Pacific Rim Symposium on Surfaces, Coatings and Interfaces (PacSurf 2014)
    Nanomaterials Tuesday Sessions
       Session NM-TuM

Paper NM-TuM5
In-Situ AFM Imaging of Structural Change in Metal Nanowires during Feedback-Controlled Electromigration

Tuesday, December 9, 2014, 9:20 am, Room Hau

Session: Nano Devices
Presenter: Mamiko Yagi, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology, Japan
Authors: M. Yagi, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology, Japan
T. Saito, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology, Japan
J. Shirakashi, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology, Japan
Correspondent: Click to Email
We present real time atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging of structural changes in gold (Au) nanowires during feedback-controlled electromigration (FCE) process. The resistance increases during the FCE process and is associated with drastic changes of the nanowires morphology, suggesting successful control of electromigration (EM) by FCE scheme. Moreover, we find that the AFM images after performing the FCE indicate a matter redeposition along the nanowire in the direction of the anode side. This grains show faceting structures at the anode side. Furthermore, in order to obtain quantitative information on height of structures, cross sections of the nanowire obtained from the AFM images during FCE was investigated. Height evolution of the narrowest part of the wire perpendicular to the electron flow is obtained, resulting that void nucleation and void growth along the grain boundaries, which are located on the border of the nanowire, start in the vicinity of the nanowire constriction at the cathode side. These results imply that in-situ AFM technique provides insight into the behavior of EM-induced voids in nanowires during FCE.