2025, March
Oasis
Hongkeng Zhu, POWERlab
After a transistor breakdown test, metal fragments were exploded onto the nearby GaN mesa, forming a tree-like structure along the mesa’s edge just like in an oasis. Life can still find a way to blossom even in devastation. A tribute to the recently departed musician Khalil Fong.
Nano-pool
Ludovica Lunghi, LMSC
A pattern for planar nanowires growth has been developed after ebeam exposure on a Si substrate. However, the Ge that has been grown by MOVPE refused to settle down in nanowires and decided instead to create a nano-swimming pool for Ge particles.
Geometric Echoes
Mustafa Yücel, LEAP
Known for his use of simple geometric forms, Auguste Herbin’s artwork often features bold, abstract compositions built from triangles, rectangles, and circles. This SEM image bears a strong resemblance to his style, with its prominent triangular structures evoking the clean, geometric language of Herbin’s pieces.
The Fortifications of Al
Senlu Zhou, LWE
On the tungsten battlefield, the Al fortifications stood tall, shielding the surface below. As the plasma storm raged, the soldiers – tiny yet resilient – held their ground. Their sacrifice etched forever in nanoscale history.
2025, February
“Cracking” the code behind nano-destruction
Diana Dall’Aglio, Elif Nur Dayi, LNET
EBL silicon nanopillars were so severely over-dosed that they collapsed, forming weird shapes. We had fun then trying to find hidden patterns and words among those shapes, feeling a bit like kids with their alphabet pasta soup. Sometimes a mistake like the over-exposure of some silicon nanopillars can lead to the discovery of a secret (or promotional?) message.
Quantum Boulevard
Xuxin Wang, Jiaheng Wang, Shingo Kono, LPQM
This SEM image captures a tilted top view of a phononic crystal patterned by Electron beam lithography on an Aluminum thin film on top of a Silicon substrate. The phononic crystal structure is realized by periodically arranged round holes in a hexagonal lattice, which is similar as a boulevard cutting through a forest.
Polysilicon mille-feuille
Melania Coronese, NEMS
This SEM image captures the delicate edge of a polysilicon cantilever revealing an interesting similarity to a fine mille-feuille pastry. The stratified structure, which comes from a Bosch process, looks almost as if it has been created by a microscopic pastry chef. Peeling of Parylene at the edges adds an extra touch of imperfection, much like the crisp, flaky layers of a well-baked dessert. The roughness of the polysilicon instead makes the surface look as if it’s lightly covered in powdered sugar. At this scale, the world of microfabrication and fine patisserie seem to merge into one!
The Micro Coral Reef of Lausanne
Sönke Menke, LMIS1
During inspection of my Si-wafer in the cold dark morning, I stumbled upon this section. It immediately reminded me of a coral reef and brought me to think about summer vacation. Visible is a Si-wafer after bosch-process etching.
2025, January
Creamy puffs for Christmas celebration!
Shima Rezaee Fakhr, Nanolab
Nano pastry’s chef has prepared these creamy puffs for Christmas in E-beam machine, cooked them in Evaporation machine and then took a photo with SEM camera to share with others 🙂
The golden train has arrived!
Mohammad Rezaei, POWERlab
Get shrunk and get in, everyone is welcome. Although the terrain is non-conductive, but don’t worry, the driver will conduct well the train; even on slopes as high as 75 degrees (45+30).
Groot in a tree!
Reuben Puddy, Oxford Ionics
I spotted Groot in a tree! I had no idea he was so tiny. I contacted the Marvel syndicate and yes, they confirmed that Groot was indeed missing. They offered a hefty reward for his return as well!! Unfortunately, he saw me and scuttled off, so I won’t be claiming their Marvelous reward. I swear I saw him mouthing “no paparazzi”. He needs some time out of the limelight it seems.
Warped again by a sea of photoresist
Matthew Aylett, IQT University of Sussex
Warped by a sea of photoresist… This image showcases an array of vias awaiting their copper fill. The surrounding photoresist leads to an unusual, almost surreal perspective.
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