CCI Phase I: Center for Nanostructured Electronic Materials

这一阶段的CCI聚焦于如何使用分子取代块状材料作为集成电路(IC)中的元件这一重要问题。电子设备性能的显著提高直接归功于制造IC的“自上而下”方法的稳步改进，但特征尺寸正迅速接近传统光刻方法的极限。此外，设备的改进还没有随着最新一代的线宽改进而扩大，正在探索进行计算和数据存储的新方法。分子电子学取代了集成电路中目前使用的块状材料，取代了纳米颗粒和基于分子的结构，为应对这些挑战提供了潜力。释放这种潜力将需要新的制造方法，允许在分子水平上控制位置、尺寸和取向。第一阶段纳米结构电子材料中心最初的重点是研究2D定向生长，采用新的化学前体和合成方法，例如表面等离子体介导的化学沉积(SPMCD)，它利用纳米颗粒的光学特性在特定位置选择性地生长材料。电子束诱导解离(EBid)和电沉积是实现分子电子元件间电接触(结)非破坏性制造的重要手段。这项研究将扩展到3D生长技术，在这种技术中，可以应用特定的化学相互作用，包括自组装单分子膜和定制的化学前体，以诱导沿z方向的优先生长。该计划中探索的纳米结构的大小和接近程度将使量子限制、库仑充电和近端光学耦合前所未有地用于制造潜在的新的纳米电子和纳米光子设备。CCI将促进开发新的纳米电子材料的专家和创造与直接技术相关的原型的专家之间的密切合作。佛罗里达大学、伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳-香槟分校和佐治亚大学的学员将与来自分子电子开发前沿公司的工业导师合作，他们将提供关于材料要求、设备设计和制造的工业视角。纳米结构电子材料中心的重点是以化学为基础的分子电子学在微电子工业中的应用，这是美国技术竞争优势的关键组成部分。这种创新将有助于美国国家经济竞争力，正如《美国竞争力倡议》所阐述的那样。在这一背景下，该中心将通过培养学生超越自己学科的基于团队的问题解决技能，来教育学生进行跨学科协作。实习、本科生研究人员指导以及与工业研究人员的互动将进一步拓宽学生的视野。为了向公众传达科学的兴奋，CCI将开发一系列两分钟的无线电插播和播客，以化学和材料科学研究的现实世界应用为特色。为了让代表不足的群体能够更广泛地参与，CCI将与参与本次CCI的三所大学建立的扩大参与计划合作，以招收和指导少数族裔和女性本科生和博士生。化学创新中心(CCI)计划支持那些能够应对重大的、长期的基础化学研究挑战的研究中心，这些挑战既有可能产生变革性的研究，也有很高的可能性导致创新。这些中心将通过分享他们对这一具有挑战性的问题的创新方法的结果，吸引广泛的科学和公众兴趣。

This Phase I CCI focuses on the important question of how to use molecules to replace bulk materials as components in integrated circuits (IC's). The dramatic improvements of electronic device performance have been a direct consequence of steady improvements in "top-down" methods to fabricate IC's, but feature sizes are rapidly approaching the limits of traditional lithographic methods. In addition, device improvements have not scaled with the latest generations of line-width improvements and new ways to carry out computation and data storage are being explored. Molecular electronics, which substitute nanoparticles and molecule based structures in place of bulk materials currently used in IC's, offer the potential to address these challenges. Unleashing this potential will require new fabrication methods that allow control of the location, dimension, and orientation at the molecular level. The initial focus of the Phase I Center for Nanostructured Electronic Materials is research in 2D directional growth with novel use of chemical precursors and synthetic methods, such as surface plasmon-mediated chemical deposition (SPMCD) that exploits the optical properties of nanoparticles for selective growth of material at specific locations. The non-destructive fabrication of electrical contacts (junctions) between juxtaposed molecular electronic components will be approached by electron beam induced dissociation (EBID) and electrodeposition of contact materials. The research will be extended to 3D growth techniques where specific chemical interactions, involving self-assembled monolayers and tailored chemical precursors, can be applied to induce preferential growth in the z direction. The size and proximity of the nanostructures explored in this program will enable the unprecedented utilization of quantum confinement, coulomb charging and proximal optical coupling for fabrication of potentially new nanoelectronic and nanophotonic devices. This CCI will foster close collaborations between experts in the development of new nanoscale electronic materials and specialists in the creation of prototypes with direct technological relevance. Participants at the University of Florida, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Georgia will collaborate with industrial mentors from companies on the forefront of development of molecular electronics, who will provide an industrial perspective on materials requirements, device design and manufacturing. The focus of the Center for Nanostructured Electronic Materials on chemistry-based approaches to molecular electronics for applications in the microelectronics industry is a crucial component of America's competitive edge in technology. Such innovation would aid US national economic competitiveness as articulated in the American Competitiveness Initiative. Within this context, the center will educate students for interdisciplinary collaborative work by building team-based problem solving skills that reach outside the students' own disciplines. Internships, mentoring of undergraduate researchers, and interactions with industrial research personnel will be used to further broaden the students' perspectives. In order to communicate the excitement of science to the general public, the CCI will develop a series of two-minute radio spots and podcasts that will feature real world applications of chemistry and materials science research. To enable broader participation by under-represented groups, the CCI will partner with the established broadening participation programs of the three universities participating in this CCI to recruit and mentor minority and female undergraduates and Ph.D. students. The Centers for Chemical Innovation (CCI) Program supports research centers that can address major, long-term fundamental chemical research challenges that have a high probability of both producing transformative research and leading to innovation. These Centers will attract broad scientific and public interest by sharing the results of their innovative approach to this challenging question.