SBIR Phase I: Controlled Geometry Ultrasharp Nanoprobes for Semiconductor Diagnostics

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project aims to improve a critical method called nanoprobing used to manufacture semiconductors by enabling the technique to probe smaller and more complex electrical devices for longer periods of time. Nanoprober instruments are used to diagnose and analyze electrical faults in the most advanced computer chips made today; without them, the manufacture of state-of-the-art advanced semiconductors would be impossible. The improved semiconductor nanoprobes that are the focus of this project will greatly enable those who develop and apply the most advanced microelectronics for an array of products across the private commercial and federal government sectors. These include artificial intelligence, cutting-edge electronic and quantum computing devices, advanced control systems for power generation and refrigeration, advanced weapon systems, medical diagnostics, computer controlled surgical equipment, consumer electronic devices such as computers and mobile phone technology, among others. The commercial potential of this application will be realized via the sales of nanoprobes to fully integrated chip manufacturers, fabless semiconductor companies, and chip foundries. Annual worldwide sales of nanoprobers exceed $100 million and annual sales of nanoprobes used in those instruments exceed $25 million. The intellectual merit of this project derives from a recent and fundamental discovery in surface science. This breakthrough allows the application of external conditions to influence how a nanoprobe apex forms. The innovation inherent in this project will use this discovery to develop an additive manufacturing technology to create a probe tip with new and novel properties and predetermined geometries idealized for nanoprobing from a variety of materials. The research objective of this R&D is to explore a set of fabrication variables that will optimize both the process yield and probe tips properties. The research of this project will entail a determination of the exact procedure and conditions to yield nanoprobes that have geometries and oxidation-resistance suitable for next-generation semiconductor technology nodes. The anticipated technical results from this project will be advanced nanoprobes and a better understanding of how to control the surface properties of these probes. The results will also serve as a knowledge base and platform technology to develop other tip-based applications, such as scanning probe microscopy. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.