EAGER: Ionic Liquid Ion Sources and Nanomanufacturing

这个早期探索性研究拨款项目的目标是研究基于室温熔盐(离子液体-ILS)的纳米离子发射器的基础科学和工程。该项目的背景涉及纳米制造、空间推进和其他领域的应用。使用离子液体离子源(ILI)可以场蒸发来自虚点的几乎单色的正或负离子束。这些特性对于纳米级的应用来说是理想的，因为这些离子可能会被聚焦到与光源相称的大小，根据最近的估计，光源的大小为几纳米。此外，高效率和高亮度使微型和纳米工程推进装置能够用于非常小的卫星(0.1-10公斤)。这些离子中有许多是化学反应的，原则上提高了刻蚀速度，而不需要在晶片加工应用中求助于化学辅助。有了大量可用的离子液体，应该有可能为特定的应用量身定做离子束合成。主要目的是通过理论和实验来提高我们对ILIS来源的理解。将特别关注(1)离子束聚焦能力的确定，(2)它们的反应刻蚀特性和与材料的其他相互作用，(3)它们在高密度阵列中制造纳米的潜力，以及(4)对分子离子发射理论的贡献。研究目标和方法是围绕本提案中描述的一系列挑战和缺失的知识展开的。离子液体离子源的独特性和新颖性开辟了许多相关的研究途径，从源的设计和阵列实现到分子离子蒸发理论和离子与材料的相互作用。除了30多年前液态金属离子源的发明外，在场蒸发离子源方面几乎没有取得什么进展。ILIS的引入具有振兴该领域的潜力，预计NSF在这一新领域的支持将产生重要的科学和工程贡献。预计ILIS源将对工业应用产生相关影响，如纳米制造、离子显微镜、光刻和各种固态材料的注入，以及小型卫星的推进应用。随着研究成果被记录在科学期刊上，预计还将出现相关的合作。这项研究将对麻省理工学院跨学科项目的本科生和研究生的教育课程产生重要影响。此外，NSF的这种支持将对继续参与外联计划至关重要，例如麻省理工学院的暑期研究计划(MSRP)，该计划支持代表不足的群体的科学和工程教育，以及本科生研究机会计划(UROP)。将与当地各级教育工作者和研究机构组织协调外展活动，邀请他们与学生一起参加实验室示范、讲座和其他科学活动，目的是鼓励青年学生接受科学、技术、工程和数学教育。

The objective of this EArly-Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) project is to study the fundamental science and engineering of nano-ion emitters based on room temperature molten salts (ionic liquids - ILs). The context of this project is related to applications in nanomanufacturing, space propulsion and other fields. It is possible with ionic liquid ion sources (ILIS) to field-evaporate nearly monochromatic positive or negative ion beams from a virtual point. These characteristics are ideal for applications at the nano-scale as these ions potentially can be focused to sizes commensurate with the source, which according to recent estimates is a few nm. In addition, the high efficiency and brightness enables micro and nanoengineered propulsion devices for very small satellites (0.1-10 kg). Many of these ions are chemically reactive, in principle enhancing etching rates without recurring to chemical assistance in wafer processing applications. With the vast number of available ILs it should be possible to tailor ion beam composition to specific applications. The main goal is to improve our understanding of ILIS sources through theory and experiment. Particular attention will be given to (1) the determination of the focusability of ion beams, (2) their reactive etching characteristics and other interactions with materials, (3) their potential for nanomanufacture in dense arrays for high throughput and (4) contribute to the theory of molecular ion emission. The research objectives and methods are centered around a series of challenges and missing knowledge described in this proposal. The uniqueness and novelty of ionic liquid ion sources open up a number of relevant research avenues, ranging from the design of the source and its implementation in arrays to the theory of molecular ion evaporation and the interaction of ions with materials. Few advances in field evaporation ion sources have been made beyond the invention of the liquid metal ion source more than 30 years ago. The introduction of ILIS has the potential to revitalize the field and is expected that important scientific and engineering contributions will result from NSF support in this new area.It is anticipated that ILIS sources will have relevant impact on industrial applications, such as nanomanufacturing, ion microscopy, lithography and implantation on a variety of solid-state materials, and in propulsion applications for small satellites. It is also expected that relevant collaborations will emerge as research results are documented in scientific journals. This research will have an important impact on the educational curriculum of undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in interdisciplinary programs at MIT. In addition, this NSF support will be pivotal in continuing involvement in outreach programs, such as MIT's Summer Research Program (MSRP), which supports education in science and engineering of under-represented groups and the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). Coordinated outreach activities will be organized with local educators and research institutions at all levels, inviting them to participate with their students in laboratory demonstrations, lectures and other scientific activities with the objective of encouraging young students to pursue an education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.