NSEC: Center for Nano-Chemical-Electrical-Mechanical Manufacturing Systems\Nano-CEMMS

该奖项是对纳米级化学-电气-机械制造系统(Nano-CEMMS)科学与工程中心的延续，该中心是伊利诺伊大学香槟分校、加州理工学院和北卡罗来纳农业与农业技术州立大学之间的合作项目。该中心旨在使美国的纳米制造能力发生革命性变化，使美国处于高科技制造业的前沿。Nano-CEMMS中心的研究建立在该中心研究团队成员在直接制造纳米级结构和系统方面的两项关键突破--分子门技术和超大规模集成电路(VLSI)流体电路--的基础上。分子门可以通过数字开关来传输和控制极其微小的阿托尔升(0.000,000,000,000,000,001升)的材料，比今天的纳升开关小10亿倍。分子门也类似于传递和控制电子的晶体管，但功能更强，因为可以传递不同和不同的材料，分子可以进行化学反应。通过VLSI流体电路构建大型可寻址分子门阵列的能力，再加上微流体、纳米电子学和光学传感以及纳米定位方面的其他进步，为开发真正新颖、可扩展和强大的制造工艺开辟了一条道路，用于构建三维纳米结构多材料设备。拥有制造、微到纳米制造、微到纳米流体、纳米电子学、化学、计算、系统、操作规划和控制以及组合优化的专业知识的纳米CEMMS研究人员将合作开发新的方法和工具，利用化学、机械和电子现象和工艺在纳米尺度上进行三维制造。这些纳米级工艺和设备的计划集成预计将导致可扩展的制造系统和装配线，这些系统和装配线能够为从医疗到光子系统的各种应用制造独特的设备和产品。纳米CEMMS中心旨在通过其工业和教育项目产生更广泛的影响。该中心以两种方式构建，以加快其技术和制度创新的转移，造福于行业和社会。首先，一个工业咨询委员会，包括顶尖的制药、生物和电子行业领导者以及尖端工业创新者，横跨多个应用领域和纳米制造价值链，将为中心提供建议，并参与其研究、教育和推广计划。其次，试验台将针对可能被该中心的研究改变的特定应用。该中心将追求的两个例子包括组合化学和生物分析，以及纳米级有机光电子学；这两个例子都能够影响数十亿美元的行业。已经制定了雄心勃勃的目标，以确保中心包括不同的参与者群体。这些目标得到了专门的外展活动的支持，这些活动旨在接触到不同的学生和教师群体，并鼓励三个主要机构的学生和教师交流。此外，我们充分认识到，没有训练有素的劳动力，纳米技术就不可能取得成功，因此计划开展广泛的教育和推广计划，以增强我国的科学研究、教育和工业纳米技术劳动力。该计划跨越了K-12教育和专业培训，将建立在现有成功的K-12推广和教育计划的基础上，并将以一个广泛的基于网络的合作实验室为中心，允许在全国范围内传播材料，并允许其学生、教师、科学家和行业专业人员参与。一个全面的评估部分将帮助该中心跟踪其更广泛的影响，并不断改进其方案，以提高效力。

This award provides for the continuation of the Nanoscale Chemical-Electrical-Mechanical-Manufacturing Systems (Nano-CEMMS) Science and Engineering Center, which is a collaboration between the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the California Institute of Technology, and the North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University. The Center aims to revolutionize the nation's nanomanufacturing capabilities to position the nation at the forefront of high technology manufacturing. The Nano-CEMMS Center's research builds on two key breakthroughs made by members of the Center's research team, molecular gate technology and Very Large Scale Integrated (VLSI) fluidic circuits, to directly manufacture nanoscale structures and systems. The molecular gate can be digitally switched to deliver and control incredibly tiny attoliter (0.000,000,000,000,000,001 liter) amounts of material, a billion times smaller than the nanoliter switches of today. Molecular gates also are akin to transistors that deliver and control electrons, but with increased functionality since diverse and dissimilar materials can be delivered and molecules can undergo chemical reactions. The capability to build large arrays of addressable molecular gates through VLSI fluidic circuits coupled with other advances in micro-fluidics, nanoelectronics and optical sensing, and nanopositioning carves out a pathway for developing truly novel, scalable and robust manufacturing processes for constructing 3-D nano-structured multi-material devices. Nano-CEMMS researchers, with expertise in manufacturing, micro- to nanofabrication, micro- to nanofluidics, nanoelectronics, chemistry, computation, systems, operational planning and control, and combinatorial optimization will team up to develop new methodologies and tools that exploit chemical, mechanical and electronic phenomena and processes for 3-D manufacturing at the nanoscale. The planned integration of these nanoscale processes and devices is anticipated to result in scalable manufacturing systems and assembly lines capable of manufacturing unique devices and products for applications ranging from medical to photonic systems. The Nano-CEMMS Center is organized to have a broader impact through its industrial and educational programs. The Center has been structured in two ways to accelerate the transfer of its technological and system innovations for the benefit of industry and society. First, an Industrial Advisory Board, including top pharmaceutical, biological, and electronic industry leaders as well as cutting-edge industrial innovators, spanning multiple application areas and the nanomanufacturing value chain, will advise the Center and participate in its research, education and outreach plans. Second, test-beds will be targeted at specific applications that can be potentially transformed by the Center's research. Two examples that the Center will pursue include combinatorial chemistry and biology assays, and nanoscale organic optoelectronics; both capable of impacting multi-billion dollar industries. Ambitious goals have been set to ensure that the Center includes a diverse group of participants. These goals are supported by specific outreach activities designed to reach diverse groups of students and faculty and encourage student and faculty exchanges across the three lead institutions. In addition, fully realizing that nanotechnology cannot be successful without a well-trained workforce, an extensive education and outreach program has been planned to enhance the scientific research, education, and industrial nanotechnology workforce of our nation. The program, spanning K-12 education and professional training, will build on existing successful K-12 outreach and education programs and will be centered on an extensive web-based Collaboratory that will allow for the dissemination of materials across the nation and the participation of its students, teachers, scientists and industry professionals. A comprehensive assessment component will help the Center track its broader impact and continuously improve its programs for increased effectiveness.