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The 52nd International Conference on
Electron, Ion and Photon Beam Technology
and Nanofabrication

Bizarre/Beautiful
Micrograph Contest

“A good Micrograph is worth more than the MegaByte it consumes.”

Entries Presented by Dr. John Randall

The rules include the following:
• Entries have to be of a single image taken with a microscope and could not be significantly altered.
• There is no restriction with respect to the subject matter.
• Electron and ion micrographs have to be black and white.

In 2008, 75 entries were submitted. There were many outstanding micrographs. The work represented in the submitted micrographs covered a wide range of fields including micro mechanical, photonic, and integrated circuit fabrication, chemical and dry etching,  laser optics, carbon nanotube structures,  carbon nanotube growth experiments,  biological samples, material science experiments and, of course, e-beam, ion beam, and photo lithography experiments.

The panel of judges who selected the award winners were:
• Stella Pang – University of MIchigan
• Hong-Shi Kuo – Academia Sinica, Taiwan
• Michelle Simmons – University of New South Wales, Australia

There were six awards:
• Grand Prize

• Best Photon Micrograph
• Best Ion Micrograph
• Most Extreme Conditions Micrograph
• Best Video

There were 12 Honorable Mentions.

Judges exercised their prerogative to liberally interpret the award categories and change the micrograph titles.


GRAND PRIZE

gp-2008

Title: Begining of Life

Description:
Self-assembled 1µm and 200nm polystyrene beads.

Magnification
: (3″x4″ image): 18,000X
Instrument: SEM HITACHI 4000
Submitted by: T. Pinedo and D. Peyrade
Affiliation: ColloNa team LTM-CNRS


BEST PHOTON MICROGRAPH

bo-2008

Title: Nano Pacifier

Description:
Optical micrograph of first imprint at our nanocenter. Pattern is a radial array used for crystallographic orientation for Si wet etch. Image was obtained in polarization mode.

Magnification
: (3″x4″ image): 100 x
Instrument: Olympus MX-61
Submitted by: L. Ocola and R. Divan
Affiliation: Center for Nanoscale Materials, Argonne National Lab


BEST ION MICROGRAPH

bi-2008

Title: Nano Caviar

Description:
Spider Eggs on Convoluted Membrane

Magnification
: (3″x4″ image): 4,000X
Instrument: Zeiss ORION
Submitted by: John Notte
Affiliation: Carl Zeiss SMT


MOST EXTREME CONDITION MICROGRAPH

be-2008

Title: Nano-Seismology

Description:
e-beam lithography during 5.6 earthquake

Magnification
: (3″x4″ image): 30770X
Instrument: Vistec VB6 /Zeiss SEM
Submitted by: Elizabeth Dobisz
Affiliation: Hitachi GST


BEST VIDEO

BV-2008

Title: The Mini-Faces of Egypt

Description:
This is an animation of 3D nanostructure we made by using 3D EB lithography technique. You may be able to see something like a painting by Picasso.

Magnification
: (3″x4″ image): 20,000x
Instrument: Hitachi CD-SEM S-7800H
Submitted by: K. Yamazaki and H. Yamaguchi
Affiliation: NTT Basic Research Labs. NTT Corporation


HONORABLE MENTION (Michelle’s Favorite)

hm1-2008

Title: Tightrope

Description:
A Si nanowire connects two Si chunks

Magnification
: 25000X
Instrument: Leo 1550 SEM
Submitted by: Chao Wang
Affiliation: NSL, Princeton University


HONORABLE MENTION (Unique MicroGraph)

hm2-2008

Title: He Impressionism

Description:
The first 2D image obtained using neutral atoms (helium) to image a sample. The imaged sample is a hexagonal copper grating with a period of 36 µm and a rod-thickness of 8 µm. The image is obtained in transmission mode (shadow image) by scanning the focussed beam across the sample (the sample is being moved). The focused beam is about 2.5 µm in diameter and the sample is scanned in 1 µm steps. It took 14 hours to record the image.

Magnification
: (3″x4″ image): 1,250x
Instrument: Homemade, Magie
Submitted by: Thomas Reisinger
Affiliation: University of Bergen, Norway


HONORABLE MENTION (JR Really Likes!)

hm3-2008

Title: Ghost Raman

Description:
Signal during calibration of AFM+Raman system

Magnification
: 1,000X
Instrument: NTegra-Spectra
Submitted by: Sergey Babin
Affiliation: Abeam Technologies, Inc.


HONORABLE MENTION (Irene scores again)

hm4-2008

Title: Mite loses fight with nano Porcupine

Description:
Silicon nanowires grown around a bunch of Au nanoparticles.

Magnification
: (3″x4″ image): 4,850 x
Instrument: LEO SEM
Submitted by: Irene Fernandez Cuesta
Affiliation: CNM – Barcelona


HONORABLE MENTION (Low on calories)

hm5-2008

Title: Grapes on Viagra

Description:
Self-assembled 1µm and 200nm polystyrene beads

Magnification
: (3″x4″ image): 18,000x
Instrument: SEM Hitachi 4000
Submitted by: T. Pinedo and D. Peyrade
Affiliation: ColloNa team LTM-CNRS


HONORABLE MENTION (Classic)

hm6-2008

Title: Cambridge Crest

Description:
Self-Assembled 100 nm gold nanoparticles

Magnification
: 6,000X
Instrument: SEM JEOL JSM-7401F
Submitted by: O. Lecarme and D. Peyrade
Affiliation: ColloNa team LTM-CNRS


HONORABLE MENTION MicroGraph

hm7-2008

Title: Fly Swatter

Description:
A freely pending Photonic Crystal defect waveguide is realized in fused silica by isotropic etching.

Magnification
: 4,500X
Instrument: Hitachi SEM-4800
Submitted by: Christian Helgert
Affiliation: Institute of Applied Physics, University Jena, Germany


HONORABLE MENTION MicroGraph

hm8-2008

Title: Bush Fires at Niagra Falls

Description:
Oxygen Plasma Treated Poly (ether ether ketone) (PEEK)

Magnification
: 4.08 KX
Instrument: Leo 440 SEM
Submitted by: Evangelos Gogolides
Affiliation: Institute of Microelectronics – NCSR Demokritos


HONORABLE MENTION MicroGraph

hm9-2008

Title: Olympic Torch

Description:
Carbon nanotube bundle on top of a molybdenum electrode

Magnification
: 8,000x
Instrument: Philips XL30
Submitted by: Michael Häffner and Ronny Löffler
Affiliation: Universität Tübingen


HONORABLE MENTION MicroGraph

hm10-2008

Title: Bending the Rules!

Description:
CVD grown Carbon nanotubes

Magnification
: 12KX
Instrument: Philips XL30
Submitted by: Michael Häffner
Affiliation: Universität Tübingen


HONORABLE MENTION MicroGraph

hm11-2008

Title: 3D Rorschach test

Description:
It’s Watching you.

Magnification
: 524 x
Instrument: Leo 1550 SEM
Submitted by: Leon Bellan
Affiliation: Cornell University


HONORABLE MENTION MicroGraph

hm12-2008

Title: Fluffy

Description:
Polyoxymetal cluster on a silicon substrate

Magnification
: 50,000X
Instrument: Hitachi S4700
Submitted by: Nikolaj Gadegaard
Affiliation: University of Glasgow