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The Nano & Pico Characterization Lab at the California
NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at the University of California, Los Angeles
(UCLA) provides an unprecedented collection of nano-scale surface
analysis instrumentation in a single, multi-user facility. By combining
multiple modes of surface analysis, this facility enables thorough
investigation of the vast array of physical, chemical and electrical
properties necessary for complete study of an experimental system
and developing nanotechnologies. The Nano & Pico Characterization
Lab provides both state-of-the-art microscopic techniques to visualize
surfaces, adsorbates, nanostructures and devices at the atomic and
molecular scale as well as a unique opportunity for researchers to
gain insight into local properties under a wide range of experimental
conditions. An ever increasing demand for knowledge of how matter
behaves at the nanoscale and beyond has forced these measurements
and methods to the forefront of nanoscience research.
Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) differs from conventional
microscopic techniques that use light or beams of charged particles. SPM
systems rely upon a unique tactile sensing of the surface using atomically sharp
tips that literally "feel" molecules and structures like a blind person reading brail.
The probes used in SPM terminate in tips shrunk down by a factor of approximately
10 million times that of your finger. Scanning Probe Microscopes are also able
to probe local properties on the atomic scale such as friction, electrical charge
and local magnetism. They can also pull and record the unraveling of single
molecule chains such as DNA and polymers. SPM systems operate in a diverse
range of environments, including temperatures below 4°K (liquid Helium) up to
1273°K and pressures ranging from the extreme vacuum of space (UHV) all the
way to atmospheric and liquid environments (including biofluids and electrolytes).
The diversity of operation has enabled SPM techniques to be used regularly to
investigate systems such as: single DNA strands, living cells, proteins, bacteria,
molecules and atoms. Automated robotic SPM's are used in semiconductor
and magnetic disk fabrication as critical metrology and quality control tools. The
Nano & Pico Characterization Lab encompasses SPM imaging under all these
environmental conditions. It is a cornerstone for developing new nanotechnology
products and performing nanoscience research.
Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) relies on the quantum
mechanical effect of electron tunneling to sense a tiny electrical current flowing
between the tip and surface, which are not in contact. The overlap of the electron
"clouds" between the probe tip and specimen also permits the precise control of
individual atoms and molecules in fabrication of nanostructures. This element of
control can be thought of as the ultimate limit of fabrication.
Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) relies upon sensing tiny forces
between the tip and object in order to probe and visualize nanostructures. The
method uses a soft spring made from a silicon micromechanical cantilever onto
which a sharp tip is attached.
Address:
Nano & Pico Characterization Lab
California NanoSystems Institute
UCLA, 570 Westwood Plaza
Building 114, Mail Code: 722710
Los Angeles, CA 90095-7227
t: 310-206-2144
f: 310-267-4918
e: nanopicolab@cnsi.ucla.edu
w: http://www.cnsi.ucla.edu/nanopicolab
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