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

本提案是对NSF 05-610 NIRT类纳米科学与工程倡议的响应。纳米级跨学科研究团队将解决纳米级制造面临的关键挑战之一：需要以具有成本效益的方式大规模生产具有纳米级精度和可重复性的有源纳米系统。这项工作融合了基础和应用研究，为以1纳米精度和精度进行基于电子束的纳米制造的微电子机械系统奠定了基础。该团队由肯塔基大学、麻省理工学院和成立四年的初创公司Novelx，Inc.组成，成员包括美国国家科学基金会的GOALI学术联系机会。这项拟议研究的学术价值在于(1)解决纳米制造中的基本精度问题，(2)深入了解电子与纳米结构材料的相互作用，以及(3)评估纳米加工精度和重复性的极限。该项目集成了两个关键创新：基于原位基准栅格的电子束位置反馈控制和使用微型机电电子-光学系统进行纳米加工。这项研究工作将最终将这些发展整合到一个微尺度的纳米制造系统中。这一努力将通过提供一条通往低成本、纳米精确制造平台的途径来加强纳米制造基础设施。为了确保该项目产生更广泛的影响，该团队正在与肯塔基大学的纳米工程证书计划(NECP)相关的本科生教育工作。该小组还针对阿巴拉契亚地区代表性不足的高中生开展了促进多样性的外联工作。最后，英国、麻省理工学院和Novelx公司之间的这一正式的研究和教育计划将有助于培养纳米制造相关学科的训练有素的劳动力。

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.