Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems

2 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Engineering

In Situ Time-dependent Dielectric Breakdown in the Transmission Electron Microscope: A Possibility to Understand the Failure Mechanism in Microelectronic Devices

Zhongquan Liao^1,2, Martin Gall¹, Kong Boon Yeap^1,3, Christoph Sander¹, André Clausner¹, Uwe Mühle¹, Jürgen Gluch¹, Yvonne Standke¹, Oliver Aubel⁴, Armand Beyer⁴, Meike Hauschildt⁴, Ehrenfried Zschech^1,2

¹Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems, ²Dresden Center for Nanoanalysis, Technische Universität Dresden, ³Globalfoundries Fab 8, ⁴Globalfoundries Fab 1

The time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) in on-chip interconnect stacks is one of the most critical failure mechanisms for microelectronic devices. This paper demonstrates the procedure of an in situ TDDB experiment in the transmission electron microscope, which opens a possibility to study the failure mechanism in microelectronic products.

Environment

Dispersion of Nanomaterials in Aqueous Media: Towards Protocol Optimization

Inder Kaur¹, Laura-Jayne Ellis¹, Isabella Romer¹, Ratna Tantra², Marie Carriere^3,4, Soline Allard⁵, Martine Mayne-L'Hermite⁵, Caterina Minelli⁶, Wolfgang Unger⁷, Annegret Potthoff⁸, Steffi Rades⁷, Eugenia Valsami-Jones¹

¹School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, ²Analytical Science, National Physical Laboratory, ³INAC-LCIB, Université Grenoble Alpes, ⁴CEA, INAC-SyMMES, ⁵NIMBE, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, CEA Saclay, ⁶Chemical, Medical and Environmental Science, National Physical Laboratory, ⁷BAM Division 6.1 'Surface Analysis and Interfacial Chemistry', BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, ⁸Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems

Here, we present a step-wise protocol for the dispersion of nanomaterials in aqueous media with real-time characterization to identify the optimal sonication conditions, intensity, and duration for improved stability and uniformity of nanoparticle dispersions without impacting the sample integrity.