NanoXerography: The Use of Electrostatic Forces to Pattern Nanoparticles

该项目的目标是开发一种在基材上打印纳米颗粒的方法，分辨率为100纳米。所提出的方法利用静电力驱动组件。该计划包括三个组成部分：1)使用图案表面电荷来捕获和定位纳米粒子；2)利用外部偏压电极产生电场来捕获和定位纳米颗粒；3)基片表面静电场强、粒子的热能和粒子的可定域性的相互关系的研究。这项研究的中期目标是使使用纳米颗粒作为构建块的纳米技术设备的平行制造成为可能。使用纳米颗粒作为器件组件可以实现的器件示例包括单电子晶体管、基于量子效应的激光器、光子带隙材料、滤波器和波导。作为第一个应用，提出了组装纳米硅纳米颗粒来制造纳米颗粒基晶体管。如果这项研究被证明是成功的，其更广泛的影响怎么说都不为过。例如，材料可以在蒸汽或溶液中形成纳米粒子，在那里它们可以使用成熟的方法进行处理。在任意基板上定位任意材料的颗粒和小部件的能力将允许基于其他不相容材料的技术合并。应用实例包括量子电子器件（在本提案中讨论）、数据存储、用于可穿戴智能的塑料或织物上的集成电路，以及用于光学片外和跨片通信的合并光学/电子结构。该提案的教育目标侧重于提高人们对PI研究以及探索性跨学科研究的认识和传播。它强调在整个学术生涯中为学生提供持续参与机会的重要性：1)高中学生和教师将通过实验室参观和实验室实验获得研究的第一手印象；2)本科生将通过研讨会进行讨论，在研讨会上，PI将介绍拟议研究的不同方面，并通过研究助理奖学金和荣誉论文项目提供直接参与研究的机会；3)来自不同学科的研究生将通过参与PI提议在该项目中开发的微观和纳米技术领域的跨学科讲座而受益。社会影响：“纳米科学和纳米技术的进步有望在未来几十年对健康、财富与和平产生重大影响。这一领域的知识在世界范围内不断增长，导致了基础科学的进步。反过来，这将导致材料、设备和系统的理解和创造方式发生巨大变化。”——取自米哈伊尔·c·罗科。拟议的研究是推进知识的一个因素。这表明设备和系统的创造方式发生了巨大变化。

The objective of this program is to develop a method to print nanoparticles on a substrate with 100 nm resolution. The proposed method uses electrostatic forces to drive the assembly. This program includes three components: 1) the use of patterned surface charges to trap and position nanoparticles; 2) the use of externally biased electrodes to generate electric fields to trap and position nanoparticles; and 3) the study of the interrelation of electrostatic field strength at a substrate surface, thermal energy of the particles, and particle localizability. The mid-term goal of this research is to enable parallel fabrication of nanotechnological devices that use nanoparticles as building blocks. Device examples that can be realized using nanoparticles as device components are single and few electron transistors, quantum-effect-based lasers, photonic bandgap materials, filters, and wave-guides. As a first application the assembly of silicon nanoparticles to fabricate nanoparticle based transistors is proposed. It is difficult to overstate the broader impact of this research, if it proves successful. For example, materials could be created as nanoparticles in the vapor or in solution, where they could be processed using well established methods. The ability to localize particles and small components of arbitrary materials on arbitrary substrates would allow the merging of technologies based on otherwise incompatible materials. Examples of applications include quantum electronic devices (addressed in this proposal), data storage, integrated circuits on plastics or fabrics for wearable intelligence, and merged optical/electronic structures for optical off-chip and cross-chip communication. The educational objectives of this proposal focus on creating awareness and transmitting excitement about the PI's research as well as exploratory, interdisciplinary research in general. It emphasizes on the importance of providing continuous opportunities for student involvement throughout their academic careers: 1) high school students and teachers will get a first hand impression of research through lab tours and lab experiments; 2) undergraduate students will be addressed through seminars where the PI presents different aspects of the proposed research and by providing the opportunity of direct research involvement through research assistantships, and honors thesis projects; 3) graduate students from different disciplines will benefit through participation in an interdisciplinary lecture in the area of Micro- and Nanotechnology that the PI proposes to develop within this program. Societal Implications: "Advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology promise to have major implications for health, wealth, and peace in the upcoming decades. Knowledge in this field is growing worldwide, leading to fundamental scientific advances. In turn, this will lead to dramatic changes in the ways that materials, devices, and systems are understood and create." - after Mihail C. Roco. The proposed research is one element to advance knowledge. It suggests a dramatic change in the way that devices and systems are created.