Laboratories
Micro-nanomachining and Electrochemical lab
The micro-nanomachining lab is equipped with:
- a Chemical wet bench to fabricate high aspect ratio Silicon structures. The system allows the wet etching with alkaline solutions (KOH, TMAH) and the oxide removal processes of samples and wafers of dimensions up to 6 ”
- Two Potentiostat-Galvanostat systems, operating in low (PAR 283 10-2 - 10-12 Amp) and high current (PAR 263A up to 20 Amp) regime, and a Frequency Response Detector for electrochemical processing and Porous Silicon formation
- a Quartz Micro-Balance to appreciate monolayer depositions in solution with static and under flux cells
- a Gold Plating System which allows process of samples and wafers of dimensions up to 6”
- a Dry Film Laminator System RLM 419 with electrically heated lamination roller with uniform temperature distribution for dry films lamination, photo-resist and plastics, on wafers
- a MITUTOYO Measuring Microscope with in situ reflectivity measurements system, Probe-Station for Microfluidic measurements and four electrical probes for resistivity measurements. The stage is also equipped with a PID-controlled heater for in situ annealing of the sample from RT up to 200°C
- a Piezo-Systems suitable for resonance frequency measurements of MEMS and NEMS structures
Staff contact: Giuseppe D'Arrigo
Transmission electron microscopy lab
Lab is equipped with:
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a JEOL JEM 2010 transmission electron microscope with a LaB6 thermoionic source operating at an acceleration voltage of 200 kV. The instrument achieves a spatial resolution of 0.24 nm and is equipped with a Gatan multiscan digital camera, an Oxford energy dispersive spectroscopy apparatus, a heating specimen holder (maximum temperature of 1000 °C), and a specimen holder operating at the liquid nitrogen temperature
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a JEOL JEM 2010F transmission electron microscope with a Schottky field emission gun operating at an acceleration voltage of 200 kV. The instrument achieves a spatial resolution of 0.18 nm and is equipped with a Gatan image filter which allows us to get images tuned to narrow windows of the sample electron energy loss spectrum, with a scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) unit, and with an annular detector for Z-contrast analysis
Lab is also equipped with facilities for mechanical and ion milling of the samples (disc grinder, dimple grinder, ultrasonic cutter, Gatan precision ion polishing system, etc.)
Staff contact: Corrado Bongiorno, Salvo Pannitteri, Giuseppe Nicotra
Scanning electron microscopy lab
Lab is equipped with a ZEISS SUPRA 35 scanning electron microscope (SEM) with a Schottky field emission gun. The acceleration voltage can be varied in the 0.1 – 30 kV range. operating at an acceleration voltage of 200 kV. The instrument achieves a spatial resolution of 1 nm at 20 kV and is equipped with three different detectors: in-lens detector for secondary electrons, E-T chamber detector, and a detector for backscattered electrons. A nano-manipulator system is also installed inside the chamber for electrical measurements on nanometer structures during SEM observations.
Staff contact: Silvia Scalese, Markus Italia
Scanning probe microscopy lab
Lab is equipped with three atomic force microscopes. The first one is the dimension 3100 by Digital with the nanoscope III A controller. It is equipped with modules for scanning capacitance microscopy, conductive microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The second instrument is the multimode by Digital which allows us to carry out atomic force microscopy measurements with low noise and a very high spatial resolution (atomic level). The third instrument is the XE 150 by PSIA. It allows us to get morphological analysis with an interferometer control of the lateral position on the sample surface, either in contact or in true non contact mode.
Staff contact: Patrick Fiorenza
Electrical measurements lab
Lab is equipped with three probe stations for measurements on 6, 8, and 12 inches wafers. One probe station is equipped with three-axial Kelvin contacting system and Attoguard shielding system by Cascade Microtech for current and voltage measurements with very low noise. It is also possible to carry out electrical measurements as a function of temperature from 65 to 200 °C on the 8 inches probe station and from 10 to 500 K on small thermostatic chucks, current measurements in the 1 fA – 10 A range, and voltage measurements in the 10 µV – 1100 V range. The instruments allows us to carry out electrical measurements with a time resolution as low as few nanoseconds, and the laboratory is equipped with a network analyzer for frequency measurements up to 20 GHz.
Staff contact: Domenico Corso, Salvo Lombardo
Spreading resistance profiling lab
The spreading resistance probe is one of the most widespread analytical techniques applied to electrical activation studies in Si. It is being heavily employed by both research and industry to determine one dimensional charge carrier concentration distributions of ion implants, epitaxial and diffusion layers. Two metallic probes, between which a small potential of 5 mV is applied, are used to quantify the resistance variations as a function of depth. Depth information is obtained by stepping down the probes along a bevelled surface of the sample. The acquired resistance profile is then computed and converted into resistivity and carrier concentration distributions by means of calibration curves, mobility parameters of charge carriers in monocrystalline Si and particular algorithms, which correct for sampling volume effects.
Staff contact: Markus Italia, Vittorio Privitera
Sputtering deposition lab
Dc magnetron sputtering system made by Kenotec (today Kenosistec) The high vacuum chamber (10-9 Torr) is equipped with three metallic cathodes for sequential deposition of multilayer structures, and with a station for etching procedures. It is currently used to deposit thin (about 1 nm) and thick (larger than 1 µm) layers of nickel, cobalt, aluminum and titanium for applications in microelectronic devices as MOS-transistors and Schottky diodes. The system is equipped with two additional inlets for oxygen and nitrogen injection into the deposition chamber for reactive deposition of nitride and oxide such as TiN and TiO2 used in microelectronics and photovoltaics architectures. In situ heating during deposition up to 250°C can be also performed by using an integrated heating stage.
Staff contact: Alessandra Alberti
High angular resolution X-ray equipment
D8discover made by Bruker-AXS. The main body consists of a horizontal high resolution goniometer (0.0001°) and of a ¼ Eulerian Cradle which enable to perform out of plane and in plane investigations of the lattice structure. The source is a 3 kW Cu long fine focus tube equipped with a 40 nm Goebel mirror. Medium and high resolution are assured by an Asymmetric 4-Bounce Ge(220) and a Symmetric 4-Bounce Ge(440) monocromators, respectively. The facility is equipped with: a NaI(Tl) scintillator counter and a linear detector (10° of angular aperture); an heating stage for annealing up to 900°; a motorized stage for mapping up to 5.9 inches wafer diameter. Out of plane configuration allows to perform: X-ray diffraction (XRD); high resolution X-ray diffraction (HR-XRD); grazing incidence diffraction; X-ray reflectivity (XRR); reciprocal space mapping (texture, stress, composition). In plane configuration allows to perform: in plane grazing incidence diffraction (in plane GID); grazing incidence small angle x-ray scattering (GISAXS) ; reciprocal space mapping.
Staff contact: Alessandra Alberti
