OVERVIEW

This chapter presents the main instrumentation techniques utilized at nanoscale to observe, manipulate, and measure nanosized components and devices. Unlike instrumentation techniques at other scales, which are extremely specialized, the nanoscale instrumentation has multiple purposes. For example, using an atomic force microscope (AFM) it is possible to manipulate nano-objects, to measure the distribution of the electrical resistivity or the electromagnetic field over a certain surface, to perform surface topography and lithographical processes, both with A resolution. Of course, a lot of instrumentation techniques, such as Raman or luminescence test equipments, is common for different device scales; these must however be properly changed in order to work with material samples, components, or devices that have at least one dimension of less than a few nm.

This chapter presents the instrumentation specific for nanoelectronics, which is mainly based on the principles of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) and nano-electro-mechanical systems (NEMS). These systems are the first to be treated in this chapter, but not with the aim to provide a full description of MEMS/NEMS and their applications, which could be the subject of a distinct book. In what follows we describe only those MEMS and NEMS devices with direct relevance to nanoelectronics and in particular, to the instrumentation used at the nanoscale. The specific instrumentation of nanoelectronics based on MEMS and NEMS, such as the above-mentioned AFM, will be subsequently described, with an emphasis on its capabilities and performances.

2.1 MEMS AND NEMS