MRI: Acquisition of an Ultrahigh Resolution Electron-Beam Lithography System for the University of Michigan Lurie Nanofabrication Facility

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).The objective of this project is to acquire an electron-beam lithography system for the University of Michigan. This system will be used to facilitate research on a broad array of new technology, materials, structures, and devices, including nanolithography, negative-index materials, polymer-based photovoltaics, nanotube applications, quantum devices, nanomechanical terahertz antennas, fluidic systems for disease diagnostics, and chemical gas analyzers. The electron-beam lithography system will enable research in the emerging areas of science and engineering. Research on new materials will include tunable light sources, spintronics, and high efficiency photovoltaics. Research in nanobiotechnology will include DNA analysis, protein patterning, and biophotonic flow cytometry. Research on nanodevices will include 250Gb/cm2 crossbar memories, nanoscale gas analyzers, and terahertz antennas. These discoveries will push our understanding of materials and devices well beyond current levels into the new frontier of atomic-scale nanotechnology. This system allows generation of new sources for secure broadband communications, high-efficiency lighting, renewable energy, wristwatch-size sensors for global environmental monitoring and security, and breakthroughs in prostheses for deafness, blindness, paralysis and Parkinson's disease. The research enabled by this tool thus tackles some of the most critical challenges in energy, security, environmental quality, and health care facing us in the 21st century. In addition, it will also be utilized in undergraduate and graduate classes, in technical workshops for engineers, in outreach activities to convey the excitement of science and engineering careers to students at the pre-college level, and as a resource to researchers from academia and industry through the NSF National Nanofabrication Infrastructure Network.