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Due to its ability to recapitulate key pathological processes in vitro, midbrain organoid technology has significantly advanced the modeling of Parkinson’s disease over the last few years. However, some limitations such as insufficient tissue differentiation and maturation, deficient nutrient supply, and low analytical accessibility persist, altogether restricting the technology from reaching its full potential. To overcome these drawbacks, we have developed a multi-sensor integrated organ-on-a-chip platform capable of monitoring the electrophysiological, respiratory, and dopaminergic activity of human midbrain organoids. Our study showed that microfluidic cultivation resulted in a marked reduction in necrotic core formation, improved tissue differentiation as well as the recapitulation of key pathological hallmarks. Non-invasive monitoring employing an orthogonal sensing strategy revealed a clear time dependency in the onset of Parkinson’s disease-related phenotypes, reflecting the complex progression of the neurodegenerative disorder. Furthermore, drug-mediated rescue effects were observed after treatment with the repurposed compound 2-hydroxypropyl β-cyclodextrin, highlighting the platform’s potential in the context of drug screening applications as well as personalized medicine.

ZusammenfassungIn diesem Artikel stellen wir die Entwicklung eines mikrofluidischen Microarray zum Immobilisieren und Analysieren einzelner Zellen vor. Das System besteht aus einem Hybridchip aus Polydimethylsiloxan und Glas mit einem mikrofluidischen Kanalnetz, welches mit hydrodynamischen Fallen ausgestattet ist. Der Mikrofluidik-Chip wurde mit MEMS-Technologie hergestellt und anschließend durch experimentelle Strömungsvisualisierung mit fluoreszierenden Partikeln charakterisiert. Die Fähigkeit zum Einfangen einzelner Zellen und die Performance des Systems werden mit zwei verschiedenen Zelltypen demonstriert und die Leistung für toxikologische Studien bewertet. Das entwickelte System konnte erfolgreich zum Einfangen, Aufrechterhalten und zum toxikologischen Screening einzelner Zellen eingesetzt werden, wobei ein Experiment nur wenige Stunden (< 3 h) in Anspruch nimmt.

The nanoimprint replication of biomimetic nanostructures can be interesting for a wide range of applications. We demonstrate the process chain for Morpho-blue-inspired nanostructures, which are especially challenging for the nanoimprint process, since they consist of multilayer undercut structures, which typically cannot be replicated using nanoimprint lithography. To achieve this, we used a specially made, proprietary imprint material to firstly allow successful stamp fabrication from an undercut master structure, and secondly to enable UV-based nanoimprinting using the same material. Nanoimprinting was performed on polymer substrates with stamps on polymer backplanes to be compatible with roller-based imprinting processes. We started with single layer undercut structures to finally show that it is possible to successfully replicate a multilayer undercut stamp from a multilayer undercut master and use this stamp to obtain multilayer undercut nanoimprinted samples.

The determination of the chemical content is crucial for the quality control in high-precision device fabrication and advanced process development. For reliable chemical composition characterization, certain interaction volume of the target material is necessary for conventional techniques such as energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). This remains however a challenge for nanostructures. We hereby propose an alternative technique for measuring chemical composition of nanostructures with limited volume. By measuring the differences in the optical absorption of the nanostructure due to the differences in the chemical composition with the resonance frequency detuning of a nanomechanical resonator as well as the assistance of the analytical optical modelling, we demonstrate the possibility of characterizing the carbon content in the direct-write focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) gold nanostructures., 14 pages, 3 figures

Graphical abstract, Structured metal thin-film electrodes are heavily used in electrochemical assays to detect a range of analytes including toxins, biomarkers, biological contaminants and cell cultures using amperometric, voltammetric and impedance-based (bio)sensing strategies as well as separation techniques such as dielectrophoresis. Over the last decade, thin-film electrodes have been fabricated onto various durable and flexible substrates including glass, silicon and polymers. However, the combination of thin-film technology with porous polymeric substrates frequently used for biochips often results in limited resolution and poor adhesion of the metal thin-film, thus severely restricting reproducible fabrication and reliable application in e.g. organ-on-a-chip systems. To overcome common problems associated with micro-structured electrode manufacturing on porous substrates, we have optimized a bi-layer lift-off method for the fabrication of thin-film electrodes on commercial porous polyester membranes using a combination of LOR3A with AZ5214E photoresists. To demonstrate practical application of our porous electrode membranes for trans-epithelial electrical resistance measurements a tetrapolar biosensing set-up was used to eliminate the artificial resistance of the porous polymer membrane from the electrochemical recordings. Furthermore, barrier resistance of Bewo trophoblast epithelial cells was compared to a standard Transwell assay readout using a EVOM2 volt-ohm meter. • Bi-layer photo resist lift-off yields resolution down to 2.5 μm. • Argon Plasma-assisted lift-off results in improved adhesion of gold thin films and eliminates the need for chromium adhesion layers. • Membrane electrodes can be used for elimination of the porous membrane resistance during tetra-polar epithelial resistance measurements.

