X-ray and neutron probes aid hunt for microchip materials. (Materials Science/R&D).

X-ray and neutron probes are being used to search for new microchip materials by a team of researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Md. The tools enable the team to directly measure the spatial location of the complex chemical processes that sculpt transistors, lines, trenches, and other components in the chip. The molecular view of the model system provided by these methods enables the researchers to link the reaction ...