1 QUANTUM TUNNELING SENSORS - QUANTUM TUNNELING BETWEEN LARGE ARRAYS OF NANOWIRES NEW SENSING PRINCIPLE, APPLICATIONS IN DEFENSE AND SECURITY AND DEMONSTRATION OF nanoTrek® FUNCTIONALITY M.T. Michalewicz, P. Glowacki, N. Singh, S. Balakumar and N. N. Gosvami QUANTUM TUNNELING SENSORS QUANTUM TUNNELING BETWEEN LARGE ARRAYS OF NANOWIRES – NEW SENSING PRINCIPLE, APPLICATIONS IN DEFENSE AND SECURITY AND DEMONSTRATION OF nanoTrek® FUNCTIONALITY M.T. Michalewicz 1, P. Glowacki 1, N. Singh 2, S. Balakumar 2 and N. N. Gosvami 3 ABSTRACT Realisation of the first working sensor based on quantum tunneling between arrays of nanowires[1,2,3] is presented. The sensing element consists of 12,000 nanowires, each 90 nm wide and 5 mm long (~1:55,000 aspect ratio), on an area of 5 x 4.3 mm. The sensing element was fabricated using phase shift mask lithography and dry etch processes followed by CMP. Characterisation was carried with SEM and AFM. The first devices we built were configured as linear encoders of position and motion. The devices performance was demonstrated with electrical testing using an independent nanopositioner. Strong signals in μA range were obtained on scans from several hundred nm to several mm range. The principle of operation can be utilized for trunsduction of dynamic quantities such as vibration, acceleration, pressure, flow and others when timer mechanism is inbuilt or harmonic analysis of signal is implemented. Dynamic quantum tunneling nanoTrek® devices depending on final configuration may be designed and built to function as: • wireless networks smart sensors for motion detection and perimeter security; • sonobuoys for Navy; • vibration sensors in perimeter security sensing, ship building, air-foil testing, building stability; • accelerometers and gyroscopes for inertial guidance systems, missile guidance, aviation, shipping and automotive; • image stabilization systems in optical devices in infra-red, night vision, vehicle mounted, cameras and video; • ultra sensitive microphones for intelligence, medicine or mobile phones; • displacement and tremor sensors in nuclear test monitoring, mining, mineral exploration, geology, tectonics; or • seismometers for early earthquake warning systems or tsunami detection. nanoTrek® APPLICATION IN POSITIONAL METROLOGY: Motivation Sub-nanometer dimensional metrology plays essential role in advancing microelectronic manufacturing below the 100 nm critical dimensions limit, and then on to the next nodes defined by Sematech International: 65 nm and 45 nm. Metrology tools to reach those next nodes are not well developed. New sub-nanometer metrology solutions and new technology is required [3]. Quantum-π proprietary technology [2] is well suited to offer solutions and to provide the necessary metrology tools. Nanometer and sub-nanometer scale positional metrology is also critical to advancements in nanotechnology, in general. nanoTrek® may address problems of dimensional metrology and alignment at the next technology nodes in micro-fabrication, nano- positioning and nano-imprinting. 1 Quantum Precision Instruments Asia Pte Ltd, 14A Prince George’s Park, Singapore 118413 – 2 Institute of Microelectronics, 11 Science Road, Singapore 117685 – 3 Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1 Singapore 117576