NIRT: Electron Beam Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) - A New Tool for Manufacturing Nanomaterials and Devices

纳米级跨学科研究团队（NIRT）研究项目的目标是：1)开发一种利用EB-CVD，电子束表面增强或蚀刻的新型纳米级制造工具；2)通过建模和实验，对控制沉积、表面增强和蚀刻的物理、化学和材料现象有基本的了解；3)确定一组关键材料的工艺-纳米结构-性能关系，这些关系将允许制造先进的纳米级材料和器件，包括将纳米材料与微系统集成。纳米材料和器件为许多重要的民用和军事应用提供了巨大的希望，但它们的制造经常被证明是有问题的。同样，将纳米结构与微系统或其他纳米结构集成是从单一结构制造过渡到真正纳米制造的主要障碍之一。这项研究的重点是解决这些问题的一项极具潜力的技术——电子束化学气相沉积或简称EB-CVD。具体来说，将开发两种电子束工艺。两者都能够通过EB-CVD沉积金属和陶瓷，并且在性质上是互补的。第一种工艺使用紧密聚焦的电子束，即直径小至1nm的电子束，以实现制造结构的高空间分辨率。第二种工艺使用宽光束，并依靠建设性和破坏性干涉来允许大面积的图案，从而导致高吞吐量制造。这两种工艺的巧妙结合为制造非常复杂的结构提供了一个独特的机会，通过计算机控制窄聚焦和宽光束相对于基板的同步运动。本研究的成功完成将产生重大而广泛的影响。它将进一步加深对电子束CVD的基本理解，并为沉积、表面增强和关键材料的蚀刻提供具体细节，从而允许大量制造先进的纳米级材料和器件，包括微电子、光子学、传感器、纳米催化剂和纳米/微混合系统。EB-CVD系统将成为整个校园的纳米制造研究中心。研究方法和成果将过渡到工业，并纳入本科和研究生课程。将努力确保包括女性和代表性不足的少数民族、K-12、REU和研究生。

The goals of this Nanoscale Interdisciplinary Research Team (NIRT) research project are: 1) To develop a novel nanoscale manufacturing tool that utilizes EB-CVD, electron beam surface enhancement, or etching; 2) To obtain a fundamental understanding, via modeling and experimentation, of the physical, chemical, and materials phenomena that control deposition, surface enhancement, and etching; 3) To identify process-nanostructure-property relationships for a key set of materials that will permit fabrication of advanced nanoscale materials and devices, including integrating nanomaterials with microsystems. Nanoscale materials and devices offer great promise for many important civilian and military applications, but their fabrication often proves problematic. Similarly, integrating nanostructures with microsystems or other nano structures is one of the main roadblocks to transitioning from single structure fabrication to true nanomanufacturing. This research focuses on a technology that has an excellent potential for solving these problems -- Electron Beam Chemical Vapor Deposition or simply EB-CVD. Specifically, two electron beam processes will be developed. Both are capable of depositing metals and ceramics by EB-CVD and are complimentary in nature. The first process uses a tightly focused electron beam, i.e., beam diameters as small as 1 nm, to achieve high spatial resolution of the fabricated structures. The second process uses a broad beam and relies on constructive and destructive interference to permit patterning of large areas, leading to high throughput manufacturing. The judicious combination of these two processes offers a unique opportunity to manufacture very complex structures by computer-controlled concurrent movement of the narrowly focused and broad beams relative to the substrate.Successful completion of this research will have significant broad impact. It will further the basic understanding of electron beam CVD and provide specifics for the deposition, surface enhancement, and etching of key materials permitting high volume fabrication of advanced nanoscale materials and devices, including microelectronics, photonics, sensors, nanocatalysts, and hybrid nano/micro systems. The EB-CVD systems will be centers for campus-wide nanomanufacturing research. Research methods and results will be transitioned to industry as well as incorporated into undergraduate and graduate courses. Effort will be made to ensure that female and underrepresented minority, K-12, REU, and graduate students are included.