Innovation Insider: Nanotech innovations hinge on measurement technology and close alliances

摘要

Nanotechnology has the potential to improve our quality of life in diverse ways, such as faster electronics, huge memory/storage capacities for PCs, cheaper energy through more efficient energy conversion, and improved security through the development of nanoscale bio- and chemical detection systems. Before these become commercial realities, researchers must be able to fully characterize nanotech material and device properties. Optical and electro-optical techniques, such as scanning electron, emission, and ultra-violet microscopy provide valuable information on nanostructures. However, electrical characterization is essential to gain insight into phenomena that go on beneath the surface of nanomaterials. For example, gate dielectrics in advanced semiconductors can have thickness dimensions of less than one nanometer; the performance of these dielectrics can only be predicted by companies with complementary expertise.