Biomimetic structures such as structural colors demand a fabrication technology of complex three-dimensional nanostructures on large areas. Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) is capable of large area replication of three-dimensional structures, but the master stamp fabrication is often a bottleneck. We have demonstrated different approaches allowing for the generation of sophisticated undercut T-shaped masters for NIL replication. With a layer-stack of phase transition material (PTM) on poly-Si, we have demonstrated the successful fabrication of a single layer undercut T-shaped structure. With a multilayer-stack of silicon oxide on silicon, we have shown the successful fabrication of a multilayer undercut T-shaped structures. For patterning optical lithography, electron beam lithography and nanoimprint lithography have been compared and have yielded structures from 10 µm down to 300 nm. The multilayer undercut T-shaped structures closely resemble the geometry of the surface of a Morpho butterfly, and may be used in future to replicate structural colors on artificial surfaces.

Focused electron beam induced etching (FEBIE) with chlorine as etching agent has been used to geometrically shape and to electrically modify semiconductor nanodevices. Selected sections of monocrystalline nanowires were modified directly without the requirement for a photomask or a resist layer. FEBIE as a subtractive nanofabrication technology allows to locally etch active semiconductor devices made of Si or Ge. In this work, chlorine is used as the etchant gas to thin germanium channel structures fabricated by standard photolithography. For effective material removal a sufficiently high electron influence is essential to avoid the pitfalls of this method. Topography and conductivity of FEBIE-modified structures prior and after the etching process was studied by AFM and by electrical I–V characteristics. The presented work demonstrates the potential of Cl-based FEBIE for device prototyping and electrical trimming of future Ge-based nanodevices.

In vitro diagnostic devices have highly esteemed platforms for toxicological testing, drug screening and even for theranostics. An extremely promising device type are microstructured devices, often referred to as biochips, that can be coupled with in vitro cell cultures. Employing microfluidic structures devices such as cell-chips and organ-on-a-chip devices have been developed to mimic the microenvironment of the human body. By implementing microelectrodes on the chip it is facile to utilize the benefits of microelectronics - the label-free, non-destructive, permanent real-time measurement of cellular processes. With electretic cells the action potential of cells can be directly measured, while other non-electrically cells can be measureds via their impedance. We will present devices on both concepts from our research. We will present sophisticated biomedical devices, were used to record the electrophysiological activity the neurite part of nerve cells of in real-time. With an axon isolation device a delicate microfluidics system is combined with microelectrodes inside of microchannels just large enough for axonal and dendritic structures. Also the biocompatibility of electrode materials is essential, and the relevance of cyclic voltammetry for checking the safe voltage range of microelecrtrodes will be explained with practical examples. Fabrication routes, benefits and limitations of microelectrode arrays. interdigitated electrode sensors and even 3D nanoelectrodedes will be discussed. An outlook on future devices featuring arrays 3D nanoelectrodes and microstructured guidance structures will be given.

The regeneration of nerves of the peripheral nervous system after injuries is a complex process. This study presents a novel in vitro neurite regeneration concept to investigate the regeneration of neurons and their processes with different concentrations of neurotrophic factors. The core part of the concept is a transparent microfluidic neurite isolation (NI) device affixed on top of a microelectrode array (MEA), providing a fast and easy way to assess both the growth and the electrical activity of neurites. The NI-MEA isolates neurites from the culture with microchannels that serve as guidance tubes, equipped with microelectrodes. Thus, the NI-MEA allows neurite growth, as observed by microscopy, to be correlated with neurite electrical activity, as measured by electrophysiological recordings. To demonstrate proof of concept of neurite regeneration, we cultured cells from the superior cervical ganglion of postnatal mice under different concentrations of nerve growth factor (NGF). During the regeneration process, we observed an increase in the number of neurites entering the microchannels along with an increase in spike activity recorded by the microelectrodes in the microchannels. We also observed a concentration-dependent effect of neurotrophic factor on the excitability of the growing neurites, with neurites bathed in 20 ng/ml NGF exhibiting enhanced early growth. Thus, our neurite regeneration concept with the NI-MEA device allows further study of neurotrophic factors and reduces the requirement for in vivo experiments on the regeneration of peripheral nerves after injury. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

