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The 34th International Conference on
Micro and Nano Engineering
15 –18 September 2008 AthensGreece
Micro Nano Graph Contest

“ A good Micrograph is worth more than the MegaByte it consumes.”

Entries Presented by Dr. John Randall – Zyvex Labs
        Sponsored by

The rules include the following:
• Entries have to be of a single image taken with a microscope and not significantly altered.
• There is no restriction with respect to the subject matter.
• Electron and ion micrographs have to be black and white.

In 2008, 86 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,  laser optics, carbon nanotube structures,  carbon nanotube growth experiments,  biological samples, material science experiments and, of course, e-beam, ion beam, and photo lithography experiments.

The panel of judges who selected the award winners were:

Don Tennant – Cornell
Hank Smith – M.I.T.
Nikos Glezos– IMEL/NCSR Demokritos

The Awards are
First Prize
Second Prize
Third Prize

The judges also selected Most Bizarre and 6 Honorable Mentions.

All 2008 Entries (with original titles)

Judges exercised their prerogative to liberally interpret the award categories, change the micrograph titles, and even rotate the micrograph if it pleased them.


First Prize

Title: Nano Burgers with lettuce

Description:
MEMS processing never stops giving surprises to designers. These vertical test structures, built with 3 metal layers, have turned into delicious hamburgers. The adhesion layer, rough surface and conformality issues are the instigators the first nano-hamburgers ever!!

Magnification: (3″x4″ image): 3.19 k X
Instrument: CrossBeam 1560XB (Carl Zeiss).
Submitted by: Jordi Llobet1 and Laura Barrachina2
Affiliation: 1CNM-IMB (CSIC) –
Barcelona (Spain)  2Baolab – Barcelona (Spain)


Second Prize

Title: Hot Lips

Description:
At the tip of the freestanding “V” shape ribbon, thin films were detached from each other due to high internal stress.

 

Magnification: (3″x4″ image): 26.88 KX
Instrument:
Zeiss ULTRA 55
Submitted by: Li Zhang
Affiliation:
ETH Zurich, Switzerland


Third Prize

Title: Moon over Palamidi

Description:
When intercalating lithium-ions into bulk silicon, the expansion of the host
material is tremendous and induces the creation of features with various shapes:   volcanoes, rifts …

Magnification: (3″x4″ image): Groot k X
Instrument: Olympus Fei NovaNanoSEM 600
Submitted by:
Frans Holthuysen
Affiliation:
Philips Research Labs, Eindhoven, the Netherlands


Most Bizarre

Title: An EUV Mask costs WHAT?

Description:
HPR504 resist surface following exposure to an Ar ion beam


Magnification: (3″x4″ image): 500X
Instrument:
Leitz
Submitted by: Harry van Esch and Falco van Delft
Affiliation: Philips Research – MiPlaza


HONORABLE MENTION 

Title: “Nano Dentures

Description: A platinum nano labyrinth structure was made from electron beam deposition of Pt in FEI-200 FIB system. It may be used to confuse nano creatures

  E-beam deposition parameters:

  Material: Pt.  E-beam voltage: 5KeV  E-beam current: 98pA  Write field size: 60µm

  Deposition thickness: 50nm  XY overlap: -100%  Dwell time: 10µs

Magnification: (3″x4″ image): 80,000X
Instrument:
FEI Nova Nanolab 200 dualbeam FIB system
Submitted by: H. H. Cheng, M. M. Alkaisi
Affiliation:
The MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, University of Canterbury, New Zealand


HONORABLE MENTION 

Title: Dig me out, I’ve had enough sand!

Description:
Electrical connections for my nano-grippers melted during the first test, because of short-circuits. The materials are: polysilicon (dark areas) and gold(light areas).

Magnification: (3″x4″ image): 3.53 k X

Instrument: Homemade, SEM LEO 1550
Submitted by: Alberto Cagliani
Affiliation:
DTU-Nanotech Denmark


HONORABLE MENTION

Title: Waterfall

Description:
Polymer Pattern Transfer with Plasma Etching was not successful

Magnification: 6207 X
Instrument: Philips 515 Scanning Electron Microscope
Submitted by: Dimitrios Kontziampasis
Affiliation: N.C.S.R. “Demokritos”


HONORABLE MENTION 

Title: “Flames @ the lake

Description:
Top view on PECVD grown carbon nanotubes.

Magnification: (3″x4″ image): 2000 X
Instrument: Philips XL 30

Submitted by: Michael Häffner
Affiliation: Universität Tübingen


HONORABLE MENTION

Title: “Wiring Harness for the 22nm node.”

Description:
Not given

Magnification: (3″x4″ image): 100 KX
Instrument: ZEISS He Beam Microscope
Submitted by: N. Economou

Affiliation: Zeiss


HONORABLE MENTION

Title: Dali’s fali

Description:
Reflection of the electron detector on a charged piece of plastic inside the
SEM.

Magnification:23X
Instrument: Philips XL 30 SEM
Submitted by: Michael Häffner, Marius Blideran
Affiliation: Universität Tübingen