MRI-R2 Consortium: Acquisition of an Electron Beam Lithography System to Support Transformative Device and Materials Research in the Greater Houston Area

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Objective: The objective of this grant application is to acquire an electron beam lithography (EBL) system to support nanofabrication research in the Houston metropolitan area. Houston is home to numerous research-intensive universities, the Texas Medical Center, and active industrial research. The system will be installed at the University of Houston, which houses the only shared fabrication resources in the Greater Houston area. This acquisition will build on the existing tool set and provide state-of-the-art nanofabrication capabilities to a broad user base, thereby elevating nanoscience research in Houston to a globally competitive level.Intellectual Merit: Acquisition of a dedicated EBL system will enhance transformative research across a wide range of federally-funded materials and device programs, including nanomagnetic devices, biosensors, drug/gene delivery, resistive RAM, vertical electronic devices, chemically-amplified imaging materials, nanopantography, magnetic nanoconstrictions, nanowire interconnects, nanoscale light sources, nanomechanics, microfluidics, and nanostructured spintronic devices. The enabling EBL capabilities will stimulate development of new research programs.Broader Impacts: The EBL acquisition will enhance the educational experience of more than 60 students at the University of Houston (UH), University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHSC), and Rice University. Team members will incorporate EBL training into educational programs at their home institutions, including Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship at Rice; Research Experiences for Undergraduates at UH and Rice; Research Experiences for Teachers at UH; Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate at UH and Rice; Awards to Stimulate and Support Undergraduate Research Education at Rice; and Nanotechnology Undergraduate Education at UH.