Prediction Surface Morphology of Nanostructure Fabricated by Nano-Oxidation Technology.

Jen-Ching Huang,Ho Chang,Yong-Chin You,Chin-Guo Kuo,Jeen-Fong Li

doi:10.3390/ma8125468

Abstract

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used for visualization of a nano-oxidation technique performed on diamond-like carbon (DLC) thin film. Experiments of the nano-oxidation technique of the DLC thin film include those on nano-oxidation points and nano-oxidation lines. The feature sizes of the DLC thin film, including surface morphology, depth, and width, were explored after application of a nano-oxidation technique to the DLC thin film under different process parameters. A databank for process parameters and feature sizes of thin films was then established, and multiple regression analysis (MRA) and a back-propagation neural network (BPN) were used to carry out the algorithm. The algorithmic results are compared with the feature sizes acquired from experiments, thus obtaining a prediction model of the nano-oxidation technique of the DLC thin film. The comparative results show that the prediction accuracy of BPN is superior to that of MRA. When the BPN algorithm is used to predict nano-point machining, the mean absolute percentage errors (MAPE) of depth, left side, and right side are 8.02%, 9.68%, and 7.34%, respectively. When nano-line machining is being predicted, the MAPEs of depth, left side, and right side are 4.96%, 8.09%, and 6.77%, respectively. The obtained data can also be used to predict cross-sectional morphology in the DLC thin film treated with a nano-oxidation process.

Highlights

As the functional requirements of technological products increase, the dimensions of microsystems have decreased to the nanoscale, and such microsystems have become increasingly integrated and multifunctional
The experimental results of this study are applicable in the diamond-like carbon (DLC) film surface machining process, and the complex structure pattern of processing applications
This study developed a method of using atomic force microscopy to visualize the morphology of diamond-like carbon (DLC) thin films subjected to the nano-oxidation technique

Summary

Introduction

As the functional requirements of technological products increase, the dimensions of microsystems have decreased to the nanoscale, and such microsystems have become increasingly integrated and multifunctional. The SPL is a next-generation lithography technique that enables observation of the nanoscale or even atomic-scale surface structures and features, at high-resolution, through the interaction between the AFM probe and the surface. Kim combined AFM, the nano-oxidation technique, and BPN to establish three models for an etching process. The appearance of the fabricated nanostructure by the nano-oxidation technique is a complex three-dimensional surface and, only if the value of the height or width are known, it cannot understand the shape (morphology) to produce the nanostructures. This study uses AFM to carry out visualizable experiment of the nano-oxidation technique, and takes a DLC thin film as the sample. The study predicts the depth and width of machining, and acquires a prediction model for the nano-oxidation technique on DLC thin film. The objective was to provide a highly-reliable DLC nanostructure fabrication technology that the industry can use to produce nanostructure molds

Sample Preparation

Nano-Oxidation Experiments

Establishment of Prediction Model

Nano‐Oxidation Lines

Conclusions