STTR Phase I: Fabrication of Tailored Uniform, Periodic Nanostructures Using Ordered Protein Templates

这项小型企业技术转让(STTR)拨款旨在开发新的、高度可扩展的工艺技术，以使用有序蛋白质模板制造半导体量子点的有序阵列。具有明确孔结构的蛋白质模板与强大的低电子能量蚀刻(LE4)干法蚀刻技术相结合，为直接在衬底中创建纳米级图案提供了理想的掩模。通过沉积在图案化衬底上的吸附原子的自组装，可以直接形成有序的纳米结构。这些技术将被用来制造半导体量子点阵列，从而为商业和军事应用的红外探测带来革命性的变化。量子力学器件的最新发展使下一代光学和电子设备具有更高的性能。然而，量子力学设备也需要有序的周期性纳米结构阵列，这需要新的大面积、可扩展的制造技术在商业上可行。目前，这些纳米结构通常是通过液相沉积(Langmuir-Blodgett膜)或电子束或X射线光刻等一系列蚀刻技术形成的。标准的光刻技术可以产生所需的结构，但它们是连续的(即，每个特征都是一次一个地制造的)，限制了现实的大规模制造。创造量子点结构的新型纳米制造技术将使下一代红外探测器的性能超过现有的半导体设备。改进的红外设备可能会给热成像和夜视应用带来革命性的变化，如军事和民用监视和安全、消防中的穿透烟雾应用，以及对被埋在倒塌建筑中的人的热成像。

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant aims to develop novel, high scalable, process technology to fabricate ordered arrays of semiconductor quantum dots using ordered protein templates. Protein templates with well-defined pore structures combined with powerful low electron energy etching (LE4) dry etch techniques provide an ideal mask to create nanoscale patterns directly in the substrate. Well-ordered nanostructures can ten be formed directly by self-assembly of adatoms deposited onto the patterned substrate. These techniques will be used to create semiconductor quantum dot arrays than can revolutionize infrared detection for both commercial and military applications.Recent developments in quantum mechanical devices enable the next generation of optical and electrical devices with improved performance. Quantum mechanical devices, however, also require ordered periodic nanostructured arrays that require new large area, scalable fabrication technologies to be commercially viable. Currently, these nanostructures are typically formed by either liquid phase deposition (Langmuir-Blodgett films) or serial etching techniques such as e-beam or x-ray lithography. Standard lithography techniques produce the desired structures, but are serial (i.e., each features is made one at a time, one after the other) limiting realistic large-scale fabrication. Novel nanofabrication technologies to create quantum dot structures would allow the next generation of infrared detectors that would outperform existing semiconductor devices. Improved infrared devices could revolutionize thermal imaging and night vision applications such as military and civilian surveillance and security, see-through-smoke applications in firefighting, and thermal imaging of people buried in collapsed buildings.