A Breakthrough Nanolithography Technique Using 'Electro-Fountain Pens'

该奖项的研究目标是开发一种制造工艺，通过用电激活的纳米尖“钢笔”来“书写”，为未来的电子产品和其他应用生产复杂的纳米级电路。该工艺被称为“电子钢笔（EFP）光刻”，利用电迁移引起的液态金属流动，可以用金属液体连续书写纳米级图案，以制作高质量的电路。该技术消除了当前基于尖端的光刻技术的主要缺点，因为它能够连续地将书写材料输送到尖端，而不需要频繁地补充。由于流动是电驱动的，EFP光刻不仅可以通过电迁移连续输送金属液体，还可以通过电泳连续输送非金属液体。计划的工作将开发工具，优化在不同衬底上铺设几种材料粘附图案的条件，并研究液体电迁移的物理特性及其对材料和工艺参数的依赖。如果成功，这项研究对社会的好处将包括一种新的纳米制造工艺的发展，这可能最终导致商业化。该工艺有潜力成为一种新的有效方法，在基底上制作复杂的纳米图案，应用范围从电子到传感器到生物分子分析，因此可能对国家产生重大影响。美国制造业基地。此外，这项工作将通过促进研究生的发现和理解来整合研究和教育。本科生将通过本科生研究经验计划参与研究，并将聘请高中实习生协助吸引他们进入工程领域。该项目的结果将通过教师和学生参与学术学会会议和国家科学基金土木、机械和制造创新部门的受资助者会议广泛传播。

The research objective of this award is to develop a manufacturing process for producing complex nanoscale circuits for future electronics and other applications by "writing" with electrically activated nano-tip "fountain pens". The process, termed "electro-fountain pen (EFP) lithography", takes advantage of electromigration-induced flow of liquid metal, and enables continuous writing of nanoscale patterns with a metallic liquid for making high quality electrical circuits. The technique eliminates the main drawback of current tip-based lithography techniques by being able to continuously deliver the writing material to the tip without the need for frequent replenishment. Because the flow is driven electrically, EFP lithography may be used to continuously transport not only metallic liquids via electromigration, but also non-metallic liquids by electrophoresis. The planned effort will develop the tool, optimize the conditions for laying down adherent patterns of several materials on different substrates, and study the physics of liquid electromigration and its dependence on material and process parameters.If successful, the benefit to society of this research will include the development of a new nano-manufacturing process, which may eventually lead to commercialization. The process has the potential to be a new and effective method for making complex nano-patterns on substrates for applications ranging from electronics to sensors to bio-molecular assaying, and is therefore likely to have significant impact on the nation?s manufacturing base. In addition, this effort will integrate research and education by advancing discovery and understanding by graduate students. Undergraduate students will participate in the research through the Research Experience for Undergraduates program, and high school interns will be hired to assist with the aim of attracting them to engineering. Results of the project will be broadly disseminated through faculty and student participation at meetings of learned societies and grantees' conferences of the Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation division of NSF.