MRI: Manufacturing of Nanocrystaline Silicon Materials at the University of Rochester

技术摘要这项提案的资金将用于在罗彻斯特大学(UR)购买制造纳米晶硅材料的最先进的仪器。纳米硅材料正在被制造出来，以支持多个活跃的项目，包括硅基激光器的开发和超薄纳米孔膜的生产。纳米多孔膜被证明是有用的各种应用，包括用于生物分子分离的膜过滤器、细胞培养基质和燃料电池。具体地说，该合同将用于收购现代薄膜沉积和快速热处理(RTP)系统，以取代即将报废的精度较低的系统。纳米硅材料是在非晶硅(a-Si)薄膜中通过热诱导晶化形成的。气孔是在25 nm或更薄的a-Si层中，在一定的热处理条件下自然产生的。结晶动力学遵循阿累尼乌斯速率定律，晶体尺寸和孔径都取决于加热曲线以及薄膜的厚度和质量。因此，需要对沉积和加热速率进行精确控制，以重复生产具有特定特性的材料，并系统地探索nc-Si材料可能的特性范围。新系统的面积将在2000平方米以内。英国《金融时报》为大学新的综合纳米科学中心计划的1000级无尘室。该中心将集中所有对纳米硅材料的制造和表征至关重要的设备和工艺。这些设备包括光刻设备、熔炉、化学/清洁工作台以及光学、电子和原子力显微镜。目前，其中几个资源，包括现有的RTP系统，都位于遥远的校外设施。因此，新仪器的购买及其在新中心的位置预计将极大地提高UR的NC-Si研究效率。这些新工具将由UR受训人员以及访问学生和在多所大学资助下工作的博士后使用。在综合纳米科学中心收集的所有资源将用于支持UR正在开发的纳米技术教育项目的本科生和研究生课程。非技术摘要罗彻斯特大学(UR)对纳米硅材料的研究已经进行了十多年。直到最近，这项研究一直集中在硅基激光器用纳米硅材料的开发上。硅芯片上激光器的成功制造将为计算机中的光通信提供支持，从而显著降低电力需求，同时提高存储容量。最近，对纳米硅制备工艺的改进导致了超薄纳米多孔膜的发现，其应用范围从分子的纯化到燃料电池中的电荷分离。该奖项提供的资金将用于购买制造NC-Si材料所需的两种主要仪器的最先进版本：1)薄膜沉积系统，2)快速热处理单元。这些新仪器将提供所需的精度，以便系统地探索nc-Si特性的范围，并可重复地创建具有特定特征的nc-Si材料。这些仪器将与制造NC-Si所需的所有其他设备一起存放在UR新的集成纳米科学中心。这些仪器和中心将支持华盛顿大学和合作大学的多学科研究，并将用于本科生和研究生水平的纳米技术新课程。

Technical AbstractFunds from this proposal will be used to purchase state-of-the-art instruments for the manufacture of nanocrystalline silicon materials at the University of Rochester (UR). Nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si) materials are being fabricated in support of multiple active projects including the development of silicon-based lasers and the production of ultrathin nanoporous membranes. The nanoporous membranes are proving useful for a variety of applications including membrane filters for biomolecule separations, cell culture substrates, and fuel cells. Specifically, this award will be used to acquire modern Thin Film Deposition and Rapid Thermal Processing (RTP) Systems to replace less precise systems nearing end-of-life. Nanocrystalline silicon materials are created by thermally inducing crystallization in thin films of amorphous silicon (a-Si). Pores are naturally created under certain annealing conditions in a-Si layers that are 25 nm or thinner. Crystallization dynamics follow an Arrhenius rate law and both crystal size and pore size depend on the heating profile as well as film thickness and quality. Thus precise control over deposition and heating rates are needed to reproducibly produce materials with particular characteristics and to systematically explore the range of characteristics possible for nc-Si materials. The new systems will be housed within a 2000 sq. ft. class 1000 clean room planned for the University's new Integrated Nanoscience Center. The center will centralize all equipment and processes important to the fabrication and characterization of nc-Si materials. These include devices for photolithography, furnaces, chemical/cleaning benches, and optical, electron, and atomic force microscopes. Currently, several of these resources, including the existing RTP system, are located at distant, off-campus facilities. Thus the purchase of the new instruments and their location in the new center are expected to dramatically improve the efficiency of nc-Si research at the UR. The new instruments will be used by UR trainees and by visiting students and post-doctoral working under multi-university grants. All the resources assembled in the Integrated Nanoscience Center will be used to support undergraduate and graduate level courses in Nanotechnology educational programs being developed at UR. Non-Technical AbstractResearch on nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si) materials has been conducted at the University of Rochester (UR) for more than a decade. Until recently, this research has been exclusively focused on the development of nc-Si materials for silicon-based lasers. The successful creation of a laser on a silicon chip would provide for optical communication in computers that dramatically lowers power requirements while improving storage capacity. Recently, a modification of nc-Si fabrication procedures led to the discovery of an ultrathin nanoporous membrane with applications ranging from the purification of molecules to charge separation in fuel cells. The funds provided by this award will be used to purchase state-of-the-art versions of the two main instruments required for nc-Si material fabrication: 1) a Thin Film Deposition system, and 2) a Rapid Thermal Processing Unit. The new instruments will provide the precision needed to systematically explore the range of nc-Si properties possible, and to reproducibly create nc-Si materials with specific characteristics. The instruments will be housed in the UR's new Integrated Nanoscience Center along with all other equipment needed for nc-Si manufacturing. The instruments and the center will support multi-disciplinary research at UR and collaborating Universities and will be used by new courses in Nanotechnology at both the undergraduate and graduate level.