97 MicroGraph Winners

The 41st International Conference on Electron,
Ion and Photon Beam Technology and Nanofabrication

Bizarre/Beautiful Micrograph Contest
"A good Micrograph is worth more than the MegaByte it consumes."

Results Submitted by John Randall

The fields of research covered by this conference have been at the forefront of the drive to develop technology to make smaller and smaller structures. We have ventured into size regimes where we are often dependent on microscopes and the skill of microscopists to see the results of our work (and often what went wrong). To highlight the importance of micrographs to the field, the conference holds a micrograph contest. The entries were judged both from the technological and artistic standpoint. Six categories were defined:

Best Electron Micrograph
Best Ion Micrograph
Best Photon Micrograph
Best Scanning Probe Micrograph
Most Bizarre
Grand Prize

In addition the judges selected a number of micrographs for Honorable Mention Awards.

The rules included the following:

Contestants must have been registered 1997 conference attendees.
Micrographs must be submitted as an 8 inch by 10 inch and must be accompanied by a completed entry sheet.
Entries must be of a single image taken with a microscope and may not be significantly altered.
There is no restriction with respect to the subject matter.
Electron and ion micrographs must be black and white.

Over 40 entries were submitted. There were many outstanding micrographs. The work represented in the submitted micrographs covered a wide range of fields including micro mechanical, photonic, and integrated circuit fabrication, chemical and dry etching, field emission tips, UV and x-ray optics, and of course e-beam, ion beam, x-ray, and photo lithography experiments. While the largest number of entries were electron micrographs, the Most Bizarre prize winner was an optical micrograph. The panel of judges who selected the award winners consisted of:

Prof. Kenji Gamo
Director Gamo Lab, Osaka University
Evelyn Hu
Director of Quest, University of California at Santa Barbara.
Alexander Tritchkov
Optics Cluster, Litho Group IMEC, Belgium

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1995 Winners -- 1996 Winners -- 1997 Honorable Mentions

EIPBN MicroGraph Contest Info -- EIPBN Home

Best Electron Micrograph

Title: World's Smallest Non-Functional Guitar

Description: Approximately 7um long guitar with suspended 50nm strings in single crystal silicon. See Cornell Press Release .

Magnification: 16,500X

Instrument: Zeiss Leo DSM 982 Scanning Electron Microscope

Submitted by: Dustin Carr, Cornell University.

Best Ion Micrograph

Title: There's Still Life in GaAs

Description: GaAs crystals growing in grid bar after multiple exposure in MBE growth chamber. Crystals are viewed using secondary electron imaging in 30keV Ga ion microscope.

Magnification (for 4" Height): 1250X

Instrument: Homebuilt in-situ ion beam/ MBE system.

Submitted by: G.A.C. Jones, and P.D. Rose, Cambridge University

Best Photon Micrograph

Title: Beware of the jelly fish!

Description: "Swimming can be dangerous in the developing Pacific around Micronesia." A test structure of crossing lines and spaces e-beam written in 200nm thick AZ4521 resist, suffered from partial loss of adhesion during development. Part of the crossing stayed in place, whereas the lines came loose on one side and followed the running water.

Magnification (for 4" image height): 400X

Instrument: Leitz Ergolux

Submitted by: Dr. F.C.M.J.M. van Delft and Dr.Ir. M.J. Verheijen, Philips Research, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

Best Scanning Probe Micrograph

Title: Pyramid coasting over Pyrex

Description: Self-image of AFM tip of Si3N4 obtained when investigating microstructured Pyrex Glass.

Magnification: 14,000X

Instrument: Nanoscope III, Digital Instruments

Submitted by: J. Gspann and A. Gruber, University Karlsrube, Institute for Microstructure Technology

Most Bizarre Micrograph

Title: The Eyes of Gollum

Description: An optical micrograph taken on a microscope, defocused at a magnification of 1,000Xof two resist bubbles. The resist was subjected to a very aggressive photostabilization UV/Bakeª process. The bubbles were caused by trapped gases under the resist top skin.

Magnification: 1,000X

Instrument: Leitz Wetzlar, the picture was taken with Polaroid Polapan 400 ISO 400/270 film through an Olympus 095442 mounted camera.

Submitted by: Bobb Mohondro, Fusion Semiconductor Systems

Grand Prize Micrograph

Title: "Nano-Velcro" or "Honey, I think the shag carpet needs vacuuming again."

Description: 0.25um diameter posts etched in GaAs/AlGaAs to form 2-D phtonic Bandgap structure. Something wendt wrong.

Magnification (for 4" Height): 5,000X

Instrument: JEOL JSM 6400 FX Scanning Electron Microscope

Submitted by: Joel Wendt, Sandia Nantional Laboratories

1995 Winners -- 1996 Winners -- 1997 Honorable Mentions

EIPBN MicroGraph Contest Info -- EIPBN Home