MRI: Acquisition of a Laser Direct Write System for Research, Education and Training at the Micro- and Nanoscale Electronics, Photonics, Mechanics and Bioengineering Applications

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A laser direct write system is a fabrication and manufacturing tool for designers and researchers working in the area of micro- and nanotechnology (applications of the science of the very small). The tool allows very small, intricate shapes and patterns created by a designer on a computer workstation to be directly inscribed on a surface by using the pattern information from the computer to control a laser beam. The beam removes small quantities of material from the surface it impacts, thereby replicating the pattern in the surface. Complementing and leveraging the tremendous investment that the University of Pennsylvania has made in its new Singh Center for Nanotechnology, a research and teaching facility open to Penn and outside users, we will acquire a state-of-the-art laser direct write system to meet the research and teaching needs of Penn and its academic and industrial neighbors. This vital tool will allow researchers at the Singh Center to rapidly develop innovative methods to assemble and manufacture nanoscale materials into functional architectures and devices, enabling the creation of useful micro/nanodevices that can sense, transduce, and transmit physical and biological parameters for the understanding and control of complex electrical, mechanical, and biological systems. Nanotechnology-related applications enabled by this tool include improved electronic devices and systems (plastic transistors, improved solar cells, flexible displays); understanding of new surfaces and reduced friction (self-cleaning surfaces, stain-free materials); and small-scale transducers (wireless sensors and transmitters). In addition to research, the tool will become part of new course curricula at the graduate and senior undergraduate level at Penn, will be available to Penn's Research Experience for Undergraduate and Research Experience for Teachers programs, and will be integrated into a science program for the Philadelphia city schools, augmenting tours with video and videoconferencing to reach K-12 students and introduce them to micro- and nanofabrication. Advanced lithographic systems provide the capabilities to define and probe structures with the desired multidimensional complexity and micro-to-nanometer scale features that are transforming our fundamental understanding of physical phenomena and biological systems. In addition, such systems enable the creation of useful micro/nanodevices that can sense, transduce, and transmit physical and biological parameters for the understanding and control of complex electrical, mechanical, and biological systems. This laser lithography system will enable mask writing and direct writing of a wide range of materials and devices, patternable rapidly, over large areas, and in two- and three-dimensions to 600 nm resolution, extendable through subsequent processing schemes down to the tens of nm range. This tool fills a critical need in lithography: the ability to rapidly fabricate relatively small numbers of prototypes for scientific investigation as well as industry needs for relatively small quantities of high-value-added devices (e.g., in the medical arena). Laser lithography, although serial in nature, clearly meets these constraints and is an essential complement to traditional lithography. Singh researchers will utilize this tool for the patterning of polymeric and carbon-based materials, as well as inorganic nanocrystal and thin film materials, into new electronic, photonic, energy transforming, and sensing devices. Further, they will construct new materials and test structures to better understand friction and wear mechanisms. Finally, they will structure materials and devices for the development of bioengineered interfaces and devices to increase our understanding of interactions with cells and allowing the realization of unprecedented devices for medical diagnostics and therapeutics. Not only do each of these research areas rely on the high resolution patterning capabilities achievable using the laser direct write system, but they also fall within the re-emerging, rapid prototyping serial paradigm of modern nanofabrication enabled by this tool.