To advance existing in vitro cell impedance spectroscopy and improve reliability of impedimetric sensors for cell analysis, we have electrically insulated interdigitated microelectrodes using the high-k biomaterial zirconium dioxide (ZrO2). We report the smallest passivation thickness to electrode distance ratio of 10−3 using atomic layer deposition resulting in electrically insulated metal oxide films of 15 nm thickness. For the first time the influence of the insulation on sensor performance is experimentally and theoretically analyzed using numerical simulations. In addition an equivalent electrical circuit model was established and validated using non-linear least square fitting. Results of the computational simulations revealed improved electrical current distribution across the electrically insulated interdigitated electrode structures in comparison to open (not passivated) electrodes. Furthermore, we found linear decrease of current density in z-direction within 5 μm distance from the sensor surface in the presence of ZrO2 nanocoatings is ideally suited to assess confluent cell layers. Final practical application of the ZrO2 nanolayer passivated impedimetric sensors is demonstrated for nanotoxicological investigations, where sensitivity and repeatability are crucial parameters for cell analysis. Results of our study show that the reproducible and standardizable deposition of a uniform metal oxide nanocoating improves current density distributions, has no performance drawbacks compared to open sensors and enables sensitive detection of protein-coating effects on cytotoxic silica nanoparticles. The presented novel sensor design allows for the integration of alternative electrode materials such as aluminum enabling cost-effective fabrication of large-volume sensor arrays.

This work presents a highly effective approach for the chemical purification of directly written 2D and 3D gold nanostructures suitable for plasmonics, biomolecule immobilisation, and nanoelectronics. Gold nano- and microstructures can be fabricated by one-step direct-write lithography process using focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID). Typically, as-deposited gold nanostructures suffer from a low Au content and unacceptably high carbon contamination. We show that the undesirable carbon contamination can be diminished using a two-step process – a combination of optimized deposition followed by appropriate postdeposition cleaning. Starting from the common metal-organic precursor Me2-Au-tfac, it is demonstrated that the Au content in pristine FEBID nanostructures can be increased from 30 atom % to as much as 72 atom %, depending on the sustained electron beam dose. As a second step, oxygen-plasma treatment is established to further enhance the Au content in the structures, while preserving their morphology to a high degree. This two-step process represents a simple, feasible and high-throughput method for direct writing of purer gold nanostructures that can enable their future use for demanding applications.

Magnetic materials synthesized on the nanometer‐scale level are essential for several applications, such as spintronics and magnetologic. As a successful nanofabrication approach, focused electron beam‐induced deposition (FEBID) stands out as a direct‐write technique. FEBID uses an electron beam to locally induce a CVD process, avoiding the use of masks and resists. In this work, Fe–based nanostructures are synthesized on Si(100) by FEBID, starting from iron pentacarbonyl. A systematic variation of FEBID parameters is performed, to study their influence on the geometry and composition of the deposit. Based on the results, specific deposition conditions are suggested for magneto‐logic applications and fabrication of large structures.

Among various multi‐metal combinations, Au‐Fe nanoalloys are envisaged as prospective materials for data storage applications. Here we report on the first successful achievement of Au‐Fe nanoalloys using focused electron beam‐induced deposition (FEBID), exploiting the possibility of directly writing nanostructures at nanometer resolution. Gaseous organometallic precursors are injected simultaneously into the deposition chamber to co‐deposit Fe and Au within the same nanostructure. Fabricated nanostructures show a spatially uniform elemental ratio of iron to gold that can be tailored by experimental conditions.

Focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) is a novel direct-writing technique to produce noble metal nanostructures. In this work, FEBID has been employed for the first time to fabricate metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors (MOSCAPs). Experimental parameters such as precursor temperature, substrate temperature and the (de)focus of the electron beam have been optimized to deposit electrode structures of a relatively large area within a short timeframe. Using FEBID, gold electrodes have been deposited on top of an atomic layer deposited (ALD) dielectric aluminum oxide layer. Chemical composition of the produced structures has been studied using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Current–voltage (I–V) measurements have confirmed the conductivity of FEBID gold nanowires (NWs). Measured capacitance–voltage (C–V) characteristics of FEBID-fabricated MOSCAP prototypes resemble the typical C–V characteristics of conventionally fabricated MOSCAPs, thus confirming the functionality of our FEBID devices. Illustration of a MOS capacitor fabricated by FEBID.

