STS-Elionix

Current technologies that seek to measure the activity of neurons in the brain typically use invasive tethered devices. These types of probes can be cumbersome and have limitations in the number of signals and spatial resolution. Therefore, recent efforts have been focused on compact, completely injectable and untethered wireless devices. Another challenge lies in detecting the magnetic flux density of neuron activity which is 1 nT or lower and rapidly falls to zero within a micron’s distance away. Arrays of superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) or optically pumped magnetometers can detect fields at 0.1 pT or higher but require synchronous activity from at least ten thousand cells. New research has been recently reported which seeks to overcome these limitations by the use of a nanofabricated gold electromagnetic coil (nanocoil) to allow the measurement of a small number of neurons in situ in a completely passive, wireless manner that does not require on board power and facilitates remote detection. Detections from the center of the coil can be achieved with room temperature SQUID microscopy and with submillisecond temporal resolution. The work was reported by Ilhan Bok, Ph.D., Jack Phillips, (TShawn) Tianxiang Zhu, Jennifer Lu, Elizabeth Detienne, Eduardo Andrade Lima, Benjamin P. Weiss, Alan Jasanoff, and Aviad Hai in a collaborative effort from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The work was partially accomplished utilizing an STS-Elionix electron beam lithography system. For more information see https://lnkd.in/eJY2trPR Image (permission use by Aviad Hai and American Chemical Society): (left) Electromagnetic interaction of neuron with nanocoil. (right) Scanning electron micrograph of the gold nanocoil device.

Gallium based liquid metals are useful for stretchable and flexible electronics but have had limited pattern resolution due to their high surface tension. Recent research has enabled arbitrary patterns with widths and spaces down to 100 nm. This was achieved by using selective areas of gold to control the placement of the liquid metal. The high surface energy of the gold surface improves the yield and quality of the liquid metal patterning. These results have the potential to open up a new area of photonic applications utilizing liquid metals. These results were recently reported by Md Abdul Kaium Khan, Yaoli Zhao, Shreyan Datta, Puspita Paul, shoaib vasini, Thomas Thundat, and Peter Q. Liu of the University at Buffalo. The work was partially accomplished utilizing an STS-Elionix ELS-G100 electron beam lithography system. For more information see https://lnkd.in/e85Aipge Image (courtesy Peter Liu): Scanning electron micrographs of various patterns of gallium based liquid metal with scale bar = 1 µm. #electronics #electronbeamlithography #lithography #gallium

Presentations ongoing for the newly released ELS-ORCA at the #MNE (Micro and Nano Engineering) conference in Montpellier, France this week. If you're attending, stop by booth 33 to learn more. Otherwise, visit our website (sts-elionix.com) or reach out and let us know how we can meet your #electronbeamlithography requirements.

For those attending the MNE 2024 conference in Montpellier, France next week, stop by our booth to discuss our latest R&D system, the ELS-ORCA. Also, to discuss all things related to Electron Beam Lithography. To learn more about the ELS-ORCA in advance, visit our website at https://lnkd.in/dgZvKNW4 #electronbeamlithography #ebeam #lithography #nanotechnology #nanofabrication #MNE2024

Artificial spin ice materials consist of arrays of nanomagnets arranged in such a way that their magnetic moments are “frustrated”. This means that they do not have a stable ground state where all of the magnetic moments, or spins, are aligned. The term spin ice is used, because the magnetic spins are arranged similarly to the orientation of hydrogen in water ice molecules. Spin ice has potential new applications in computation and data storage. Recent research has made advances in where and how magnetic domains change in spin ice arrays using astroid clocking. The term “astroid clocking” gets its name from the astroid shape of the switching field-curve of a single nanomagnet, as described by the Stoner-Wohlfarth model. By applying separate field pulses along different directions relative to the astroid shapes, nanomagnets can be selectively switched, or clocked. Astroid clocking allows for a discrete, step-wise, and gradual dynamic process where domains can be grown or reversed at will. The novel work was reported by Johannes Jensen, Anders Strømberg, Ida Breivik, Arthur Penty, Miguel Angel Niño, Muhammad Waqas Khaliq, Michael Foerster, Gunnar Tufte Erik Folven in a collaborative effort from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and the ALBA Synchrotron. The work was performed in part using an STS-Elionix ELS-G100 electron beam lithography system (https://lnkd.in/giC_EMjQ) in the shared user facilities of the NTNU NanoLab. For more information see https://lnkd.in/gWu9Jwrz Image (courtesy Anders Strømberg): Scanning electron image of an artificial spin ice consisting of an array of nanomagnets. #Lithography #nanomagnets

