CAREER: A Hybrid Approach for Flexible Nanomanufacturing - Maskless Plasmonic Nano-Lithography

这个学院早期职业发展（Career）项目的研究目标是开发一种新的无掩模光学纳米制造技术，具有高度理想的工艺可扩展性和灵活性。基础过程物理和化学将通过基于多物理场的建模和实验表征相结合来研究。将探索一系列用于高效能量收集和可扩展生物传感器阵列的新型纳米器件。这个职业奖的教育目标是创建教育管道，为年轻的研究人员提供强大的基础知识，尖端的技术技能，最重要的是，创新的想法，以满足推进纳米科学和工程的需求。途径包括：1)通过研究成果的注入，建立纳米制造的新教育课程；2)向芝加哥公立学区的弱势群体传播纳米技术的进步知识；3)通过与工业合作伙伴的密切互动，为学生在工业领域的纳米制造和纳米计量做好充分的准备。如果成功，无掩膜等离子体纳米光刻技术将为未来各种纳米级设备和系统的发展铺平道路，这些设备和系统具有终极性能，例如高速计算和信号处理、宽带通信、医疗保健疾病诊断以及用于国土安全的生物和化学武器的检测和识别。这项工作还将为西北大学的研究生、本科生和高中生创建综合研究和教育项目，重点是接触到代表性不足的群体。

The research objective of this Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) project is to develop a new maskless optical nano-fabrication technology with highly desirable process scalability and flexibility. The underlying process physics and chemistry will be studied by a combination of multiphysics-based modeling and experimental characterizations. A range of novel nano-devices for high efficiency energy harvesting and scalable bio-sensor array will be explored. The education objective of this CAREER award is to create education pipeline that prepares young researchers with strong fundamentals, cutting edge technological skills, and most importantly, innovative ideas to meet the demand for advancing nanoscale science and engineering. The approaches include 1) establishing a new education curriculum in Nanomanufacturing through the infusion of research discoveries; 2) inseminating knowledge of the advancements in nanotechnology to the under-represented population at Chicago Public School District; and 3) through close interaction with industrial partners, preparing the students with full prospective of nano-manufacturing and nano-metrology in industry.If successful, the Maskless Plasmonic Nanolithography technology will pave the way for future development of a variety of nano-scale devices and system with ultimate performance, such as high speed computation and signal process, broadband communication, disease diagnostics for health care, and detection and identification of biological and chemical weapons for homeland security. This work will also create integrated research and education program of graduate, undergraduate, and high-school students at Northwestern University with emphasis in reaching out to the underrepresented groups.