NIRT: GOALI - An Electron-Beam Based Microscale Nano-Manufacturing Platform with 1-nm Accuracy

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This proposal was received in response to Nanoscale Science and Engineering initiative, NSF 05-610, category NIRT. The Nanoscale Interdisciplinary Research Team will address one of the critical challenges facing nanoscale manufacturing: the need to cost-effectively mass produce active nano-systems with nanometer-level accuracy and repeatability. This effort integrates fundamental and applied research to lay the foundation for micro-electromechanical systems that perform electron-beam based nano-manufacturing with one nanometer accuracy and precision. The team, assembled under NSF's Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaisons with Industry (GOALI) mechanism, encompasses the University of Kentucky, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Novelx, Inc., a four-year old start-up company. The intellectual merit of the proposed research rests on (1) addressing the fundamental problem of accuracy in nanoscale manufacturing, (2) gaining insight into electron interactions with nanostructured materials, and (3) assessing the limits of nanopatterning accuracy and repeatability. The project integrates two key innovations: feedback control of electron-beam position based on an in-situ fiducial grid and use of micro-electromechanical electron-optical systems for nanopatterning. The research effort will culminate with the integration these developments in a microscale nano-manufacturing system.This effort will enhance nanofabrication infrastructure by providing a route to a low-cost, nano-accurate manufacturing platform. To ensure even broader impact of the project, the team is embarking on an undergraduate education effort in connection with the University of Kentucky's Nanoscale Engineering Certificate Program (NECP). The team has also initiated diversity enhancing outreach efforts targeting high-school students from underrepresented Appalachian regions. Finally, this formalized research and education program between U.K., M.I.T., and Novelx, Inc. will contribute to the trained workforce in nanoscale manufacturing related disciplines.