MRI: Acquisition of a High-Speed Lithography Tool for Research and Education at the University of Hawaii

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This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award supports the acquisition of a state-of-the-art high-speed maskless lithography tool to enable fundamental research in microscale and nanoscale science and engineering at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM). The instrumentation will enable new research collaborations--both within the University and with the broader community--in microfluidics, sensors, nanosystems, and biomedical systems. Fabrication of sophisticated, multiplexed, scalable microfluidic and nanofluidic devices will enable advancement of reconfigurable liquid-metal-based electrical circuits, in vitro testing of drug delivery, chemical-enhanced oil recovery, and water purification. The MRI award creates new opportunities for science and engineering training through hands-on student research projects and enhanced outreach activities, particularly for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students. The ability to generate high-resolution, controlled mechanical and electrical interfaces is essential for research in engineering, biosciences, and applied physics. The advanced fabrication pathways established by this award will enable fundamental research on nanosystems, energy transport, and manufacturing of reconfigurable devices. Precise lithographic patterning achieved with the instrumentation allows study of fundamental energy transport properties and behaviors, which are needed to expand the library of materials for energy conversion and storage. Patterning of electrodes and other material structures also offers the means to elucidate electrical effects on nanomaterial surface properties, which are fundamental to advancing device miniaturization in nanomanufacturing. Rapid large-scale patterning of microfluidic structures enables research in manufacturing of highly deformable structures and advanced optical features that are needed for wearable biomedical sensors.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.