The capability to control matter down to the nanoscale level in combination with the novel magnetic properties of nanomaterials have attracted increasing attention in the last few decades due to their applications in magnetic sensing, hard disc data storage and logic devices. Therefore, many efforts have been devoted to the implementation of both nanofabrication methods as well as characterization of magnetic nanoelements. In this study, Fe-based nanostructures have been synthesized on Si(100) by focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) utilizing iron pentacarbonyl as precursor. The so obtained nanostructures exhibit a remarkably high iron content (Fe > 80 at.%), expected to give rise to a ferromagnetic behaviour. For that reason, magnetic force microscopy (MFM) analyses were performed on the obtained FEBID Fe nanostructures. Moreover, object oriented micromagnetic framework (OOMMF) magnetic simulations have been executed to study the influence of the geometry on the magnetic properties of iron single-domain nanowires. FEBID is a mask-less nanofabrication method based on the injection of precursor gas molecules in proximity of the deposition area where their decomposition is locally induced by a focused electron beam.

[Zr(NEtMe)2(guan-NEtMe2)2], a recently developed compound, was investigated as a novel precursor for the atomic layer deposition (ALD) of ZrO2. With water as the oxygen source, the growth rate remained constant over a wide temperature range, whereas with ozone the growth rate increased steadily with deposition temperature. Both ALD processes were successfully developed: the characteristic self-limiting ALD growth mode was confirmed at 300 °C. The growth rates were exceptionally high, 0.9 and 1.15 A/cycle with water and ozone, respectively. X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that the films were deposited in the high-permittivity cubic phase, even when grown at temperatures as low as 250 °C. Compositional analysis performed by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) demonstrated low carbon and nitrogen contamination (

This work introduces an additive direct-write nanofabrication technique for producing extremely conductive gold nanostructures from a commercial metalorganic precursor. Gold content of 91 atomic % (at. %) was achieved by using water as an oxidative enhancer during direct-write deposition. A model was developed based on the deposition rate and the chemical composition and it explains the surface processes that lead to the increases in gold purity and deposition yield. Co-injection of an oxidative enhancer enabled Focused Electron Beam Induced Deposition (FEBID)—a maskless, resistless deposition method for three dimensional (3D) nanostructures—to directly yield pure gold in a single process step, without post-deposition purification. Gold nanowires displayed resistivity down to 8.8 μΩ cm. This is the highest conductivity achieved so far from FEBID and it opens the possibility of applications in nanoelectronics, such as direct-write contacts to nanomaterials. The increased gold deposition yield and the ultralow carbon level will facilitate future applications such as the fabrication of 3D nanostructures in nanoplasmonics and biomolecule immobilization.

Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) has the unique capability to replicate 3D patterns in one single step. However, to exploit this feature high quality, 3D patterned NIL stamps are required. While grayscale electron-beam lithography suffers from resolution limitations due to proximity effects, focused ion beam (FIB) milling and gas assisted etching is inherently slow. We introduce a new 3D patterning process based on FIB implantation and subsequent reactive ion etching (RIE) for NIL stamp fabrication. The presented process is more than 100 times faster than FIB milling. We demonstrate NIL stamps with complex 3D patterns and resolutions down to 50nm fabricated with this process.

Focused ion beams are an established but inherently slow technique for many nanopatterning applications. One way to increase its processing speed is by gas-assisted ion-beam induced etching. However, to understand and improve this process, the ability to accurately simulate the precursor coverage is very important, because it strongly affects the efficiency of the process. In this paper, the authors present a recoils-based simulation model that considers precursor adsorption, decomposition, and diffusion. The authors provide a non-steady-state solution for translational symmetry, which they use to investigate the influence of the precursor diffusion coefficient on the etching process. They find that the diffusion coefficient influences the shape of the bottom of the irradiated structure. Furthermore, they compare the simulation results to experiments of SiO2 etched by XeF2 using a focused Ga ion beam, and extract model parameters such that the etching rate of numerous experiments with different current de...

Biosensors utilizing whole, living cells often rely on the adhesion of cells to the sensor surface. The effect of microstructures on human epithelial cells has been investigated. Microstructures were fabricated in a silicon substrate utilizing optical lithography and deep reactive ion etching. Human colon carcinoma cells (Caco-2) as used in pharmacological transport studies were grown on top of the microstructured substrates. A tendency of cells to adhere to edges was observed. Experimental data indicates, that cells are capable of bridging gaps. The influence of microstructure geometry on the proliferation rates of cells is discussed.

The fabrication of nanostructured dielectrics of high purity produced by electron beam induced deposition (EBID) was investigated. Additionally, the process parameters were optimized towards high deposition rate. Silicon oxide was chosen as exemplary dielectric. The deposition was performed with an electron microscope with a self-designed nozzle system. An organo-silicon precursor was used to deposit silicon oxide. The increase of the oxygen content and the reduction of carbon contaminations of the depositions were preformed by adding molecular oxygen. Patterns of large areas as well as nm-scale arrays were fabricated. To optimize the deposition rate the correlation between beam parameters and deposition rate was studied. It has been shown that this direct-write method allows obtaining arbitrary structures with superior material quality.

