Investigating material and functional properties of static random access memories using cantilevered glass multiple-wire force-sensing thermal probes

Abstract

A double-wire cantilevered glass probe has been produced for scanned probe microthermal, resistivity, and topographic measurements. The structure has many potentially unique properties for scanned probe microscopy and other nanotechnological measurements. In this letter, a double Pt wire probe was fused at the tip and applied to thermal resistive measurements. The probe operation is based on the linear dependence of Pt resistance on temperature. Most microscopic structures are composed of a variety of materials. In the present study, the features of a static random access memory chip are investigated. Such memory chips are composed of materials such as dielectrics, metals, and semiconductors. We demonstrate that these samples, which are prepared using a chemical–mechanical polishing procedure and have essentially no surface topography, can be inspected using the thermal conductivity, resistivity, and topographic sensitivity of these probes.