Collaborative Research: "Green" Nanolithography Using Protein-based Photoresists

合作研究：使用蛋白质光刻胶的“绿色”纳米光刻

• 批准号: 1562915
• 负责人: Mengkun Liu
• 金额: $ 4.99万
• 依托单位: SUNY at Stony Brook
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-06-01 至 2019-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1562915&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Green; Nanolithography; Using

There is an urgent need to reduce the use of noxious chemicals as photoresists and developing solvents during lithographic processes in conventional nanofabrication. This collaborative research award addresses this fundamental issue in nano-manufacturing by using bio-compatible protein as the photoresist, eliminating the need of hazardous chemicals during micro/nano-lithography and reducing the associated safety costs. It will also facilitate the understanding of the fundamental mechanism of the interaction between biopolymer proteins and incident radiation, that is, changes in proteins upon exposure to light. The knowledge obtained of the physical and chemical properties of protein-based biopolymers is expected to be widely applicable to protein-photon, protein-electron and protein-ion lithography processes, paving the way for the next generation "green" nanomanufacturing. The collaboration between the two institutions combines their strengths in nano-fabrication and nano-characterization, respectively, and provides unique educational opportunities to a diverse group of undergraduate and graduate students. This includes educational activities comprising curriculum development, recruitment and retention of under-represented students, and outreach to schools. The collaborative research results will be broadly disseminated through technical publications, conferences and workshops, regular and short courses.A set of protein-based biopolymers - including regenerated natural and recombinant proteins - will be analyzed in thin-film form to evaluate their suitability as the resist materials for nanolithography with only water as the developing solvent. Comprehensive studies of the physical and chemical properties of these biopolymers will be conducted at the nanoscale using scanning electron microscopy and scanning near-field optical microscopy to assess their resist performance under different lithographic conditions. The uses of protein-based biopolymers as resist and template materials for large-scale nanomanufacturing (e.g. roll-to-roll nanoimprinting) will be investigated as well. The research will also provide a new, cost-effective and eco-friendly methodology not only for pattern transferring but also for fabricating nanostructures that can serve as biointerfaces with the same or better resolution than conventional lithographic methods. This research, when implemented with high resolution characterization and lithography procedures, will find numerous applications including but not limited to biosensors, biophotonics, and biostructures for tissue engineering owing to the inherently superior biocompatibility compared to synthetic counterparts.

在传统的纳米制造工艺中，迫切需要减少有害化学物质作为光刻剂和显影溶剂的使用。该合作研究奖通过使用生物相容性蛋白质作为光刻胶来解决纳米制造中的这一基本问题，消除了微/纳米光刻过程中对危险化学品的需求，并降低了相关的安全成本。这也将有助于理解生物聚合物蛋白质与入射辐射之间相互作用的基本机制，即蛋白质在暴露于光下的变化。对蛋白质基生物聚合物的物理和化学性质的了解有望广泛应用于蛋白质-光子、蛋白质-电子和蛋白质光刻工艺，为下一代“绿色”纳米制造铺平道路。两所大学的合作结合了各自在纳米制造和纳米表征方面的优势，并为不同群体的本科生和研究生提供了独特的教育机会。这包括教育活动，包括课程开发，招募和保留代表性不足的学生，以及向学校推广。合作研究成果将通过技术出版物、会议和讲习班、定期和短期课程广泛传播。一组基于蛋白质的生物聚合物——包括再生的天然蛋白质和重组蛋白质——将以薄膜形式进行分析，以评估它们作为纳米光刻的抗蚀剂材料的适用性，仅用水作为显影溶剂。在纳米尺度下，利用扫描电子显微镜和扫描近场光学显微镜对这些生物聚合物的物理和化学性质进行全面研究，以评估其在不同光刻条件下的抗蚀性能。蛋白质基生物聚合物作为抗蚀剂和模板材料用于大规模纳米制造（如卷对卷纳米压印）也将被研究。这项研究还将提供一种新的、经济的、环保的方法，不仅用于模式转移，而且用于制造纳米结构，这些纳米结构可以作为生物界面，具有与传统光刻方法相同或更好的分辨率。这项研究，当实施高分辨率表征和光刻程序时，将发现许多应用，包括但不限于生物传感器，生物光子学和组织工程的生物结构，因为与合成对应物相比，其固有的生物相容性更好。