Novel ion beam processing for microelectronic applications has been performed by doping silicon with a focused ion beam tool. A Ga+ ion beam with a energy between 10 and 50 keV was used for p-doping of Si. The ion beam could be focused to an effective beam diameter in the sub-micron range with the smallest focus own below 10 nm. In contrast to conventional implantation with a broad ion beam where the doped area is assigned by a hardmask the implantation was achieved by scanning a focused ion beam over the designated implantation area. With this approach not only the hardmask becomes obsolete because of the electronic beam guidance. Moreover, different doses may be implanted on the same wafer. An additional feature is the inhomogeneous implantation in a pixel-array, where the distance between exposed pixels can be deliberately varied. Even single spots can be independently doped with the focused gallium beam. Due to lateral scattering of ions in the semiconductor the circular implantation area is larger than the beam diameter. With a variation of the pixel spacing we could intentionally obtain either a overlap or a separation of implantation spots. With a four-point method we have investigated the conductivity of the dot-array implanted area. The conductivity of the p-doped region could be deliberately scaled by varying the pixel spacing, the implantation dose and the ion energy. The effective implantation diameter of a single pixel could be determined. This modified implantation approach was also used to fabricate functional p-channel MOSFET’s. The Ga implantation with a focused ion beam was used for p-doping of source and drain regions of the transistor device. The utilization of this dot-array implantation with a FIB for semiconductor circuitry demonstrates the potential application of this approach. With the laterally inhomogeneous implantation dot-arrays of doped zones in the nanometer range could be fabricated.

Three-dimensional gold (Au) nanostructures offer promise in nanoplasmonics, biomedical applications, electrochemical sensing and as contacts for carbon-based electronics. Direct-write techniques such as focused-electron-beam-induced deposition (FEBID) can provide such precisely patterned nanostructures. Unfortunately, FEBID Au traditionally suffers from a high nonmetallic content and cannot meet the purity requirements for these applications. Here we report exceptionally pure pristine FEBID Au nanostructures comprising submicrometer−large monocrystalline Au sections. On the basis of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy results and Monte Carlo simulations of electron trajectories in the deposited nanostructures, we propose a curing mechanism that elucidates the observed phenomena. The in situ focused-electron-beam-induced curing mechanism was supported by postdeposition ex situ curing and, in combination with oxygen plasma cleaning, is utilized as a straightforward purification method for planar FEBID structures. This work paves the way for the application of FEBID Au nanostructures in a new generation of biosensors and plasmonic nanodevices.

High-k ZrO2 thin films are grown on p-type silicon by metal–organic chemical vapor deposition based on zirconiumtetrakistrifluoroacetylacetonate as single-source precursor system. Annealing of the as-grown films is performed to investigate the impact of oxidative and reductive atmospheres on thin film properties. The composition of the ultrathin films is examined by Auger spectroscopy, whereas metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) structures are employed to extract electrical characteristics. Equivalent oxide thicknesses down to 2 nm and interface trap densities of 5×1011 cm−2 eV−1 at midgap are obtained. MOS capacitors show extremely low leakage currents, promising to reduce gate leakage by more than a factor of 103 compared to SiO2. The correlation between compositional and electrical properties is discussed on the basis of postdeposition annealing procedures resulting in a consistent explanation of the observed effects.

We report on the growth of ZrO2 thin films on silicon wafers by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition from zirconiumtrifluoroacetylacetonate at deposition temperatures between 350 and 550 °C. The evolution of surface roughness of the deposited films is thoroughly investigated. Relative roughness is found to be minimum at a deposition temperature of 450 °C and also essentially independent of film thickness. The attained values of relative roughness are shown to be competitive to advanced deposition methods such as atomic layer deposition. Chemical composition of the films is examined in dependence of deposition temperature and post-deposition annealing procedures. Experimental results indicate that optimum properties in regard to chemical composition are obtained after thermal treatment at 650 °C. The film composition is not significantly altered by annealing at higher temperatures. Also the ambient atmosphere during the annealing process is shown to be of minor influence.

Nanomagnet logic (NML) is a relatively new computation technology that uses arrays of shape-controlled nanomagnets to enable digital processing. Currently, conventional resist-based lithographic processes limit the design of NML circuitry to planar nanostructures with homogeneous thicknesses. Here, we demonstrate the focused electron beam induced deposition of Fe-based nanomaterial for magnetic in-plane nanowires and out-of-plane nanopillars. Three-dimensional (3D) NML was achieved based on the magnetic coupling between nanowires and nanopillars in a 3D array. Additionally, the same Fe-based nanomaterial was used to produce tilt-corrected high-aspect-ratio probes for the accurate magnetic force microscopy (MFM) analysis of the fabricated 3D NML gate arrays. The interpretation of the MFM measurements was supported by magnetic simulations using the Object Oriented MicroMagnetic Framework. Introducing vertical out-of-plane nanopillars not only increases the packing density of 3D NML but also introduces an extra magnetic degree of freedom, offering a new approach to input/output and processing functionalities in nanomagnetic computing.

