NER: Phonon Enhanced Near Field Infrared Lithography

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The objective of this project is to carry out experimental and theoretical efforts on critical issues related to the development of a "perfect" lens: the lens whose resolution is not diffraction limited. Specifically, we will demonstrate a new approach to nanolithography: Phonon Enhanced Near-Field Infrared Lithography(PENFIL). While the resolution of standard techniques of optical lithography and material patterning is limited by the wavelength of radiation responsible for the lithographic process, our approach is not diffraction limited due to its near-field nature. Specifically, the goals are: (i) To demonstrate the property of an ultra-thin (sub-micron) film of SiC to focus the electromagnetic radiation produced by a tunable CO2 laser to a spotsize smaller than 100 nm; (ii) To investigate the critical issues related to manufacturing of an ultra-thin "perfect" SiC lens: optimal film deposition technique, substrate material, imaging wavelength, film thickness, and operation temperature; (iii) To investigate the relative advantages and disadvantages of two types of "perfect" lenses: free-standing (vacuum-SiC-vacuum) lens and the attached substrate-SiC-substrate) lens; and (iv) To develop a roadmap towards utilizing perfect lensing as a practical tool for nanolithography and electromagnetic sensing of nanometer-sized biological and chemical objects.The main intellectual significance of the proposed project is the experimental demonstration of the perfect lensing in the infrared frequency range, which is likely to lead to significant advances in several areas of nanotechnology: nanoscale manufacturing, nanoimaging, and nanoscale biology. For example, innovative approaches to nanofabrication involving nanolithography using infrared light could be envisioned. The availability of high-power short pulse sources in the infrared frequency range make such prospects very appealing. Potential broader impacts include the imaging and manipulation of individual cells and sections of long biological molecules (such as proteins or DNA) using laser light at the frequencies most appropriate for those biological objects. Individual fingerprinting of various bacterial spores of sub-micron size by exciting their vibrational modes with infrared radiation can also be envisioned. In addition, this research will expose students to a broad range of areas from material growth to lens fabrication to optical testing, involving several universities and Brookhaven National Laboratory.