The implanted ionic species are obtained from gas or solid precursors and directed towards a substrate that is scanned under the beam. The implant dose (amount of dopants) and energy (related to the depth they will penetrate) are the main parameters of the implantation process. The time it takes to reach a given dose (and, in this way, the range of practical doses) will depend on the current capabilities of the implanter (medium, high current). After the implant the samples need to go through a thermal process to heal the crystalline damage (amorphization) and to allow the dopant elements to take substitutional places in the crystalline network (electrical activation). Ion implantation allows dopant concentrations above the solid solubility limit. Amorphous substrates can be implanted, too, in search of a change of properties. Selective implant can be achieved by means of a masking material with a thickness enough to block 99.99% of the impinging ions at given implant conditions.
Controlled introduction of selected atoms inside a solid substrate
Doping
Freeman Bernass ion implanting sources, medium current (10nA – 1mA)
Materials available for implantation: B, Si, Ar, N, He, C, O, H, Ge, Ti, Al, Mg, P, As, Fe, Ni, Co, S, F, Cl
BCP lithography takes advantage of the self-assembly properties of BCPs to create nanoscale surface patterns in large areas. The main advantages is the process simplicity, the spatial resolution and the high throughput. Block co-polymer patterns are transferred to the substrate by etching using one of the BCP phases as an etching mask.
AFM is a surface sensitive technique permitting to obtain a microscopic image of the topography of a material surface and certain properties (like friction force, magnetization properties…). Typical lateral image sizes are within a range of only a few Nanometers to several Micrometers, and height changes of less than a Nanometer.
Raman spectroscopy (RS) investigates the vibrational properties of a sample and provides chemical as well as structural information. RS does not require any specific sample preparation, size or condition and may be combined with micron/nano spatial resolution when operated using a confocal microscope/TERS or SNOM configuration.