This work reports on focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) using a custom built gas injection system (GIS) equipped with nitrogen as a gas carrier. We have deposited cobalt from Co2(CO)8, which is usually achieved by a heated GIS. In contrast to a heated GIS, our strategy allows avoiding problems caused by eventual temperature gradients along the GIS. Moreover, the use of the gas carrier enables a high control over process conditions and consequently the properties of the synthesized nanostructures. Chemical composition and growth rate are investigated by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively. We demonstrate that the N2 flux is strongly affecting the deposit growth rate without the need of heating the precursor in order to increase its vapour pressure. Particularly, AFM volume estimation of the deposited structures showed that increasing the nitrogen resulted in an enhanced deposition rate. The wide range of achievable precursor fluxes allowed to clearly distinguish between precursor- and electron-limited regime. With the carrier-based GIS an optimized deposition procedure with regards to the desired deposition regime has been enabled

In this work, we explore the electrical properties of a metal–oxide–semiconductor system that incorporates a high-k zirconia dielectric with an equivalent oxide thickness of 3 nm deposited by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. In general, the thin films examined exhibit excellent electrical properties. However, dynamic I–V measurements unveil the presence of trapping sites with response times up to 3 s. By applying a recently proposed model, this slow trap response can be consistently explained by traps located at the inner interface of a two-layer dielectric consisting of the high-k material itself and a transition layer in contact with the semiconductor. Trap energies are found to be distributed around two distinct levels.

Nanomagnet Logic (NML) is a promising new technology for future logic which exploits interactions among magnetic nanoelements in order to encode and compute binary information. This approach overcomes the well-known limits of CMOS-based microelectronics by drastically reducing the power consumption of computational systems and by offering nonvolatility. An actual key challenge is the nanofabrication of such systems that, up to date, are prepared by complex multistep processes in planar technology. Here, we report the single-step synthesis of NML key elements by focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) using iron pentacarbonyl as a gas precursor. The resulting nanomagnets feature an inner iron part and a 3 nm iron oxide cover (core-shell structure). Full functionality of conventional NML gates from FEBID-nanowires was achieved. An advanced structure maintaining the gate functionality based on bended nanowires was realized. The unique design obtained by direct-writing reduces the error probability and may merge several NWs in future NML elements.

Optical lithography is the unrivalled mainstream patterning method that allows for costefficient, high-volume fabrication of microand nanoelectronic devices. Current optical photolithography allows for structures with a reproducible resolution below 32 nm. Nevertheless, alternative lithography methods coexist and excel in all cases where the requirement for a photomask is a disadvantage. Especially for low-volume fabrication of microdevices, the need for a photomask is inefficient and restricts a fast structuring, such as required for prototype device development and for the modification and repair of devices. The necessity of high-resolution masks with a price well above €10k is too cost intensive for the fabrication of single test devices. For this reason ‘direct-write’ approaches have emerged that are popular for several niche applications, such as mask repair and chip repair. Optical direct-write lithography and electron beam lithography are among the most prominent techniques of direct-write lithography. Less known, but highly versatile and powerful, is the ion beam lithography (IBL) method. Optical direct-write lithography uses laser beam writers with a programmable spatial light modulator (SLM). With 500 mm2/minute write speed and advanced 3D lithography capabilities, optical direct-write lithography is also suitable for commercial microchip fabrication. However, with a resolution of 0.6-μm minimum feature size of the photoresist pattern, optical direct-write lithography cannot be considered a nanopatterning method. Electron beam lithography uses a focused electron beam to expose an electron beam resist. Gaussian beam tools operate with electron beams with a diameter below 1 nm so that true nanofabrication of structures is feasible. A resolution of 10 nm minimum feature size of the e-beam resist pattern has been successfully demonstrated with this method. However, special resists are required for e-beam lithography, that are compatible with the high energy of forward scattered, back-scattered and secondary electrons. A common resist for sub-50nm resolution is polymethylmetacrylate (PMMA) requiring an exposure dose above 0.2 μC/μm2. For highest resolution (below 20 nm) inorganic resists such as hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) or aluminium fluoride (AlF3) are used, which unfortunately require a high electron exposure dose. Hence, high-resolution electron beam lithography (EBL) is linked to long exposure times which, in combination with a single scanning beam, results in slow processing times. Therefore, this high-resolution method is only used for writing photomasks for optical projection lithography and for a limited number of high-end applications. A resolution to this dilemma may be the use of multi-beam electron tools, as are currently under development. Also electron projection lithography has been under