Thank you to all participants of the STS-Elionix User Group meeting at EIPBN in La Jolla. Additionally, thank you to Aimee Bross Price and the steering committee for their organization of this year’s conference. We look forward to reconnecting with everyone in 2025 at EIPBN in Savannah, GA!

Georgia Tech fabrication people make plans to attend this great conference to be held next year in our backyard!

Stop by booth 314 at EIPBN 2024 to learn more about the Elionix EBL & IBE systems! #Elionix #STSElionix #EBL #IBE

Biological cell force has been demonstrated to be an indicator of tissue health and disease. Current methods to measure cell force such as traction force microscopy or micro-pillar deflection correlate optically measured displacements to calculated forces. Although these methods have high force sensitivity, they have low throughput due to the need to analyze optical images before and after cell application. Recent research seeks to overcome the throughput issue by the use of a sensor that can convert cell force to an electrical signal in real time as a cell exerts force. The work demonstrates a pillar deflection coupled with a silicon based piezoresistor with force resolution down to 70 nN. This work was reported by Isha Lodhi, Durga Gajula, Devin Brown, Nikolas Roeske, David Myers, Wilbur A. Lam, Azadeh Ansari, Oliver Brand in a collaborative effort from the Georgia Tech School of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, and Emory University. The work was performed in part using an STS-Elionix ELS-G100 electron beam lithography system at the Georgia Tech Institute of Electronics and Nanotechnology (IEN). For more information see https://lnkd.in/e-XNH5uR Images (courtesy Isha Lodhi): (Left image) SEM image of a 300 nm by 1 micron length n-doped silicon piezoresistor. (Right Image) SEM image of a piezoresistor with a 6.7 micron diameter by 36 micron tall polymer pillar on top made with a Nanoscribe Photonic Professional GT2 system.

In quantum computing, there is a need to scale up the number of qubits. However, their performance can be compromised by signal crosstalk between qubits and their connection to lossy control and readout circuitry. Recent work has been reported that seeks to address this problem by placing the qubit circuitry and control circuitry on separate chips and connecting them in a bump bonded flip-chip package. This approach can improve qubit performance by not exposing the qubits to additional fabrication steps. Also, interconnects can be made more directly to the qubits rather than routing signals from the perimeter of the chip which helps reduce overlap between circuit elements. This work was reported by Aaron Somoroff, Patrick Truitt, Adam Weis, Jacob Bernhardt, Daniel Yohannes, Jason Walter, Konstantin Kalashnikov, Mario Renzullo, Raymond Mencia, Maxim Vavilov, Vladmir E. Manucharyan, Igor Vernik, and Oleg Mukhanov in a collaborative effort from SEEQC, University of Maryland, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, EPFL. The quantum qubit chip patterning was accomplished with an STS-Elionix ELS-G100 100 kV electron beam lithography system (https://lnkd.in/giC_EMjQ). For more information please see https://lnkd.in/gHM6-SRy. Image (with permission from the American Physical Society): (a) Quantum chip with 4 fluxonium qubit superconducting circuits comprised of Josephson junctions. (b) Carrier chip with control circuitry. (c) Quantum chip highlighted in red outline to be bump bonded in a flip-chip configuration with underlying carrier chip. (d) Simulation of total fluxonium shunt capacitance Csigma, fluxonium-resonator coupling capacitance Cqr, and fluxonium-drive line coupling capacitance Cdrive versus MCM gap distance d.