Precision Dry Etching of 2D Materials: 2DETCH

范围：纳米技术是大多数现代技术的核心，从航空航天和汽车工业到光电子学再到外科植入物。纳米制造依赖于许多基本步骤，包括材料生长、器件图案化和电触点沉积。在过去的十年里，二维材料及其异质结构已经发展成为一个多学科的大领域。它们独特的电子、光学、机械和热学特性导致它们在纳米技术的关键领域表现出新颖和改进的性能，如可持续能源生产和存储、传感器、低功率电子、通信和量子技术。目前正在欧盟、中国、韩国和美国投资数十亿美元，以扩大过渡2DM技术所需的基础设施，以满足这些应用的需求。愿景：该提案将提供关键的实验性蚀刻能力，以确保英国在2D材料纳米制造方面保持世界领先地位。我们建议购买一种新的最先进的干法蚀刻系统，能够以原子尺度的精度蚀刻各层。该工具是首批允许原子层蚀刻(ALE)的商业仪器之一，并将实现可控的逐层2D材料去除，这在英国任何地方都无法实现。我们将制定协议和方法，以实现关键2D材料的ALE功能，并通过各种表征工具对结果进行实验验证。该仪器既将提供新的研究能力，又将取代国家石墨烯研究所目前的RIE系统，该系统已达到使用寿命的末期(15年)，以执行一系列已经确立的任务。拟议的工具将嵌入一个世界领先的2 DM卓越中心，并有专门的工作人员支持。通过Royce Access计划，整个英国2D材料界都可以使用它，为基础研究创造新的机会，并支持2D材料应用的工业发展。新的蚀刻平台将拥有以下针对2 DM应用的关键重点领域：低功率电子学和量子技术：新的蚀刻机将提供塑造纳米级器件的能力，具有高度的可调性，但也可以在晶片规模上成形，并精确控制厚度、界面和电接触。可持续能源生成和存储：该设施将能够制造2 DM模型表面，以对其在电极和催化中的功能产生新的理解。它还将允许合成和应用模型纳米孔膜，以产生燃料电池和电解槽的最佳几何结构的新知识。用于健康生活的生物分子传感器：拟议的能力将促进具有埃大小通道的纳米流体设备的创建，为纳米级化学传感、分子筛分和生物分子分析提供前所未有的机会。为了实现这一目标，关键目标是：开发和基准新的世界领先的用于原子层蚀刻的2D二维蚀刻能力。为了成功地将所有当前的2D蚀刻过渡到新系统，展示同等或改进的性能。为了为不同的材料系统生成一套可靠的协议，通过消除当前执行多次重复蚀刻的要求来提高效率，只是为了优化制造条件。向整个英国2D材料社区宣传新功能，如果需要添加程序，以确保系统在所有应用领域的广泛使用。

Scope: Nanotechnology lies at the heart of most modern technologies, from aerospace and automotive industries to optoelectronics through to surgical implants. Nanofabrication relies on a number of essential steps, including materials growth, device patterning and deposition of electrical contacts. In the last decade, 2D Materials (2DM) and their heterostructures have developed into a large multidisciplinary field. Their unique electronic, optical, mechanical and thermal properties have led to their use to demonstrate novel and improved performance in key areas of nanotechnology such as sustainable energy production and storage, sensors, low power electronics, communications and quantum technologies. Many billions of dollars are currently being invested in the EU, China, Korea and USA to scale up the infrastructure needed to transition 2DM technology to meet the demands of these applications.Vision: This proposal will provide a key experimental etching capability necessary to ensure that the UK remains a world leader in 2D materials nanofabrication. We propose to purchase a new state-of-the-art dry etching system, with capabilities to etch layers with atomic scale precision. This tool is one of the first commercial instruments allowing for atomic layer etching (ALE) and will enable controllable layer-by-layer 2D materials removal, currently not available anywhere in the UK. We will develop protocols and methodology to enable ALE functionality for key 2D materials and experimentally verify the results with a wide range of characterisation tools. The instrument will both provide new research capabilities and replace the current RIE system at National Graphene Institute which has reached the end of its life (15 years) to perform a broad range of already established tasks. The proposed instrument will be embedded in a world-leading centre of excellence for 2DM with dedicated staff support. It will be accessible to the whole UK 2D materials community through the Royce access scheme creating new opportunities for fundamental studies and supporting industrial development of 2D materials applications.The new etching platform will have the following key focus areas for 2DM applications:Low Power Electronics and Quantum Technologies: the new etcher will provide the ability to shape nanoscale devices with a high degree of tuneability but also at the wafer scale, with precise control of thicknesses, interfaces and electrical contacts.Sustainable Energy Generation and Storage: This facility will enable fabrication of model 2DM surfaces to generate new understanding of their function in electrodes and catalysis. It will also allow model nanoporous membranes to be synthesised and applied to generate new knowledge of their optimal geometries for fuel cells and in electrolysers.Biomolecular Sensors for Healthy Living: The proposed capability will advance creation of nanofluidic devices with angstrom-sized channels that enable unprecedented opportunities for nanoscale chemical sensing, molecular sieving and biomolecular analysis.To achieve this, the key objectives are:To develop and benchmark new world-leading capabilities for Atomic Layer Etching of 2DM.To successfully transition all current 2D etching to the new system, demonstrating equal or improved performance.To generate a suite of reliable protocols for different materials systems, providing improved efficiency by removing the current requirements to perform many repeat etchings simply to optimise fabrication conditions.Advertise the new capabilities to the whole UK 2D materials community, adding procedures if required in order to ensure broad usage of the system across the full range of application areas.