Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Projects/Programs

Displaying 1 - 25 of 55

Advanced Microscopy for Trace and Bulk Particle Characterization

Ongoing
The goal of this project is to help develop innovative metrologies and measurement protocols for micro/nano-scale analysis of particles. In this project, state-of-the-art optical and electron-based microscopy are used to conduct research for quantitative and qualitative analysis of chemical

Analysis of Copper Incorporation Into Zinc Oxide Nanowires

The lasing capabilities and piezoelectric properties of single ZnO nanowires offer promise for future technologies. However, the photoluminescence of ZnO nanowires differs depending upon the synthesis method and the defects present in the sample. This project was undertaken to characterize zinc

Atom Manipulation with the Scanning Tunneling Microscope

Ongoing
Manipulation of single atoms with the scanning tunneling microscope is made possible through the controlled and tunable interaction between the atoms at the end of the STM probe tip and the single atom (adatom) on a surface that is being manipulated. In the STM tunneling junction used for atom

Atom-based Silicon Quantum Electronics

Ongoing
This project is developing atomically precise, atom-based electronic devices for use in quantum information processing and analog quantum simulation. We are developing the fabrication, measurement, and modeling methods needed to realize single atom, spin-based qubits in silicon as an integrated

Chemical Functionalization and Manipulation of Nano Materials

Completed
This project focuses on manipulating nanomaterials, including weakly bonded van der Waals systems, and probing emergent phenomena in these nanoengineered systems to impact technologies such as nanoelectronics, optoelectronics, quantum sensing, and quantum computing. Developing processes to

Designing Advanced Scanning Probe Microscopy Instruments

Ongoing
SPM is a general acronym for various probe instruments. The "P" in SPM stands for various types of probe measurements, such as capacitance (C), force (F), tunneling (T), etc. The scanning tunneling microscope (STM), including custom designs at the CNST, uses the quantum mechanical principle of

Diffraction Metrology and Standards

Ongoing
Diffraction techniques can provide data on a number of sample characteristics. Therefore, the method of certification and the artifact itself are chosen to address a specific measurement issue pertinent to a diffraction experiment. NIST diffraction SRMs may be divided into five groups: Line Position

DNA Origami for Precise Manufacturing of Nanoscale Structures

Completed
The base pairing of adenine to thymine and guanine to cytosine to form DNA provides a robust molecular recognition scheme that can be used to create a wide variety of well-ordered nanostructures. DNA origami, which uses a long scaffold strand folded together by specific sets of short staple strands

Dynamic EUV Imaging and Spectroscopy for Microelectronics

Ongoing
Collaborations with industry leaders have led us to develop new measurement techniques to improve our understanding thermal transport, spin transport, and nanoscopic (and interfacial) material properties in active device structures. Such capability requires the ability to measure these properties at

Electron Microscopy of Carbon Nanotube Composites

Ongoing
Multi-wall CNTs (MWCNTs) are a common nano-carbon reinforcement material and are frequently dispersed into a polymer matrix to form composites that can be engineered with specific combinations of desirable properties – electrical, thermal, optical and mechanical, etc. However, this

Electronic Material Characterization

Ongoing
Manufacturing optimized devices that incorporate newly-emerging materials requires predictable performance throughout device lifetimes. Unexpected degradation in device performance, sometimes leading to failure, is often traceable to poor material reliability. Reliability is rooted in the stability

Fluctuations and Nanoscale Control (Archived)

Completed
In liquids, the motion of a nanoparticle results from a complex interplay of fluid flow, external and internal dynamics, and random Brownian motion. Each of these processes leads to fluctuations in a measured signal. Normally it is an important (and difficult) task for the experimenter is to

Fluctuations and Nanoscale Control Software (Archived)

Completed
For each file YYY.m, type "doc YYY" from the Matlab command prompt for documentation, literature references, and usage guidelines. DSigma2_Est.m Estimates the diffusion coefficient (D) and localization noise (σ 2 or "Sigma2") from single-particle tracking data. It implements the algorithms for the

Forensic Topography and Surface Metrology

Ongoing
Surface texture and microform Surface texture affects the functionality of many products, ranging from bearings to semiconductors and optics. Affected properties include aesthetics, friction, wear, lubrication, sealing, light scattering, and conductivity. Improvements in parameters and metrology to

Frequency Conversion Interfaces for Photonic Quantum Systems

Ongoing
Our research on quantum frequency conversion follows two main tracks. First, we combine relatively mature frequency conversion technology based on periodically-poled lithium niobate waveguides with quantum light generated by single semiconductor quantum dots in proof-of-principle experiments that

Fundamentals of Deformation

Ongoing
• We have provided general users from industry, academia and national laboratories with a completely new class of X-ray imaging techniques for materials studies (ultra-small-angle X-ray scattering imaging), that we developed from basic concept to DOE-supported operations at the Advanced Photon

Magnetic Random Access Memory

Ongoing
Focus areas include (1) the fundamental understanding of the interactions between spin and magnetic materials and materials with large spin-orbit scattering; (2) the nonlinear dynamics of both individual and interacting nanoscale magnetic systems; and (3) the role of thermal noise in nanomagnetic

Measurement and Prediction of Local Structure

Ongoing
Functional materials enable applications in the computer, data storage, wireless communication, and energy sectors. The properties of many of these systems are critically dependent on deviations of local atomic arrangements from the global average of the crystal. No single measurement technique can

Measuring Topological Insulator Surface State Properties

Ongoing
A family of TI materials can by synthesized by combining binary compounds of Bismuth (Bi) or Antimony (Sb) with Selenium (Se) and Tellurium (Te) to form Bi 2Se 3, Bi 2Te 3, and Sb 2Te 3 compounds. In these material compounds the spin of the electron has a strong interaction with the motion of the

Metrology of Magnetic Materials

Ongoing
Currently, the bulk of this project is focused on three main pieces: Thermal MagIC: An SI-Traceable Method for 3D Thermal Magnetic Imaging and Control Magnetic Refrigeration Magnetic Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) Thermal MagIC (MAGnetic Imaging and Control) is focused on developing new

Metrology for Nanolithography

Ongoing
Small Angle Scattering techniques are employed to measure, with sub-nm precision, pattern shape, dimensions, and orientation for structures created in periodic arrays. Critical-Dimension Small Angle X-ray Scattering (CD-SAXS) utilizes the variable-angle transmission scattering from a small beam size