Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2005 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, July 31--August 4, 2005

List of platform sessions and poster presentations.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2005 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, July 31--August 4, 2005

Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) is unique among the imaging techniques in which it provides three-dimensional (3-D) real-space images and among surface analysis techniques in which it allows spatially localized measurements of structure and properties. Under optimum conditions, subatomic spatial resolution is achieved. The development given has not been only because of its ability to obtain topographic and structural images of the surface at micro and nano scale, but also for the possibility of performing analysis of superficial properties such as local adhesion properties, chemical heterogeneity, and local mechanical properties [1]. The SPM has different variations depending on the interaction between the tip and the sample surface, such as AFM, which has the ability of showing topographic characteristics at atomic scale, LFM, which measures local friction differences, FMM and PDM that measure differences of local elasticity. The instrument counts with the spectroscopy mode and with this it is possible to obtain Force — distance (F-d) curves that give information about the local elastic properties of the sample surface. In this work, TiN and ZrN thin films grown by the PAPVD by pulsed arc technique were studied, using the AFM, LFM, FMM, PDM and spectroscopy F vs. d techniques.

Descriptions of platform sessions and poster presentations.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2005 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, July 31--August 4, 2005

Silicon based devices are expected to achieve the limit of possible downscaling in 10 to 15 years. Thus, the search of new materials to construct smaller, faster and more energy efficient devices has been a very active research area. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are very good candidates to construct nanoelectronic and nanophotonic devices [1,2,3] due to unique physical properties, such as its metallic or semiconducting characteristics depending only its diameter and chirality [4,5] and capability of caring high current densities (up to 1010A/cm2). In this work we develop nanofabrication techniques of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) based devices using a combination of electron beam and optical lithography with Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). We used both CVD-grown nanotubes [6] and HipCO-NTs [7] suspended on aqueous solution and deposited on the substrate. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) in tapping mode (Multimode Nanoscope IV, Digital Instruments) was used to CVD sample characterization, study of CNT deposition and to localize and index the nanotubes on substrate using lithography patterns as references, making possible to selectively construct metallic contacts on the CNTs.

Stable and defect-free films are required for many technological applications, while controlled dewetting processes are important for producing thin film microstructuring for microelectronics, optical devices and biochip technology. In this work, we study the dewetting features formed by drying an aqueous solution of a charged polymer deposited on a mica substrate. A rich variety of morphologies can be formed, including holes, polygonal networks, droplets and elongated structures. The dewetting behavior depends on film thickness and on the charge density on the polymer that can be controlled by surfactant addition. The various nanoscale morphological patterns that are formed may be applied as a potential method for surface nanostructuring.

Index of conference presenters.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2005 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, July 31--August 4, 2005

The use of ultrathin polymer films as sensoactive layers in chemical sensors has received great interest in recent years due to many advantages such as the wide choice of polymeric system (polymer types and/or combination, dopants in conducting polymers, etc), and the possibility of tailoring the properties of these films in terms of sensitivity and selectivity by an efficient control of the film formation process [1]. Among the techniques used for ultrathin films formation, self-assembly (SA) offers several advantages since the substrate can take any form and size, deposition time is independent of the substrate area, there are no requirements for additional equipments and/or clean rooms, and a large quantity of materials can be assembled into thin films [2-8].

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2005 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, July 31--August 4, 2005

Directory of exhibitors with booth numbers, and exhibitor floor layout.

Tin oxide (TO) or fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) has been frequently used as a transparent electrode in our organic opto-electronic devices [1-3]. In general, these devices are fabricated in a sandwich structure where an organic thin layer (approx. 100nm thick) stays between two conducting electrodes, TO or FTO and Al. Due to higher conductivity FTO is normally our choice. The morphology of the electrodes influences the morphology of the organic layer, mainly when the deposition of the organic layer is done electrochemically.

Vendor directory: Company listing and product listing.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2005 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, July 31--August 4, 2005

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2005 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, July 31--August 4, 2005

Call for nomination of individuals to be considered for major awards by the Microscopy Society of America. Awards include Distinguished Scientist awards, the Burton Medal, Outstanding Technologist awards, the Morton D Maser Distinguished Service Award, and MSA citations.

Polymer blends are of increasing interest in the field of surface technology because they can be used to change or tailor the properties of surfaces for special application. In most cases not only the chemical nature of the components is important for the physical properties of the blend but also the components distribution on the blend surface. This distribution is strongly dependent on the adsorption energy of the polymers onto the substrate. According to the Flory-Huggins theory, the criterion for polymer miscibility in blends is that the average interaction parameter for a binary mixture of polymers, 12, must be less than a critical value cri, which is calculated from weight-average degrees of polymerization of the two polymers [1]. This parameter also describes the difference of the interaction energies between similar and different monomers. During the spin coating process the system tries to reach a state of low energy, indicating that the substrate surface and the vapor phase influence the wetting and dewetting of the substrate by the resulting polymer films. However, one should notice that spin-coated film structure may not correspond to the equilibrium one due to the rapid solvent evaporation during the spin coating process and to solvent effects [2].

Index to advertisers.