materials at the solid/liquid interface</i></a></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> they have developed a new and frugal technique which enables the direct imaging and stable electrical read outs of single-molecules in a liquid environment using STM at room temperature. <br /><br />In the unique and ultra-controlled environment of the Noise Free Labs of the <a href="http://www.zurich.ibm.com/nanocenter/">Binnig and Rohrer Nanotechnology Center</a>, scientists are using a high-density liquid called silicone oil to serve as liquid-brakes to nearly freeze single molecular motion and ultra-thin organic spacers to electronically decouple the molecules from the contact metals. </span></span><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHY3lHZav9hRX1Vxe4M9djF1NMZVuZT4mMVj1TpU30ldQpKXC9tn4gWCnMgPiRuhXph41VuKJKNpu_2zkRgH7wmYOI_xeyISR9OLYmropAt5vBU-eah22Bceva9XVcjmSQu-4xterlTm4/s1600/Picture1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHY3lHZav9hRX1Vxe4M9djF1NMZVuZT4mMVj1TpU30ldQpKXC9tn4gWCnMgPiRuhXph41VuKJKNpu_2zkRgH7wmYOI_xeyISR9OLYmropAt5vBU-eah22Bceva9XVcjmSQu-4xterlTm4/s1600/Picture1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In-situ STM image of individual fullerene <br />molecules adsorbed on spacer-coated gold substrate. </td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The combinatorial effect allows the scientists to record high resolution real-space images and decode the intrinsic electronic structure of single-molecules. <br /><br />The technique has been successfully extended to further resolve the atomic-lattice, quantify topological defects and map the band structure of monoatomic graphene. <br /><br />In addition to applications in hybrid electronics, where electronically active molecules (organic switches) are embedded into 2-D crystal matrices, these findings provide new pathways and insights in mapping DNA electronic structure and dynamics as they interact with graphene nanopores, which has direct implications in engineering genome sequencing devices.<br /><span id="goog_2065913409"></span><span id="goog_2065913410"></span><br />This research was done in collaboration with chemists from IMDEA-Spain and Theoritical Physists from University of Limerick, Ireland.  </span></span><br /><br />

IBM Research - Zurich nano STM Oil Applies Brakes to Molecules under STM at Room Temp

IBM scientists Marilyne Sousa , Peter Nirmalraj , Heike Riel and Bernd Gotsmann Since the first microscope was invented, rese...

Profile of an IBM Scientist: Giorgio Signorello

12:24 AM N1000 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2903/14625431574_e3749a4d0d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="289" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2903/14625431574_e3749a4d0d.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Who: Giorgio Signorello<br />Location: IBM Research - Zurich<br />Nationality: Italian<br /><br />Focus: Materials Integration and Nanoscale Devices<br /><br />“Some kids grow up and want to be a fireman or police officer - When I was kid, I wanted to be a scientist. Later on I wanted to become an architect or a designer - I loved the creative side of both - but my parents suggested that I should be a chemist or physicist. They thought it wasn't normal for someone so young to be so strong in these areas. Years later I started working in a clean room in Sweden and for the first time I felt that I made the right choice. It may sound crazy, but I feel at home in a laboratory.” <br /><br />“What fascinates me the most about science is that it is not based on any one individual — it’s a collective contribution. What I discovered in my most recent <a href="http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2014/140410/ncomms4655/full/ncomms4655.html">Nature Communications</a> paper will hopefully lead to another discovery years from now. In that sense, science is a giant puzzle without fixed borders and each time we publish we add one piece to the picture. 150 years ago James Clerk Maxwell described for the first time the physics of light and today we are manipulating light to send data at the nanoscale. Thousands of publications had to happen to reach this point. It’s inspiring, crazy and not far from being magical.”<br /><br />Insider Tip:<br /><br />“I applied to the IBM Research lab in Zurich five times over two years. Finally, my persistence paid off after emailing <a href="http://researcher.ibm.com/researcher/view.php?person=zurich-hei">Heike Riel</a>, who is now an IBM Fellow. But this taught me a lesson, which is applicable to any aspiring scientist — be persistent. Whether you are having challenges with a difficult experiment or dealing with a referee who keeps refusing your paper, don’t give up and push yourself.”<br /><br />Last week Giorgio was awarded a 5000 CHF ($5600 USD) prize from the Swiss Physical Society for his his outstanding scientific achievements investigating the effect of strain on semiconducting nanowires, which can make it possible to transfer data between chips at the speed of light.<br /><br />Read </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Giorgio's</span></span> <a href="http://ibm.biz/zrl-gio">publications</a> and connect with him on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/signorello">LinkedIn</a>.</span></span><br /><br />

IBM Research - Zurich nano nanowires Profile of an IBM Scientist: Giorgio Signorello

Who: Giorgio Signorello Location: IBM Research - Zurich Nationality: Italian Focus: Materials Integration and Nanoscale Devices “Some kids g...

