I-Corps: Translation potential of an opto-levitated force microscope

Award ID: 2628047

This I-Corps project is based on the development of a surface metrology instrument used to measure physical dimensions and ensure strict quality control. The semiconductor industry and other advanced technology sectors depend on nanometer-scale surface and material control for current devices and to develop next-generation electronics. About thirty percent of a modern semiconductor fabrication's workflow is metrology and inspection for process control, quality assurance, and failure analysis. Current metrology options are designed for either force sensitivity or throughput and area, but not both. As a result, users are forced to tolerate trade-offs in speed, sensitivity, damage risk, sample preparation, and measurement area. The proposed technology aims to fill this gap by enabling non-contact, non-invasive, high-sensitivity surface metrology at scale. If successful, this technology may support faster failure analysis, improved quality control, shorter development cycles, and new measurement capabilities for scientists and engineers. This may positively impact nanoscale precision surface inspection and research and development in several major industries, including semiconductor manufacturing, advanced materials science and nanotechnology, medical devices, industrial coatings, energy technologies, and research facilities. In addition, this may benefit consumers through better manufacturing, more reliable devices, and accelerated development of new materials and technologies. This I-Corps project utilizes experiential learning coupled with first-hand investigation of the industry ecosystem to assess the translation potential of a quantum optomechanics-based metrology instrumentation for the semiconductor industry and other advanced technology sectors. The key innovation is the Opto-Levitated Force Microscope (OFM), which uses a laser-levitated probe to sense surface topography, electric and magnetic field distributions, and other properties with extremely high precision and resolution. Current scanning-probe force microscopes use mechanically anchored probes, which impose hard limits on sensitivity due to mechanical losses and thermal anchoring. In its operating principle, the OFM is similar to the atomic force microscope, but it brings several crucial advantages, including potentially higher force sensitivity, non-invasive operation due to a larger probe-sample standoff and compatibility with sample handling both in air and in high vacuum. This technology may allow wafer and chip inspection of larger areas with higher sensitivity while improving the quality of inspection and failure analysis at much faster rates. 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.

NSF Program Director: Ruth Shuman