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

1.项目概要我们要求资金购买扫描电子显微镜，将能够高分辨率电子成像和阴极发光光谱和成像（CL）与1 nm分辨率。拟议的仪器将位于伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳-香槟分校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，拥有先进的材料和器件加工设备。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名博士后研究员，200名研究生和许多本科生可以使用实验室。用户跨越校园的各个学科和部门。用户名单正在稳步增长，因为我们促进了各种小组之间关于纳米技术多功能性的讨论。来自邻近学术机构的人员也是实验室的用户。拟议的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。这些研究计划的三个说明性的例子进行了详细描述。这些是：在软材料的纳米尺度图案形成（约翰罗杰斯和Ilesanmi Adesida）纳米光子学：量子点和光子晶体（詹姆斯科尔曼和Choquette）硅生物纳米技术（格雷戈里Timp）各种其他项目利用实验室的设施，其中包括最近在新授予的NSF中心纳米化学电子机械制造系统（纳米CEMMS）下开始的项目。拟议中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。这一提议的智力价值在于将促进新的科学和创新。拟议的仪器将使成像和光谱学在纳米制度;了解现象在有机和无机结构和系统在这个scalewill开辟一个新的应用前景。所提出的仪器将促进跨学科的合作，研究将在医学，食品，环境和电子学中得到广泛的应用。为了更广泛的影响，所提出的仪器将在研究生/本科生研究和教育计划中得到重要的使用。少数民族和代表性不足的学生将通过各种机制，包括我们的校园范围内的夏季研究机会计划（SROP），并通过我们的合作计划与少数民族服务的大学中心，如纳米CEMMS招募。这些学校的教师也可以通过这些中心进入实验室。为k-12教师在实验室进行夏季研究并使用研究仪器的计划已经到位。鼓励所有合格的研究人员自行操作这些设备，而不论其所属机构/部门或资金来源如何，以加强他们的教育。我们预计，在拟议仪器投入使用后，业界的使用量及与业界的合作会有所增加。购置拟议仪器的估计费用总额为688，338元。其中，我们向国家科学基金会申请了481,837美元。伊利诺伊大学将提供仪器总成本的206，501美元（30.0%）的成本分摊。

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.