CAREER: Controlled Positioning of Nanoparticles and the Parallel Fabrication of Single Electron Devices

这项研究的目的是开发新的技术，能够在CMOS工艺框架内可靠地制造单电子器件。该方法是通过1)控制纳米颗粒在有机分子自组装单分子膜(SAM)上的定位，2)通过沉积、氧化和间隔形成相结合的纳米级电极定位，以及3)系统地研究单电子通过纳米颗粒和隧道势垒的隧道效应来制备单电子器件。新的制造技术是基于现有的CMOS工艺，以实现可靠、并行和实用的单电子器件制造，它们之间以及与外部宏观世界的连接。这一计划的更广泛的影响是教育和技术。学生将通过参与研究直接接受广泛的培训，而一门跨学科课程--“纳米技术当前主题”--将提供“动手”实验室，使来自不同学科的学生受益。该项目还将提供科学夏令营，在那里，K-12的学生和教师将直接接触尖端设备和洁净室设施。除了教育方面的好处，科技对我们的社会和经济的好处也将是巨大的。这项新技术将生产超灵敏传感器，在分子水平上检测生物和化学材料，这将有助于保护我们的国家免受恐怖主义的影响，并为疾病提供更好的诊断工具。此外，这项新技术将生产下一代设备，以超低功耗运行，具有巨大的商业、军事和空间应用潜力。

The objective of this research is to develop new techniques which can reliably fabricate single electron devices within the framework of CMOS technology. The approach is to fabricate single electron devices through 1) controlled positioning of nanoparticles on Self-Assembled Monolayers (SAMs) of organic molecules, 2) nanoscale positioning of electrodes through the combination of deposition, oxidation, and spacer formation, and 3) systematic study of single electron tunneling through nanoparticles and tunneling barriers. The new fabrication techniques are based on current CMOS technology so that reliable, parallel, and practical fabrication of single electron devices, connected among themselves and also to the outside macroscopic world, will be realized.The broader impacts of this program are educational and technological. Students will receive extensive training directly by participating in the research, and an interdisciplinary course, "Current topics in nanotechnology," will provide "hands-on" laboratories, benefiting students from various disciplines. This program will also provide "hands-on" science camps in which K-12 students and teachers will have direct exposure to cutting-edge equipment and clean room facilities. Along with the educational benefits, the technological benefits to our society and our economy would be enormous. The new technology will produce ultra-sensitive sensors to detect biological and chemical materials at the molecular level, which can help protect our nation from terrorism as well as provide better diagnostic tools for diseases. Also, this new technology will produce next generation devices that operate with ultra-low power consumption with great potential for commercial, military, and space applications.