MRI: Acquisition of Processing and Testing Equipment for the Integration of Materials Science and Engineering Research at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez

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The objective of this research is to expand the scope of research and education in science and engineering at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez by supporting the acquisition of the required instrumentation for the fabrication and testing of micrometer-sized structures and devices. The approach is to combine the expertise and faculty from different engineering departments at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez into multi-disciplinary projects that will require the requested instrumentation for the fabrication and testing of micrometer-sized structures and devices.The intellectual merit of this proposal lies in the multi-disciplinary fundamental and applied research activities that will allow for the development of: (1) Aluminum Nitride radio-frequency micro-electro-mechanical resonators, (2) micro-electro-mechanical structures made from ultrafast "smart" materials, (3) solid-state radars, (4) microfluidic structures for bioelectronic applications, and (5) nano-patterning of dielectric materials using nanoimprint lithography. Potential contributions of these projects to the state-of-the-art include: (1) harsh environment sensors, (2) vanadium dioxide-based micro deivces, (3) Ka-band and Q-band tunable antennas, (4) in-plane microfluidic channels for high-throughput gene transport, and (5) novel devices fabricated using nanoimprint lithography on advanced materials.The broader impacts of this proposal include the creation of the first micro-electro-mechanical-systems research group in Puerto Rico. Several NSF programs and awards including an ERC, one CAREER, one MRI, and a Partnership for Research and Education on Materials will be benefited from the requested instrumentation. In addition, the requested instrumentation will promote the change in status of the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez to a PhD Granting Institution.