MRI: Acquisition of Analytical Tools for Imaging and Spectroscopy of Nanoscale Structures and Systems

1. 项目概述我们申请资金购买一台扫描电子显微镜，该显微镜将能够进行高分辨率电子成像和1纳米分辨率的阴极发光光谱和成像（CL）。拟议的仪器将位于伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳-香槟分校的微纳米技术实验室的洁净室（100级）。该实验室是一个跨学科的研究用户设施，拥有先进的设备，材料和器件加工。该实验室在促进跨学科研究和合作方面非常成功。超过40名教师，20名博士后，200名研究生和许多本科生可以使用该实验室。用户遍及校园各个学科和院系。随着我们促进不同小组之间关于纳米技术多功能性的讨论，用户列表正在稳步增长。邻近学术机构的人员也是实验室的使用者。提出的SEM+CL系统的可用性对伊利诺伊大学的许多研究项目至关重要。详细描述了这些研究方案的三个说明性实例。这些是：软材料中的纳米尺度模式形成（约翰·罗杰斯和伊莱桑米·阿德西达）纳米光子学：量子点和光子晶体（詹姆斯·科尔曼和肯特乔凯特）硅生物纳米技术（格雷戈里·蒂姆）各种其他项目利用实验室的设施，其中包括最近在伊利诺斯大学新授予的国家科学基金会纳米化学-机电制造系统中心（纳米- cemms）下启动的项目。拟议的研究仪器对这些项目至关重要，因为它们涉及长度小于20纳米的制造。这一建议的智力价值在于它将促进新的科学和创新。提议的仪器将实现纳米级的成像和光谱学；在这个尺度上理解有机和无机结构和系统中的现象将为新的应用打开一个前景。拟议的仪器将促进不同学科的合作，研究将在医学、食品、环境和电子领域带来广泛的应用。就更广泛的影响而言，拟议的工具将在研究生/本科生研究和教育项目中得到重要使用。少数民族和代表性不足的学生将通过各种机制招募，包括我们全校范围的夏季研究机会计划（SROP），以及我们与少数民族服务大学中心（如纳米cemms）的合作项目。这些学校的教师也可以通过这些中心进入实验室。k-12教师在实验室进行暑期研究并使用研究仪器的项目已经到位。所有合资格的研究人员，不论所属院校/部门或经费来源，均可自行操作仪器，以加强他们的教育。随着拟议仪器的可用性，我们设想增加与工业的使用和合作。购买拟议文书的估计总费用为688 338美元。其中，我们向国家科学基金会申请481837美元。伊利诺伊大学将提供该仪器总费用的206,501美元（30.0%）的费用分摊。

1. PROJECT SUMMARYWe request funds to acquire a scanning electron microscope that will be capable of high-resolutionelectron imaging and cathodoluminescence spectroscopy and imaging (CL) with 1 nmresolution. The proposed instrument will be located in the cleanroom (Class 100) in the Microand Nanotechnology Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. TheLaboratory is an interdisciplinary research user facility that houses advanced equipment formaterials and device processing. The laboratory has been very successful in facilitating cross-disciplinaryresearch and collaborations. Over 40 faculty, 20 postdoctoral fellows, 200 graduatestudents, and many undergraduates have access to the laboratory. The users span across variousdisciplines and departments on campus. The user list is steadily growing as we facilitatediscussions between various groups on the versatility of nanotechnology. Personnel fromneighboring academic institutions are users of the laboratory also.The availability of the proposed SEM+CL system is critical to many research programs active atthe University of Illinois. Three illustrative examples of these research programs are described indetail. These are:Nanoscale Pattern Formation in Soft Materials (John Rogers and Ilesanmi Adesida)Nanophotonics: Quantum Dots and Photonic Crystals (James Coleman and KentChoquette)Silicon Bionanotechnology (Gregory Timp)Various other projects make use of the facilities in the laboratory and among these are theprojects that have recently being started under the newly awarded NSF Center for Nano-Chemical-Electrical-Mechanical Manufacturing Systems (Nano-CEMMS) at the University ofIllinois. The proposed research instrumentation is vital to these projects since they involvefabrication at length scale less than 20 nm.The intellectual merit of this proposal is in the new science and innovations that will befacilitated. The proposed instrumentation will enable imaging and spectroscopy at the nano-regime;understanding phenomena in organic and inorganic structures and systems at this scalewill open a vista to new applications. The proposed instrumentation will facilitate collaborationsacross various disciplines and the research will lead wide-ranging applications in medicine, food,environment and electronics.For the broader impact, the proposed instrument will see significant use ingraduate/undergraduate research and education programs. Minority and under-representedstudents will be recruited through various mechanisms involving our campus-wide SummerResearch Opportunity Program (SROP) and through our collaborative programs with minorityserving universities in Centers such as the Nano-CEMMS. Faculty from these schools will haveaccess to the laboratory through these Centers also. Programs for k-12 teachers to conductsummer research in the laboratory with access to the research instrumentation is in place. Self-operationof the equipment by all qualified researchers regardless of institutional/departmentalaffiliations or source of funding is encouraged so as to enhance their education. With theavailability of the proposed instrumentation, we envisage an increase in usage by andcollaborations with industry.The total estimated cost of acquiring the proposed instrument is $688,338. Of this amount, we arerequesting $481,837 from the National Science Foundation. The University of Illinois willprovide cost sharing of $206,501 (30.0 %) of the total cost of the instrument.