MRI: Acquisition of an Electron-beam Lithography System for Nanofabrication and Nanoscience Research and Education

电子束光刻是一种利用电子束在表面上刻写纳米级图案的高真空技术。在密苏里理工大学，电子束光刻技术将用于材料的纳米制造，以及用其他方法生产的纳米结构材料的表征。该仪器可能带来的变革性结果包括展示一种被称为电阻随机存取存储器的新兴固态存储器的尺寸限制，测量金属-氧化物-金属二极管将红外光转换为电能的效率，并为构建拓扑量子计算机提供必要的基础科学。所要求的文书将作为学术界和工业界的区域资源。它将由研究生和博士后在博士仪器专家的指导下直接使用。该工具对教育推广也将是无价的。材料科学与工程系每年为50多名初中生和高年级学生举办ASM/Missouri S&amp；T材料夏令营。在为期一周的夏令营中，学生们将看到电子束光刻设备的演示，并将使用该设备进行个别项目。作为学习的一部分，这些小组要向其他营员做一个报告。电子束光刻将用于材料的纳米制造，并用于表征由其他方法生产的纳米结构材料。所要求的仪器使用电子束光刻电阻提供低于5 nm的线宽，使用电子束诱导沉积提供低于7 nm的线宽。它具有高精度X-Y- z台和用于X-Y定位的激光干涉仪。气体注入系统允许直接写入，电子束诱导沉积。该仪器将配备一个单一的气体注入系统，用于沉积钨或铂线。除了纳米制造能力之外，该仪器还将配备四个纳米探针，可用于纳米结构材料（如纳米线）的传输测量。这种能力将消除对洁净室的需要。该仪器将实现的具体研究课题包括：1)纳米制造特性，用于研究纳米光子学和光学超材料的物理和应用；2)产生纳米空腔，用于激光结晶现象的基础研究；3)生产生物mems器件，用于研究植物根和根区之间的相互作用；4)通过在光刻图案纳米电极上的受限电沉积，生长纳米线和纳米管阵列。V)生产金属氧化物材料的纳米横条阵列，以确定被称为电阻随机存取存储器的新兴固态存储器的可扩展性；vi)纳米制造金属氧化物金属二极管用于能量收集；vii)在超导薄膜上制造元原子阵列，以检查介质的可调谐磁响应；viii)对拓扑绝缘体和超导体进行基本测量。提议的研究可能带来的转变结果包括演示电阻随机存取存储器的尺寸限制，测量金属-氧化物-金属二极管将红外光转换为电能的效率，以及为构建拓扑量子计算机提供必要的基础科学。

Electron beam lithography is a high-vacuum technique that writes nanoscale patterns on a surface using an electron beam. At Missouri S&T, electron beam lithography will be used for the nanomanufacturing of materials, and for the characterization of nanostructured materials produced by other methods. Possible transformational results that will be enabled by the instrumentation include the demonstration of the size limit of an emerging solid-state memory known as resistance random access memory, measuring the efficiency of metal-oxide-metal diodes for converting infrared light into electrical energy, and providing the fundamental science necessary to build a topological quantum computer. The requested instrument will serve as a regional resource to academia and industry. It will be used directly by graduate students and postdoctoral associates under the guidance of a Ph.D. instrument specialist. The instrument will also be invaluable for educational outreach. The Materials Science and Engineering Department annually hosts the ASM/Missouri S&T Materials Camp for 50+ high school juniors and seniors. During this week-long camp, the students will be shown demonstrations of the electron beam lithography facility, and they will use the equipment on select individual projects. As part of their studies, these groups make a presentation to their fellow campers.Electron beam lithography will be used for the nanomanufacturing of materials, and for the characterization of nanostructured materials produced by other methods. The requested instrument offers sub-5 nm linewidth using electron beam lithography resists, and sub-7 nm linewidth using electron-beam induced deposition. It features a high-precision X-Y-Z stage with laser interferometer for X-Y positioning. A gas injection system allows for direct-write, electron-beam induced deposition. The instrument will be fitted with a single gas injection system for the deposition of either tungsten or platinum lines. In addition to nanomanufacturing capabilities, the instrument will be fitted with four nanoprobes that can be used for transport measurements on nanostructured materials such as nanowires. This capability will obviate the need for a clean room. Specific topics of research that will be enabled with the instrumentation include, i) nano-manufacture features for studying the physics and applications of nanophotonics and optical metamaterials, ii) generate nano-cavities for fundamental studies of laser crystallization phenomena, iii) produce bio-MEMS devices to study the interaction between plant roots and root zones, iv) grow nanowire and nanotube arrays through confined electrodeposition on lithographically patterned nanoelectrodes, v) produce nano-crossbar arrays of metal oxide materials to determine the scalability of an emerging solid-state memory known as resistance random access memory, vi) nanomanufacture metal-oxide-metal diodes for energy harvesting, vii) fabricate arrays of meta-atoms on superconducting thin films to examine the tunable magnetic response of the medium, and viii) perform fundamental measurements on topological insulators and superconductors. Possible transformational results from the proposed research include the demonstration of the size limit of resistance random access memory, measuring the efficiency of metal-oxide-metal diodes for converting infrared light into electrical energy, and providing the fundamental science necessary to build a topological quantum computer.