CAREER: Scalable Maskless Patterning of Nanostructures Using High-Speed Scanning Probe Arrays

这项教师早期职业发展（CAREER）资助将研究一种高速、低成本进行纳米级图案化的新工艺。纳米级图案化是定义关键尺寸和几何形状的关键过程，主要用于制造重要的半导体产品，如微处理器和数据存储设备。许多研究表明，纳米级图案有可能彻底改变我们日常生活中使用的各种产品的功能。然而，用于大规模生产这些器件的工具通常每个都要花费数千万美元，并且只有成熟的半导体工业才能负担得起。该奖项支持基础研究，为开发新的低成本纳米级图案化工艺提供所需的知识，这将使新型纳米技术产品的大规模生产成为可能，适用于能源，医疗保健，民用，国防和安全领域的各种应用。该方法名义上被称为“动态图案化”，涉及以高速扫描电子或光学探针阵列以在基底上形成各种几何形状的纳米结构。这项研究的结果将在许多应用中提供经济的未开发的微小长度尺度，对美国经济和社会产生重大影响。这项研究涉及多个学科，包括制造，光学，化学和材料科学。该奖项将创造一个多学科的环境，帮助扩大代表性不足的群体对研究的参与，并对工程教育产生积极影响。使用扫描探针的纳米制造已经随着不同技术和不同成熟程度的发展而激增。高速扫描探针阵列的能力可以将基于扫描探针的技术的独特优势转化为可扩展的纳米制造技术。然而，要实现这一转变，还需要克服一些基本和技术障碍，包括绕过光学衍射极限、探针阵列的快速扫描和高功率下的探针操作。一些屏障对于其他纳米级图案化工艺也是常见的，因为它们需要通过以高速和高功率利用大量并行图案化装置来克服它们的生产量瓶颈。本研究旨在填补高速探针阵列产生奈米图案机制的知识空白。光耦合原理使用失配表面等离子体和避雷针效应来实现纳米级的有效能量集中。该研究团队将进行综合的数值和实验研究，以了解纳米级强能量输入驱动的微观机制，设计和实现探针阵列的高速扫描，以实现高通量和高分辨率图案化，并证明这种新工艺的可行性和兼容性。

This Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) grant will investigate a novel process to perform nanoscale patterning at high speed and low cost. Nanoscale patterning is the key process of defining critical dimensions and geometries mainly used to manufacture important semiconductor products such as microprocessors and data storage devices. Many studies have shown that nanoscale patterning has the potential to revolutionize the functions of a broad range of products that we use in our daily lives. However tools for mass production of these devices usually cost tens of millions of U.S. dollars each and are affordable only to the established semiconductor industry. This award supports fundamental research to provide needed knowledge for the development of a new low-cost process for nanoscale patterning, which will enable mass production of new kinds of nanotechnology-enabled products for a wide variety of applications in energy, healthcare, civil, defense and security. Nominally called "pattern-on-the-fly", the method involves scanning an array of electrical or optical probes at high speed to form nanostructures of various geometries on a substrate. The results of this research will provide economical access to untapped tiny length scales in many applications with significant impacts on U.S. economy and society. This research involves several disciplines including manufacturing, optics, chemistry, and materials science. This award will create a multi-disciplinary environment to help broaden participation of underrepresented groups in research and positively impact engineering education.Nanoscale fabrication using scanning probes has proliferated with diverse techniques and varying degrees of maturity. The capability of scanning probe arrays at high speed can transform the unique strength of scanning probe-based techniques into a scalable nanomanufacturing technology. However, several fundamental and technical barriers are yet to be overcome to achieve this transformation, including circumventing the optical diffraction limit, fast scanning of probe arrays and operating of probes at high power. Some of the barriers are also common to other nanoscale patterning processes as they need to overcome their throughput bottlenecks by utilizing a massive number of parallel patterning devices at high speed and high power. This research is to fill the knowledge gap on the mechanisms of nanoscale pattern generation using high-speed probe arrays. The optical coupling principle uses mismatched surface plasmons and lightning-rod effects to achieve efficient energy concentration at nanoscale. The research team will perform integrated numerical and experimental studies to understand the microscopic mechanisms driven by strong energy input at nanoscale, design and implement the high-speed scanning of probe arrays for high throughput and fine resolution patterning, and demonstrate the feasibility and compatibility of this new process for targeted applications.