In-plane organization of silicon nanocrystals embedded in SiO2 thin films.

Nanofabrication of buried structures with dimensions below 5 nm and with controlled 3D-positioning at the nanoscale was attempted to open new routes to future nanodevices where single nanostructures could be systematically interfaced. A typical example is ultralow-energy ion beam synthesis where already the depth positioning of embedded arrays of silicon nanocrystals can be finely controlled with nanometric precision. In this study, we investigated for the first time the control of the in-plane organization of the nanocrystals using a legitimate patterning option for microelectronic industries, self-assembled block-copolymer. The compatibility with the ultralow-energy ion beam synthesis process of polymeric nanoporous films used as mask was demonstrated together with the capability to control in 3D the organization of Si nanocrystals. The resulting nano-organization consists in a hexagonal array of 20 nm wide nanovolumes containing on average 8 nanocrystals embedded at a controlled depth within a silica matrix.

Extraction of the characteristics of Si nanocrystals by the charge pumping technique.

In this paper, the characteristics of silicon nanocrystals used as charge trapping centers in memory devices are examined using the two-level charge pumping (CP) technique performed as a function of frequency and energy filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM). The parameters extracted from the two methods such as the depth location, density and effective diameter of the nanocrystals are in good quantitative agreement. These results validate the charge pumping approach as a non-destructive powerful technique to access most of the properties of nanocrystals embedded in dielectrics and located at injection distances from the substrate surface not limited to the direct tunneling regime.

The synthesis of single layers of Ag nanocrystals by ultra-low-energy ion implantation for large-scale plasmonic structures.

Single layers of silver (Ag) nanoparticles embedded in silica (SiO2) have been fabricated by ultra-low-energy ion implantation. The distance between the Ag particles and the free SiO2 surface is controlled with nanometer precision. Raman scattering and reflectivity measurements strongly correlate to transmission electron microscopy analyses, allowing the use of these non-invasive techniques to monitor structural and dynamical properties. These results open up new opportunities to manipulate electromagnetic near-field interactions on wafer-scale plasmonic devices.

Applications of focused ion beam for preparation of specimens of ancient ceramic for electron microscopy and synchrotron X-ray studies.

In this paper the capabilities of FIB systems as a tool for TEM studies of ancient pottery are explored, especially when the amount of available material is very limited and when, for instance, there is stringent demand for very accurate location of the electron-transparent area as is the case for investigation of outer surface layers, such as slips and patinas. The advantages of the two main FIB milling techniques (H-bar and Lift-out) are discussed in detail and illustrated through the study of metallic lustre decorations and a particular type of Roman Terra Sigillata coating. The H-bar technique is ideal for investigations where the features of interest are near the edges of a ceramic fragment. A significantly large area of surface decoration can be studied without any restriction on the size and the shape of fragment. On the other hand, the Lift-out technique is very powerful for extracting TEM membranes far from the edges. An added advantage of this technique is that the thickness of the foil is very uniform and that allows large tilts and makes it possible to obtain electron diffraction patterns of several zones axes from the same crystal, making crystallographic phase identification easier and precise, and identification of complex structures possible. We also show that the FIB system can be used to deposit very precise registration marks, allowing an experimenter to correlate results from TEM measurements with other complementary techniques, such as synchrotron based microdiffraction and microXANES. Combination of these complementary techniques is becoming a very powerful approach to probe the chemical and morphological microstructure of heterogeneous and complex material from the nanometre to millimetre scale.