Wide field super resolution microscopy for electronics

As time goes on, the nanoscale components of electronic chips are getting smaller, and the smallest features are currently less than 10 nm in length. To examine the real-time operation of those chips, it is desirable to simultaneously observe the variation of physical quantities, such as electrical signal generations and transfers, in the form of optical information. In this regard, microscopy techniques that involve raster scanning, such as atomic force microscopy, are not practical for imaging despite the high spatial resolution. Therefore, the way to see real-time images of these small components would be with wide-field views on an optical microscope. However, the diffraction limit of light does not allow the optical microscope to image nanoscale features of electronic chips at a visible resolution. In this presentation, we will show how to improve the resolution of optical microscopes with arrays of high-index solid immersion lenses. Once we place a polymethylsiloxane (PDMS) mold containing those arrays of lenses atop a specimen, features smaller than the diffraction limit of optical microscopes can be clearly resolved. We will also discuss how the viscosity of PDMS affects imaging, the way to improve the positioning of lenses, and the way to convert electrical signal generations and transfer to optical information.