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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 2013, 70 entries were submitted.

The panel of judges who selected the award winners were:

Don Tennant – Cornell
Veronica Savu – University of Basel/EPFL
Richard Blaikie – University of Canterbury

The Judges exercised their prerogative to liberally interpret the award categories, change the micrograph titles, and even rotate the micrograph if it pleased them.

There were six awards:
Grand Prize
Oops Micrograph
Most Bizzare
Best Ion Micrograph
Best Electron Micrograph
Most Entitled Micrograph

There were 11 Honorable Mentions.

All 2013 Entries (with original titles)


BEST ELECTRON MICROGRAPH

Title: The Tower of Bagel

Description: SEM image of tip of microelectrode with a Parylene C coating on it.

Magnification (3″x4″ image): 900X

Instrument (Make and Model): Hitachi S-4700 SEM

Submitted by: Bill Owen & J. Owen

Affiliation: Zyvex Labs


OOPS PRIZE

Title: University Yield Train Wreck

Description: GaP photonic devices with AlGaP sacrificial layer oxidized in air.

Magnification (3″x4″ image): 1.5 KX

Instrument: Hitachi 4700 SEM

Submitted by: Luozhou Li

Affiliation: Columbia University


BEST ION MICROGRAPH

Title: Stickly Ballroom

Description: Helium ion image of dewetting of a liquid metal alloy with a thin oxide surface skin.

Magnification (4″ x 5″ image): 2.286 kX  

Instrument: Carl Zeiss Orion 

Submitted by: Kate Klein & Eva Mutunga

Affiliation: NIST / UDC


MOST BIZARRE MICROGRAPH

Title: Ceremonial Shrip Sex

Description: The strange top view of a carbon nanotube forest.

Magnification (3″x4″ image): 305X

Instrument: Zeiss Sigma VP  

Submitted by: Mike Chang & Alireza Nojeh

Affiliation: Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of British Columbia


MOST ENTITLED MICROGRAPH

 

Title: Backdraft Where there’s smoke…Dave’s not here, French Can Can, Fur Balls, Cat on Fire with an Attitude.

Description: Re-crystalized AgNO3 salt and SDS surfactant combine to create flowing structures resembling flower petals. Silver salts and surfactants are used for in-situ liquid phase deposition studies in an ESEM. After experiments are completed, unconsumed reactants are washed away; however, some reactants tend to remain and re-crystalize. Many of the re-crystalized structures have straight edges, whiel this unique structure displays intricate curvature.

Magnification (3″x4″ image): 2.8 KX

Instrument: FEI Quanta FEG

Submitted by: Matthew Bresin

Affiliation: University of Kentucky


GRAND PRIZE

Title: Blue Sun Flower (-90K)

Description: Field image of residue from HSQ, water, and TMAH on silicon substrate.

Magnification (3″x4″ image):10X

Instrument: Olympus MX61

Submitted by: Devin K. Brown

Affiliation: Georgia Tech


HONORABLE MENTION

Title: Nexpresso, what else?

Description: By an innovative process combining nanoimprint and reactive ion etching, we were able to fabricate this kind of gold nanocups filled with aluminum (structure on the back). One of the nanocups lost its walls, remaining only the base of the cup and the inside’s aluminum (front capsule).

Magnification (3″x4″ image): 250 kX

Instrument: Zeiss Auriga

Submitted by: Nerea Alayo

Affiliation: IMB-CNM (CSIC)


HONORABLE MENTION

Title: Micro Seahorse

Description: Impact of intensity swing curves within photoresist layers.

Magnification (3″x4″ image): 700X

Instrument: Optical Microscope

Submitted by: Dhima Khalid

Affiliation: University of Wuppertal


HONORABLE MENTION

Title: Ahh!! The Boomerang does come back!

Description: Impact of intensity swing curves within photoresist layers.

Magnification (3″x4″ image): 700X

Instrument: Optical Microscope

Submitted by: Dhima Khalid

Affiliation: University of Wuppertal


HONORABLE MENTION

Title: Honshu of Japan

Description: Caesium-encapsulated carbon nanotube film, prepared by immersing in cesium carbonate solution.

Magnification (3″x4″ image): 46 X 

Instrument (Make and Model): Zeiss Sigma VP 

Submitted by: Mike Chang & Alireza Nojeh

Affiliation: Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of British Columbia


HONORABLE MENTION

Title: Yummy Yummy!

Description: SEM image of self-asembled CsCl film evaporated by thermal evaporation technique.

Magnification (3″x4″ image): 100.28 kX 

Instrument (Make and Model): Zeiss LEO 1530 Gemini 

Submitted by: Celal Con

Affiliation: University of Waterloo


HONORABLE MENTION

Title: Brighton Beach

Description: SEM MicroGraph of polymer etched via aluminum oxide membrane.

Magnification (3″x4″ image): 2700 X 

Instrument (Make and Model): FEI Nova 600 SEM 

Submitted by: Olga V. Makarova & Ralu Divan

Affiliation: Creatv Microtech Inc., Argonne National Laboratory


HONORABLE MENTION

Title: SCREAM

Description: Image taken during bubble and pore size count in research to correlate whipping power and the foaming of egg white (dried in this micrograph).

Magnification (3″x4″ image): Unknown 

Instrument (Make and Model): Leica DM4000M 

Submitted by: Ka C. Wong

Affiliation: Evans Analytical Group


HONORABLE MENTION

Title: Watching Hair Grow

Description: A test of field illumination uniformity oer a range of dose values, in a thin resist layer.

Magnification (3″x4″ image): 40 X 

Instrument (Make and Model): Nikon L200 

Submitted by: Steven Hickman

Affiliation: Harvard CNS


HONORABLE MENTION

Title: Stalactites

Description: SEM image of Deep Reactive Ion Etched (DRIE) microelectrodes fabricated in SCS.

Magnification (3″x4″ image): 694 X 

Instrument (Make and Model): Hitachi S-4700 SEM 

Submitted by: J. Owen & Justin Alexander

Affiliation: Zyvex Labs


HONORABLE MENTION

Title: Koru

Description: SEM image of a polycrystalline STM tip that has been crashed and curled.

Magnification (3″x4″ image): 6.39 kX 

Instrument (Make and Model): Hitachi S-4700 SEM 

Submitted by: Bill Owen & J. Owen

Affiliation: Zyvex Labs


HONORABLE MENTION

Title: Hemorrhoid

Description: An artificial compound eyes using novel microfabrication method of polymer.

Magnification (3″x4″ image): 100 X 

Instrument (Make and Model): Hitachi SEM 4700 

Submitted by: Huan Hu

Affiliation: Electrical & Computer Dept., University at Urbana-Champaign