Acquisition Proposal: Laboratory for Large Scale Integration of Nanostructures

收购提案：纳米结构大规模集成实验室

• 批准号: 0116776
• 负责人: Michael Roukes
• 金额: $ 100万
• 依托单位: California Institute of Technology
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2001
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2001-09-01 至 2004-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0116776&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Acquisition; Proposal; Laboratory; Large; Scale

0116776RoukesMajor advances have recently been made at California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in developing and employing what are, largely, individual nanometer-scale structures for applications ranging from fundamental science to technological applications. Within the research groups of the co--P1's, Professor Scherer and Professor Roukes, who have worked together on nanofabrication for the past fifteen years, electron beam lithography techniques have been developed and used for the construction of a wide range of functional nanometer-scale devices. Lateral dimensions below 10 nm are routinely obtained, and students in these groups have developed both expertise in the requisite electron-beam-control code and an in-depth understanding of the specialized resist processing and pattern transfer techniques enabling ultrahigh resolution. The time is now ripe to exploit these advances by creating nanosystems - i.e. advanced structures that comprise coherently coupled arrays of the individual nanoscale elements the authors are perfecting. This equipment acquisition proposal, if funded, would enable such research.Nanodevice arrays are emerging as a priority in nanoscale science and technology. As detailed in this proposal (and its accompanying letters of support), nanoscale arrays will find immediate applications within the proposers' research programs. These currently involve 13 Caltech professors, in disciplines spanning fundamental physics, chemistry, biology, and engineering and materials science. Among the specific topics currently being pursued are: quantum optics, quantum computation, nanophotonics, spin electronics, nanomechanics, neurophysiology, biotechnology, electrochemistry and molecular electronics. These applications require fabrication of structures spanning a hierarchy of size scales -from the smallest dimensions accessible via state-of-the-art nanofabrication techniques, to the millimeter to centimeter domain of integrated, chip-based systems. Fabrication of these complex nanoscale arrays requires multiple, successively-aligned steps of large-field electron beam lithography over the wafer scale.A second important research thrust would be enabled by the proposed instrumentation. This focuses upon future technological applications requiring nanometer-scale features produced lithographically en masse. This scale is far below the dimensions currently accessible via deep ultraviolet lithography, the current industry standard for state-of-the-art commercial production lines. To address this technological need, much recent effort world-wide has focused upon development of new, high-resolution, high-throughput lithographic methods. Projection x-ray lithography, shaped electron beam lithography, and mechanical transfer methods (embossing, molding, or stamping) all have evolved as principle contenders for the definition of sub-I 100nm structures over large areas. All of these techniques, however, have in common the need for wafer-scale high-resolution masks. These are normally generated by vector-scanned electron beam lithography. There are currently no alternative lithographic tools which offer comparable flexibility, resolution and placement accuracy for this purpose as state-of-the-au commercial electron beam writers. Student access to such an instrument would greatly enhance research and training in the proposers' university setting.An entirely new level of instrumentation is required to successfully initiate these proposed endeavors. Specifically, the capability of writing large (wafer scale) fields of features at the sub-5Onm scale is absolutely crucial. This can only be done with a state-of-the-art electron beam writer; however the acquisition of such an instrument is significantly beyond the scope of most funding programs. Here the PIs propose to purchase an electron-beam lithography system for this laboratory. The cost for this instrument will be shared by Caltech ($l.5M), the NSF ($1.OM), and DARPA/DURINT ($l.OM). The laboratory established with these funds will constitute an interactive, "expert" facility within the larger efforts of the PI's. This select, focused group of researchers will include undergraduate and graduate students, staff and faculty members. This group will be collectively dedicated to establishing routes to next-generation structures involving large arrays of nanoscale elements.

最近，加州理工学院（Caltech）在开发和应用从基础科学到技术应用的各个纳米尺度结构方面取得了重大进展。在合作的研究小组-P1的，教授谢勒和教授Roukes，谁在过去的15年里一起工作的纳米织物，电子束光刻技术已被开发和用于构建广泛的功能纳米尺度的设备。横向尺寸低于10纳米的常规获得，在这些组的学生已经开发了必要的电子束控制代码和专业的抗蚀剂处理和图案转移技术，使光刻胶分辨率的深入了解的专业知识。现在，通过创建纳米系统来利用这些进步的时机已经成熟-即由作者正在完善的单个纳米级元素的相干耦合阵列组成的先进结构。这项设备采购提案，如果得到资助，将使这样的研究。纳米器件阵列正在成为纳米科学和技术的优先事项。正如本提案（及其随附的支持信）中所详述的那样，纳米阵列将在提案者的研究计划中立即得到应用。目前有13位加州理工学院的教授参与，学科涵盖基础物理、化学、生物、工程和材料科学。目前正在研究的具体课题包括：量子光学、量子计算、纳米光子学、自旋电子学、纳米力学、神经生理学、生物技术、电化学和分子电子学。这些应用需要制造跨越尺寸等级的结构-从通过最先进的纳米制造技术可获得的最小尺寸到集成的基于芯片的系统的毫米到厘米域。这些复杂的纳米阵列的制造需要多个，连续对齐的步骤，大场电子束光刻在晶圆级。第二个重要的研究推力将使拟议的仪器。这集中在未来的技术应用，需要纳米尺度的功能，生产光刻englomerated。这一规模远低于目前通过深紫外光刻可获得的尺寸，深紫外光刻是目前最先进的商业生产线的行业标准。为了解决这一技术需求，最近世界范围内的许多努力都集中在开发新的、高分辨率、高产量的光刻方法上。投影X射线光刻、成形电子束光刻和机械转移方法（压印、模塑或冲压）都已发展成为大面积亚I 100 nm结构定义的主要竞争者。然而，所有这些技术都需要晶圆级高分辨率掩模。这些通常由矢量扫描电子束光刻产生。目前没有替代的光刻工具，其提供与最先进的商业电子束写入器相当的灵活性、分辨率和放置精度。学生使用这种仪器将大大加强提议者所在大学的研究和培训工作。要成功地启动这些提议的努力，需要一种全新水平的仪器。具体而言，在亚50 nm尺度下写入大（晶片尺度）特征场的能力是绝对关键的。这只能用最先进的电子束写入器来完成;然而，这种仪器的获得大大超出了大多数资助计划的范围。在这里，PI建议为该实验室购买电子束光刻系统。该仪器的成本将由加州理工学院（150万美元）、国家科学基金会（100万美元）和DARPA/DURINT（100万美元）分担。利用这些资金建立的实验室将在PI的更大努力范围内构成一个互动的“专家”设施。这个选择，重点研究小组将包括本科生和研究生，工作人员和教职员工。该小组将共同致力于建立涉及大型纳米级元件阵列的下一代结构的路线。