Investigating the System-Level Dynamics of Fully-Integrated CMOS-SOI Nanoresonators

随着CMOS晶体管的微型化，机电系统正经历着快速而显著的微型化向亚微米方向发展。谐振纳米机电系统（NEMS）引起了人们的特别兴趣，因为它们允许访问微波频率和纳秒级响应时间，以及其他相关指标。这些前所未有的特性正在推动NEMS在信号处理、电测量、化学和生物传感等领域的潜在突破性应用。尽管它们在这些应用中具有巨大的潜力，但谐振NEMS的广泛实施目前受到以下因素的阻碍：(i)对其复杂动态行为的有限系统级理解，（ii）器件间性能的不规则性，以及（iii）与现有CMOS制造技术的普遍不兼容。这项工作旨在通过建模、设计、制造和表征高度可调谐、自上而下制造的谐振纳米系统来解决这些缺陷，这些纳米系统可以与现有的CMOS技术集成。具体来说，这项工作旨在开发完全集成的、静电驱动的设备，这些设备可以使用商业半导体工艺流程反复复制。为此，单门和双门纳米谐振器将采用绝缘体上硅工艺设计和制造，随后与CMOS电路集成，能够提供片上驱动、信号调理、响应表征和器件调谐。两个纳米级硬件平台，一个通道选择射频接收器和一个气相化学传感器，有利于利用系统固有的非线性行为，然后将开发评估所提出的系统级建模，分析，设计和开发方法的优点。总的来说，这项工作不仅可以深入了解与完全集成的纳米谐振器系统相关的复杂动力学行为，包括相关的电子器件，在嘈杂的多物理场环境中运行，而且还可以推动当前纳米制造技术的发展。此外，通过与基于现有网络基础设施的NSF计算纳米技术网络的nanoHUB和普渡大学夏季本科生研究奖学金（SURF）计划的新教育工作的分层整合，这项工作将产生更广泛的影响。具体来说，该项目的pi将(i)开发和部署一个全面的软件工具，用于模拟集成SOI-CMOS谐振纳米系统；（ii）开发和分发与集成纳米系统相关的新课程材料和流媒体视频讲座，这些内容将包括在PI的微纳米系统力学课程中。pi预计，全球数百名学生和科学家将利用这些资源进一步了解纳米谐振器的系统级知识。重要的是要注意，教育工作也将包括三个本科研究经历，通过SURF计划安排。这些长达夏季的密集体验将专门针对代表性不足的学生。

Following the scaling of CMOS transistors, electromechanical systems are undergoing a rapid and remarkable miniaturization into the sub-micron regime. Resonant nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) are eliciting particular interest because they allow access to microwave frequencies and nanosecond response times, amongst other pertinent metrics. These unprecedented properties are fueling the potentially ground-breaking application of NEMS in signal processing, electrometry, and chemical and biological sensing. Despite their significant potential in these applications, the widespread implementation of resonant NEMS is currently impeded by: (i) a limited, system-level understanding of their complex dynamic behaviors, (ii) device-to-device performance irregularity, and (iii) a general incompatibility with existing CMOS fabrication technologies. This effort seeks to address these deficiencies through the modeling, design, fabrication, and characterization of highly-tunable, top-down fabricated, resonant nanosystems, which can be integrated with existing CMOS technologies. Specifically, the work seeks to develop fully-integrated, electrostatically-actuated devices, which can be repeatedly reproduced using commercial semiconductor process flows. To this end, single- and dual-gate nanoresonators will be designed and fabricated using a silicon-on-insulator process and subsequently integrated with CMOS circuits capable of providing on-chip actuation, signal conditioning, response characterization, and device tuning. Two nanoscale hardware platforms, a channel-select RF receiver and a gas-phase chemical sensor, which advantageously leverage the systems' inherently nonlinear behaviors, will then be developed to evaluate the merits of the proposed system-level modeling, analysis, design, and development approach. Overall, this effort should not only provide insight into the complex dynamical behaviors associated with a fully-integrated nanoresonator system, including attendant electronics, operating in a noisy, multi-physics environment, but also push forward the status of current nanofabrication technology. In addition, the effort should have broader impact through hierarchical integration with new educational efforts founded upon the existing cyber-infrastructure of the NSF Network for Computational Nanotechnology's nanoHUB and Purdue's Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program. Specifically, the effort's PIs will (i) develop and deploy a comprehensive software tool for the simulation of integrated SOI-CMOS resonant nanosystems; and (ii) develop and distribute new course materials and streaming video lectures associated with integrated nanosystems, which will be included in the PI's course on the Mechanics of Micro- and Nanosystems. The PIs anticipate that hundreds of students and scientists worldwide will utilize these resources to further their system-level understanding of nanoresonators. It is important to note that the educational effort will also incorporate three undergraduate research experiences arranged through the SURF program. These summer-long, intensive experiences will specifically target under-represented students.