MRI: Aquisition of Nano-Imprint Lithography System

马萨诸塞大学阿姆赫斯特分校校园内纳米压印光刻(NIL)实验室的建立将允许以经济和高效的方式定义从多微米到亚50纳米长度尺度的材料图案。这种技术提供的快速复制和原型制作将使研究原本难以制造或昂贵得令人望而却步的器件和结构成为可能。NIL包括1)地形或化学结构的物理模板化和2)随后的光或热引发的材料合成。这个实验室的全面实施需要购买两台我们正在申请资金的仪器：一台来自分子印迹公司的阶跃和闪光零点仪器，以及一台来自Trion公司的最先进的等离子刻蚀系统。该实验室对于涉及加州大学马萨诸塞州大学NSF MRSEC的共同PI和其他成员的多项研究活动的成功至关重要，包括为纳米结构设备开发先进材料(例如，传感器的纳米级图案化表面，超低介电常数图案的单步处理，和电动汽车用高功率密度脉冲功率电容器)，以及对限制零电流在制造规模实施的挑战的基础研究。这些仪器将存放在开放访问的凯克纳米结构实验室，并制定了全面的管理计划，以确保维护和获得广泛的用户基础。此外，NIL实验室将被纳入现有的纳米技术课程，其开放获取管理计划将鼓励我们REU和RET计划的参与者以及当地五所大学社区的教职员工和学生使用该实验室，其中包括两所女子学院：Mt.霍利奥克学院和史密斯学院。马萨诸塞州大学阿姆赫斯特分校是纳米材料科学领域公认的领导者，这个设施将进一步确保我们在设备级实施我们的发现方面的领先地位，同时让学生准备好拥有真实世界纳米制造专业知识的学生。马萨诸塞大学阿默斯特分校的这个奖项将允许校园内的研究人员以及当地社区和其他社区的研究人员在小于十亿分之一米的材料研究方面提升和扩展他们的专业知识。这笔赠款将资助购买两种先进的技术仪器，这两种仪器一起将能够制备具有用户定义的图案的材料，这些图案的直径比人类头发的直径小1000倍。这一能力将有助于开发新技术，如化学传感器、更快、更稳定的计算机芯片，以及电动汽车的电源管理设备。这个设施将是马萨诸塞州大学和当地大学社区的教职员工和学生开放访问的中心，当地大学社区包括两所女子学院：Mt.霍利奥克学院和史密斯学院。一个全面的管理计划将确保这些工具的可及性、维护和纳入材料研究课程，同时鼓励参与本科生研究经验和教师研究经验推广计划的非传统研究人员使用实验室。马萨诸塞州大学目前在纳米技术方面有许多令人兴奋的倡议，该实验室的建立将确保我们保持在前沿研究的前沿。

The establishment of a Nano-Imprint Lithography (NIL) Laboratory on the campus of the University of Massachusetts Amherst will permit the definition of material patterns from the multi-micron to sub-50nm length scales in an economical and efficient manner. The rapid replication and prototyping provided by this technique will enable the study of devices and structures that would otherwise be difficult or prohibitively expensive to make. NIL involves 1) the physical templating of topographic or chemical structures and 2) subsequent photo- or thermal-initiated materials synthesis. The full implementation of this laboratory requires the purchase of two instruments for which we are requesting funding: a Step-and-Flash NIL instrument from Molecular Imprints, Inc. and a state-of-the-art plasma etching system from Trion, Inc. This laboratory is critical to the success of multiple research activities involving the co-PIs and other members of the NSF MRSEC at UMass including the development of advanced materials for nanostructured devices (e.g. nanoscale patterned surfaces for sensors, single-step processing of ultra-low dielectric constant patterns, and high power density pulsed power capacitors for electric vehicles) and fundamental research into the challenges that are limiting the implementation of NIL on the manufacturing scale. The instruments will be housed in the open access Keck Nanostructures Laboratory and a comprehensive management plan is in place to ensure maintenance and accessibility to a broad user base. Additionally, the NIL Laboratory will be incorporated into existing courses on nanotechnology, and its open-access management plan will encourage use by participants in our REU and RET programs as well as faculty and students in the local five college community that includes two women's colleges: Mt. Holyoke College and Smith College. UMass Amherst is an established leader in nanoscale materials science, and this facility will further secure our leadership in device-level implementation of our discoveries while preparing students with expertise in real-world nano-scale manufacturing.This award at the University of Massachusetts Amherst will allow researchers on campus, as well as researchers in the local community and beyond, to advance and expand their expertise in materials research at sizes smaller than one-billionth of a meter. This grant will fund the purchase of two advanced technology instruments that together will enable the preparation of materials with user-defined patterns that are 1000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. This capability will aid in the development of new technologies such as chemical sensors, faster and more stable computer chips, and power management devices for electric vehicles. This facility will be an open-access center for faculty and students at UMass and in the local college community which includes two women's colleges: Mt. Holyoke College and Smith College. A comprehensive management plan will ensure accessibility, maintenance, and the incorporation of these instruments into materials research courses, while encouraging non-traditional researchers involved in the Research Experience for Undergraduates and Research Experience for Teachers outreach programs to use the laboratory. UMass currently has a number of exciting initiatives in nanotechnology, and the establishment of this Laboratory will ensure that we remain at the forefront of cutting edge research.