New Physical Phenomenon on Nanowires Seen for the First Time

9:07 AM N1000 0

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhGZP564g6t4oE1w3MZY698QWuvDdxDfgyMb6r0I02hARGQFWr5eiEENl2WJcmYaHcYBte9qKn1PJxf0ABBEbN2KeJyzAdMxErnu14dz9O0am6YLF9OXdCtARWJ_iz-lhNUioANV3Z5SM/s1600/~ni_2724961500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhGZP564g6t4oE1w3MZY698QWuvDdxDfgyMb6r0I02hARGQFWr5eiEENl2WJcmYaHcYBte9qKn1PJxf0ABBEbN2KeJyzAdMxErnu14dz9O0am6YLF9OXdCtARWJ_iz-lhNUioANV3Z5SM/s1600/~ni_2724961500.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">False-colour scanning electron micrograph of a nanowire strain device.</td></tr></tbody></table>Very tiny wires made of semiconducting materials – more than one thousand times thinner than a human hair – promise to be an essential component for the semiconductor industry. Thanks to these tiny nanostructures, scientists envision not only a more powerful new generation of transistors, but also to integrate optical communication systems within the very same piece of silicon. This would make possible data transfer between chips at the speed of light.<br /><br />But for optical communication to happen, it is essential to convert the electrical information used in the microprocessor into light, by using light emitters. On the other end of the optical link, one needs to translate the information contained in the stream of light into electrical signals by using light detectors. Current technologies use different materials to realize these two distinct functions – silicon or germanium for light detection and materials combining elements from the III-V columns of the periodic table for light emission. However, this might be going to change soon thanks to a new discovery.<br /><br />In a <a href="http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2014/140410/ncomms4655/full/ncomms4655.html">paper</a> appearing today in the journal <i>Nature Communications</i>, scientists at IBM Research – Zurich and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology have demonstrated for the first time that both, efficient light emission and detection functionalities can be achieved in the very same nanowire material by applying mechanical strain. <br /><br />Using this new physical phenomenon, scientists might be able to integrate the light emitter and the detector functions in the very same material. This would drastically reduce the complexity of future silicon nanophotonic chips.<br /><br />IBM scientist <a href="http://ch.linkedin.com/in/signorello">Giorgio Signorello</a> explains, "When you pull the nanowire along its length, the nanowire is in a state that we call “direct bandgap” and it can emit light very efficiently; when instead you compress the length of the wire, its electronic properties change and the material stops emitting light. We call this state “pseudo-direct”: the III-V material behaves similarly to silicon or germanium and becomes a good light detector."<br /><br />IBM Fellow <a href="http://researcher.ibm.com/researcher/view.php?person=zurich-hei">Heike Riel</a> comments, “These are unique and surprising properties and they all come from the fact that the atoms are located at very special positions within the nanowire. We call this crystal structure “Wurtzite”. This structure is possible only because the nanowire dimensions are so small. You cannot achieve the same properties at dimensions visible to the eye. This is a great example of the power of nanotechnology.”<br /><br />This remarkable properties might find interesting applications also outside the field of optical communication.<br /><br />For the scientific background read the <i>Nature Communications</i> paper titled "<a href="http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2014/140410/ncomms4655/full/ncomms4655.html"><i>Inducing a Direct-to-Pseudodirect Bandgap Transition in Wurtzite GaAs Nanowires with Uniaxial Stress</i></a>”, doi:10.1038/ncomms4655

IBM Research - Zurich nano New Physical Phenomenon on Nanowires Seen for the First Time

False-colour scanning electron micrograph of a nanowire strain device. Very tiny wires made of semiconducting materials – more than one thou...