REU Site: Scalable Nanomanufacturing of Complex Materials

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This Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site, Scalable Nanomanufacturing of Complex Materials, hosted by Penn State University, University Park, provides a diverse cohort of undergraduate students with an opportunity to work on next generation materials and devices that will underpin the future of microelectronics research and also participate in a focused professional development and mentoring program. As industry projects the end of Moore's law in terms of device scaling, "More than Moore" approaches which utilize new materials to enable new functionalities will become increasingly critical. This REU site will enable ten students annually to work in the field of advanced nanomanufacturing in state-of-the-art user facilities. Emphasis will be placed on developing processes and models for deposition and patterning of emerging materials with complex chemistries that change the available palette of functions for semiconductors, sensors, and actuators. The program builds on Penn State expertise in the areas of two-dimensional chalcogenides for applications in next generation electronics as well as integrated piezoelectrics and pyroelectrics. While the materials described above are interesting in and of themselves, combinations of these two classes of materials: the 2D chalcogenides and high strain piezoelectrics based on complex oxides should enable low power computation for wearable devices and the Internet of Things, CMOS-compatible actuation voltages for miniaturized medical ultrasound transducers, adjustable optics, self-powered sensors, conformable electronics, and RF electronics. This REU program is hosted by the co-located Penn State Nanofabrication facility and the 2D Crystal Consortium- Materials Innovation Platform facility, whose faculty, students, and staff will work with a diverse cohort of ten undergraduate students annually selected from institutions across the nation to conduct research in the field of heterogeneous integration of complex materials in a nanomanufacturing environment. Long-term skills imparted will include the development and testing of a scientific hypothesis, practice in oral and written scientific communication, and management of scientific data. Through engagement with industry partners, the REU participants will gain perspective on research career pathways beyond academia and be exposed to the organization and operational infrastructure of an industrial research facility in industrial R&D, manufacturing and management. Students will be paired with faculty and trained graduate student mentors in an environment for which the team has a long track record of success in recruiting and inspiring diverse undergraduate populations. Special recruitment efforts will be made to encourage applicants from academic institutions where research programs are limited, female students, students with disabilities, students who are veterans of the U.S. Armed Services and underrepresented minority students.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.