Dresden 2011 – scientific programme

Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Updates | Downloads | Help

O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik

O 35: Poster Session I (Scanning probe methods)

O 35.8: Poster

Tuesday, March 15, 2011, 18:30–22:00, P3

Electromigration on Ag-nanowires studied down to the atomic scale — •Mark Kaspers, Alexander Bernhart, Christian Bobisch, and Rolf Möller — Faculty of Physics, Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Lotharstr. 1, 47048 Duisburg, Germany

Energy dissipation due to electronic stressing can result in diffusion of material at surfaces. If the biased motion of atoms is induced by a current flow (wind force) or an applied electric field (direct force) this is referred to as electromigration. We present in situ measurements of electromigration, potentiometry and topography of mono-crystalline Ag-nanowires grown on vicinal Si(001) substrates. We use an UHV multiprobe scanning tunneling microscope (STM) including different scanning probe techniques and a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Two STM-tips of the multiprobe system are used to contact the nanowire. The positioning of the tips is monitored by SEM. This setup allows to control and monitor electromigration processes on the nanowire’s surface down to the atomic scale by video SEM and STM, thus revealing the evolution of the surface morphology, i.e. step edge diffusion, during electrical stressing [1].

[1 ] M.R. Kaspers et al., J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 21, 265601 (2009)