TECHNICAL ACTIVITIES 1999 - NISTIR 6438

Electron and Optical Physics Division

MISSION / ORGANIZATION
CURRENT DIRECTIONS
TECHNICAL HIGHLIGHTS
FUTURE DIRECTIONS

MISSION

The Electron and Optical Physics Division's mission is to develop measurement capabilities needed by emerging electronic and optical technologies, particularly those required for submicrometer fabrication and analysis. In pursuit of this mission, it maintains an array of research, measurement, and calibration activities. In particular, the Division:

provides the central national basis for absolute radiometry in the deep ultraviolet (DUV) and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, which together span the photon energy range of 5 eV to 250 eV. This basis is maintained through a combination of ionization chambers, calibrated transfer standard detectors, and an electron storage ring, the SURF II Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility, which provides a dedicated source of radiation over this spectral range. SURF II also supports a range of research activities by members of the Division, other NIST organizational units, and external research groups;
develops and maintains advanced measurement capabilities for the characterization of nanostructures including such techniques as Scanning Electron Microscopy with Polarization Analysis (SEMPA) and Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM). The SEMPA facility provides unique capabilities for nanoscale magnetic imaging and the study of surface magnetism. Research using SEMPA ranges from fundamental studies of magnetism to collaborative research with the magnetic recording industry. The STM facility is used for studying surface structure and dynamical phenomena and for developing the basic measurement techniques necessary for atomic-level device fabrication;
maintains an EUV optics characterization facility to perform measurements of EUV optical components and systems, and to support applications of such optics in microlithography, microscopy, and telescopy;
performs theoretical and experimental research in atomic and condensed matter physics in support of its basic mission objectives.

ORGANIZATION

The Division consists of three groups, which together employ about 28 full-time equivalent members of staff, and during the past year had the equivalent of 10 Guest Researchers working full-time during visits of three or more months.

The Photon Physics Group (841.01) is primarily engaged in research in DUV and optics and radiometry and the development of EUV and x-ray microscopy and tomography. The group operates an EUV optics characterization beamline at SURF III that provides custom calibrations for the soft x-ray optics community, the only such dedicated facility in the United States. It is also responsible for the maintenance of national radiometric standards in the ultraviolet and extreme ultraviolet spectral regions.

The Far Ultraviolet Physics Group (841.02) is responsible for SURF III operations and for source-based radiometry and calibration services in the far ultraviolet and soft x-ray spectral regions (spanning the wavelength range 5 nm to 200 nm). The latter mission is pursued by operation of two dedicated calibration beamlines at SURF III: one primarily for custom calibrations of instrumentation, the other for calibration of photodiodes that are disseminated as transfer standards.

The Electron Physics Group (841.03) has the mission of advancing measurement science for the determination of electronic and magnetic properties of nanometer-scale systems. It has particular expertise in polarized electron technology, which led to the development of the SEMPA technique. As a leader in STM-based research, it has designed and constructed some of the world’s most sensitive scanning tunneling microscopes, able to resolve vertical displacements of about 0.3 pm. These instruments are presently used for studying a variety of phenomena, such as the nanostructure of magnetic domains, magnetic coupling in multilayer systems, atomically resolved surface electronic structure, thin-film growth, and the effect of surface topography on magnetic properties. The Group has used to advantage its strong historical presence in the fields of electron-atom scattering and optical pumping of atomic beams to apply its capabilities in these areas to attain a position of world leadership in the laser control of atomic adsorption on surfaces.

Mission / Organization | Current Directions | Technical Highlights | Future Directions

TECHNICAL ACTIVITIES 1999 - Contents

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Online: April 2000