Recently focused-electron-beam-induced etching of silicon using molecular chlorine (Cl(2)-FEBIE) has been developed as a reliable and reproducible process capable of damage-free, maskless and resistless removal of silicon. As any electron-beam-induced processing is considered non-destructive and implantation-free due to the absence of ion bombardment this approach is also a potential method for removing focused-ion-beam (FIB)-inflicted crystal damage and ion implantation. We show that Cl(2)-FEBIE is capable of removing FIB-induced amorphization and gallium ion implantation after processing of surfaces with a focused ion beam. TEM analysis proves that the method Cl(2)-FEBIE is non-destructive and therefore retains crystallinity. It is shown that Cl(2)-FEBIE of amorphous silicon when compared to crystalline silicon can be up to 25 times faster, depending on the degree of amorphization. Also, using this method it has become possible for the first time to directly investigate damage caused by FIB exposure in a top-down view utilizing a localized chemical reaction, i.e. without the need for TEM sample preparation. We show that gallium fluences above 4 × 10(15) cm(-2) result in altered material resulting from FIB-induced processes down to a depth of ∼ 250 nm. With increasing gallium fluences, due to a significant gallium concentration close beneath the surface, removal of the topmost layer by Cl(2)-FEBIE becomes difficult, indicating that gallium serves as an etch stop for Cl(2)-FEBIE.

A new beam-assisted process for removing silicon from a surface in the nanometer scale in a conventional scanning electron microscope is presented. This approach is based on focused electron beam induced etching with pure chlorine gas being used as the precursor. In contrast to the established etching process using a focused ion beam (with or without the addition of a precursor), no amorphization and gallium implanting of the substrate takes place. The observed low etch rates facilitate removal with sub-nanometer precision. No spontaneous etching of silicon as in the case of xenon difluoride was observed. Etch rates of up to 4 nm min( - 1) could be achieved as well as a minimum feature size of below 80 nm. The effect of etching parameters like electron beam energy, electron beam accelerating voltage or pixel spacing were systematically examined. Finally, the underlying etching mechanism in terms of secondary electron interactions and precursor replenishment is discussed.

Currently there is an increasing demand for high-throughput methods to identify and to verify the potential of new drug candidates. Cell-based microelectronic biosensors might be powerful tools for rapid screening assays. However, reliable cultivation of cells is influenced by the material characteristics and the surface topography of the wafers serving as growth supports. In order to investigate the influence of micropatterned structures on cell viability, Caco-2 cells were seeded on silicon wafers featuring trench/mesa patterns obtained by lithography and reactive ion etching. Besides determination of the cell growth pattern by electron microscopic inspection, the adherence of cells on different patterned silicon wafers and the formation of the tight junctional network was investigated. Microstructured trench/mesa patterns, especially their lateral distances, remarkably influenced the adhesion and proliferation behavior of Caco-2 cells. Lateral distances below the average cell diameter were easily overgrown by the cells, whereas dimensions above the average cell diameter increasingly limited cell proliferation. Notably increased cell growth was observed using trenches with a width of 10–20 μm and a trench depth of around 35 μm. All in all, the results of this study might improve the production of microstructured biosensors and open up new perspectives concerning the combination of biosensors and microfluidic systems.

There is an increasing interest in cell-based microelectronic biosensors for high-throughput screening of new products from the biotech pipeline. This requires fundamental knowledge of the biocompatibility of the materials used as the growing support for the cells. Using monolayer-forming Caco-2 cells of human origin, the biocompatibility of silicon wafers coated with various metals, dielectrics and semiconductors was assessed. Besides microscopic inspection, proliferation of cells indicating viability as well as brush border enzyme activity indicating differentiation of adherent growing cells were chosen as parameters to estimate biocompatibility. The type of wafer used for deposition of the coating initially influences the biocompatibility of the final product. Whereas p-doped silicon was fully biocompatible, n-doped silicon reduced the proliferation of cells. Among the different coatings, Al and Ti even increased the cell growth as compared to glass. Culturing the cells for 6 days on coated wafers demonstrated that the differentiation of adhering cells on Ti- and ZrO2-coated wafers was comparable to glass, whereas coatings with Si3N4, Au, Al, and ITO reduced differentiation to 15–35%. In the cases of Au and Si3N4 this effect equilibrated with prolonged culturing. These results demonstrate the importance of a careful selection of the materials used for the production of cell-based biosensors.

