NER: Solvent Assisted Atomic Layer Deposition

未来的纳米级电子设备技术(包括先进的分子、生物和磁性设备)将比目前的设备使用更广泛的材料。先进的设备还需要对不同材料之间的界面处的键结构进行精细控制，这对工艺和工艺条件提出了严格的要求。原子层沉积(ALD)技术能够实现对薄膜沉积的原子级控制，从而在各种纳米级和纳米电子器件中实现感兴趣的高度共形和平滑的材料沉积，受到了越来越多的关注。对于这个项目，我们建议演示溶剂化能作为一种新的可能的反应驱动程序的使用。在原子层沉积过程中。这一概念将使用超临界溶剂(特别是二氧化碳)来证明，以促进吸附在沉积表面上的金属-有机前体的还原。为这一为期一年的努力选择的特定示范并不构成一个完全整合或可扩展的沉积过程。相反，该演示旨在展示在沉积原子光滑的纳米级共形电子薄膜时实现和利用溶剂化力效应来实现原子能级控制的可行性。成功的演示将促使实现更成熟和硬件密集型沉积工具和方法所需的更多扩展工作，这些工具和方法超出了这个简短的探索性项目的范围。这项工作最贴切地解决了纳米级制造过程的主题。它特别解决了与纳米级制造的新工具有关的问题，开发了用于纳米结构的高速合成和加工的新概念，以及纳米级合成和加工方法的放大。该项目将利用并建立在PI.在薄膜沉积过程的基础研究和实际演示方面的经验。一种新的集成真空沉积/表征系统，带有包括表面电子光谱和红外吸收光谱在内的各种表面表征工具，在PI.S实验室可用，将用于演示和理解与拟议工艺相关的具体详细机制。这项工作将产生比特定研究成果更广泛的影响。除了在这个项目上工作的研究生和博士后所获得的教育利益外，PI还将利用这一努力帮助扩大他的研究生/本科生化学工程课程。包括讨论溶剂型工艺在纳米材料和器件制造中的可能应用。还将开发一个探索性本科生实验室，以补充课程材料。

Future nano-scale electronic device technologies (including advanced molecular, biological, and magnetic devices) will utilize a much wider range of materials than found in current devices. Advanced devices will also require exquisite control over bond structure at interfaces between dissimilar materials, placing stringent demands on processes and processing conditions. There is growing interest in atomic layer deposition (ALD) techniques that enable atomic-level control over depositing thin films, to achieve highly conformal and smooth deposition of materials of interest in a variety of nano-scale and nano-electronic devices. For this project, we propose to demonstrate the use of solvation energy as a new possible reaction .driver. in an atomic layer deposition process. This concept will be demonstrated using a supercritical solvent (specifically CO2) to facilitate reduction of a metal-organic precursor adsorbed on a deposition surface. The particular demonstration chosen for this one-year effort does not constitute a completely integrated or scalable deposition process. Rather, the demonstration is designed to show feasibility of implementing and utilizing solvation force effects to achieve atomic level control in deposition of atomically smooth, nano-scale conformal electronic thin films. A successful demonstration will prompt more expanded work required to achieve more mature and hardware-intensive deposition tools and methods that are outside the scope of this short exploratory project. This work most closely addresses the theme of Manufacturing Processes at the Nanoscale. It specifically addresses issues related to .novel tools.for manufacturing at the nanoscale, developing novel concepts for high-rate synthesis and processing of nanostructures,.and scaleup of nanoscale synthesis and processing methods.. The project will take advantage of, and build upon, the PI.s experience in fundamental studies and practical demonstration of thin film deposition processes. A new integrated vacuum deposition/characterization system with a wide range of surface characterization tools, including surface electron spectroscopy and infrared absorption spectroscopy, is available in the PI.s lab, and will be used to demonstrate and understand the particular detailed mechanisms associated with the proposed process. This work will have broader impacts beyond the particular research results. In addition to the education benefit received by the graduate student and post-doc that will work on this project, the PI will use this effort to help expand his graduate/undergraduate Chemical Engineering course .Chemical Processing of Electronic Materials. to include discussion of possible applications of solvent-based processes in nano-scale materials and device fabrication. An exploratory undergraduate lab will also be developed that to supplement the course material.