MRI: Acquisition of a Nanoscribe nano3d Printer/Optical Lithography System

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Non-technical abstract: Growing research needs across many disciplines demand new patterning and fabrication techniques that extend into the third dimension. The Nanoscribe Photonic Professional GT system meets those needs, acting as a 3d printer with resolution down to features 500 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. This tool will be the first of its kind in Texas, and will enable transformative research in diverse science and engineering areas including optoelectronics, energy storage materials, neuroscience, lab-on-a-chip applications, tissue engineering, and cancer biology. The Nanoscribe will be included in the Rice Excellence in Secondary Science Teaching (RESST) program that impacts teachers and students in the largest school district in Texas and the 7th largest in the nation, which has an enrollment of 88% Hispanic and African American students. In addition, this tool will impact separately funded Research Experience for Teachers (RET) and Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) projects on campus. Lastly, this nanofabrication tool will also be available for hands-on instruction in 20 nanotechnology-related courses already being offered at Rice. The Nanoscribe will be a regional hub for nanofabrication in the third dimension, and a component of training the next generation of a diverse technological workforce.Technical abstract:The Nanoscribe Photonic Professional GT system acquired through the MRI program is able to function as either a 3d additive manufacturing system or as a direct-write, maskless, 2-photon photopatterning tool with 150 nm feature sizes and 3d positioning. This tool will be the first of its kind in Texas, and will enable transformative research in diverse science and engineering areas including optoelectronics, energy storage materials, neuroscience, lab-on-a-chip applications, tissue engineering, and cancer biology. The Nanoscribe will be overseen through Rice's faculty-centric approach to shared research infrastructure that currently manages several facilities. This stewardship ensures best user training practices, accessibility for external academic and industrial users, and a stable financial basis for ongoing operations, including staff support. The Nanoscribe will be a regional hub for the growth of nanofabrication into the third dimension.