Amy Liu
Pronouns: she/her
Research Mentor(s): Robert Hovden
Co-Presenter:
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Materials Science / Engineering
Presentation Date: April 20
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: Session 5 – 3:40pm – 4:30 pm
Room: League Ballroom
Authors: Robert Hovden, Amy Liu
Presenter: 24
Abstract
Probe stations are tools that allow researchers to analyze the electrical properties of materials; these measurements are crucial for making advances in computing and electronics. Most existing probe stations, due to a lack of flexibility in their structure, cannot accommodate devices held in complex transmission electron microscopy (TEM) holders. This lack of flexibility stems from the inclusion of features such as vacuum insulation that are not necessary for preliminary testing of materials. Simplifying current probe station design will allow for testing of in-situ devices inside TEM grids, which will enable simultaneous electronic observation and imaging of materials. Additionally, due to the simplification of the design, the cost to build this probe station will be orders of magnitude lower than the cost of commercially-made probe stations. For this project, a budget probe station was designed after a detailed observation of the structure of current probe stations. The probe station will consist of two xyz-stages to manipulate probe needles on the sample to be tested, a microscope and camera to view the material, and a breadboard to serve as the base for the probe station. This design will be assembled and tested using samples with known properties. The goal for this project is to produce a probe station that can observe and measure the electronic properties of materials in real time, within a reasonable margin of error. Ultimately, this project could help make projects in the fields of electrical and materials science engineering more streamlined and more accessible.
Engineering