The focused ion beam has been acknowledged as a versatile tool for local sputtering as well as local deposition of material. A beam diameter below 10 nm is feasible and renders FIB a powerful tool for microstructure fabrication and generation. This experimental study investigates the geometrical limitations of FIB processing as well as the implications on the processed material. The high energetic ions of the primary beam also change the properties of the processed material due to implantation and atomic mixing. The incorporation of Ga from the FIB may be beneficial in the case of deliberate implantation or unfavorable as a chemical impurity. Higher doses of ion irradiation caused amorphisation of the material. The effects of FIB processing on the substrates as well as deposited structures are illustrated.

In this study we investigate the nucleation and growth mechanisms of tungsten films processed by focused ion beam (FIB) induced chemical vapor deposition. For our investigation we use a 50 keV Ga+ ion beam focused on the substrate target and tungsten hexacarbonyl (W(CO)6) as precursor gas. Mediated by the substrate the energy of the impinging ions leads to the decomposition of the tungsten hexacarbonyl molecules adsorbed on the substrate into volatile parts and nonvolatile residues forming a metal deposit. Time resolved FIB secondary electron microscope imaging in combination with atomic force microscopy reveal first the formation of isolated nuclei and further their coalescence finally resulting in the formation of a contiguous metal layer. Despite the local impacts of the ion beam within the irradiated area of the substrate the localization of the nucleation spots is neither correlated to the spot centers nor to the scan path of the ion beam. After formation, the nanoscale tungsten nuclei preserve their positions and typical shapes during further deposition. Only after merging the nuclei to a contiguous tungsten layer, a further regime of growth sets on which is characterized by deposition of tungsten on a tungsten surface. In this regime the deposition process is determined by the total ion dose and the average current density the samples are subjected to. In this regime, deposition yields up to 3.5 atoms per incident gallium ion are achieved. The contiguous layer quality is determined by Auger electron analysis. The measured growth data were interpreted by adopting the analytic Ruedenauer Steiger approach mainly incorporating ion current density, precursor gas transformation rate, and ion induced sputtering. As a result, the critical ion current density, where ion sputtering exceeds deposition, was identified by the model. Because the model shows excellent agreement with the measurement it should be suitable for further survey concerning focused ion beam process development.

We report on metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) of ultrathin zirconium dioxide on (100) silicon. Special emphasis is put on the evolution of surface topography and the impact of processing parameters on the chemical composition of the films. Electrical characterization by means of MOS structures has been performed to assess the interface quality and the dielectric properties of the layers. Interface trap density is observed to be around 5.1011 cm-2.eV-1 at midgap for (100)-oriented substrates. Leakage currents in the ultrathin regime are significantly reduced compared to equivalent SiO2-layers. Trap density and leakage current are strongly sensitive to annealing in different atmospheres. However, electrical characteristics are shown to be positively affected rather by annealing in slightly reducing than in oxidizing atmospheres. All temperatures throughout the gate insulator formation process do not need to exceed 650°C, and thus allow to keep the thermal budget low.

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a versatile deposition technique for both dielectrics and metals. CVD is based upon the adsorption of a volatile species from the gas phase and the decomposition of the adsorbed molecules on the sample surface resulting in the deposition of solid material. In contrast to thermal CVD or plasma assisted CVD used for large area coatings this work focuses on a method for locally confined deposition. A focused energetic beam is used to provide the necessary activation energy for CVD. With a focused beam material could be deposited locally within a strictly confined area down to the nanometer range. The deposition of silicon oxide microstructures utilizing two precursor gases - siloxane and oxygen - was performed by direct-write nanolithography. For initiating the CVD process energy is introduced by local ion exposure utilizing a scanning focused ion beam (FIB). The influence of the different ion fluxes and the effect of the mixture ratio of precursors were studied. Deliberate changes in the process parameters allowed adjusting the physical properties and the chemical composition of the solid silicon oxide. Process control allows tailoring of material properties according to requirements of the application.

Ga implantation into Si and reactive ion etching has been previously identified as candidate techniques for the generation of 3D nanopatterns. However, the structures manufactured using these techniques exhibited impedingly high surface roughness. In this work, we investigate the source of roughness and introduce a new patterning process to solve this issue. The novel patterning process introduces an additional layer absorbing the implanted Ga, thus preventing the clustering of the implanted Ga observed with uncoated Si substrates. This process enables 3D nanopatterning with sub-100 nm lateral resolution in conjunction with smooth height transitions and surface roughness down to 4 nm root mean square. Such patterns are ideally suited for optical applications and enable the manufacturing of nanoimprint lithography templates for low-profile Fresnel lenses.