NIRT: Nanostructured Surfaces with Long-Range Order for Controlled Self-Assembly

该项目将开发一类称为“模板自组装”的方法，控制表面纳米结构的生长和自组装。这将使得能够在基板上的精确位置形成单分散纳米级特征。这项工作将成为设计利用量子点和其他纳米级物体特性的新设备的一项技术，其中控制特征的大小和空间位置对于优化性能至关重要。我们的目标是使用光刻调制基板表面的功能周期性的顺序为100纳米，形成模板的生长和自组装的纳米结构。在这个过程中，光刻不是用来形成纳米结构本身，而是用来形成模板，该模板将在特定位置“播种”纳米结构的形成。纳米结构的尺寸将比模板的周期小得多。该项目的目标是开发由外延应变、表面化学或形貌控制的纳米级半导体和金属岛阵列的模板自组装。岛的形成将通过气相沉积和亚稳态连续固体膜的自发聚集来实现。这项工作将由麻省理工学院的一个跨学科研究小组与IBM和桑迪亚国家实验室合作，与一组学生和一名博士后研究人员合作进行。外展工作包括通过开发网站和其他科学传播途径，包括本科生的参与以及其他活动，如学校访问，向公众宣传纳米技术。研究将集中在纳米级半导体和金属岛阵列的模板自组装，由外延应变，表面化学或地形控制。所得到的有序的纳米级岛阵列将在包括涉及等离子体线的光学活性结构和图案化磁记录介质的设备中具有技术相关性。一系列其他应用也将受益于该提案中开发的方法;例如基于半导体量子点阵列的光学器件。这项工作的教育目标是促进公众对纳米技术的理解和培训熟练的研究人员。

This project will develop a class of methods known as 'templated self-assembly' that control the growth and self-assembly of nanostructures on surfaces. This will enable formation of monodisperse nanoscale features in precise positions on a substrate. This work will be an enabling technology in the design of new devices that utilize the properties of quantum dots and other nanoscale objects, in which the control of the sizes and spatial positions of the features is paramount in optimizing performance. The objective is to use lithography to modulate substrate surfaces with features of periodicity of order 100 nm, to form templates for the growth and self-assembly of nanostructures. In this process, lithography is not used to form the nanostructures themselves, but instead is used to form a template that will 'seed' the formation of nanostructures in particular locations. The nanostructures will be considerably smaller in size than the period of the template. The goal of the project is to develop the templated self-assembly of arrays of nanoscale semiconductor and metal islands controlled by epitaxial strain, surface chemistry or topography. The island formation will be achieved using both the deposition from the vapor phase and by the spontaneous agglomeration of metastable coninuous sold films. This work will be carried out by an interdisciplinary team of researchers from MIT in collaboration with IBM and Sandia National Laboratories working with a group of students and a postdoctoral researcher. The outreach involves a communication effort designed to inform the general public about nanotechnology through development of a web site and other scientific communication avenues, including the involvement of undergraduate students as well as other activities such as school visits.%%%The research will be focussed on the templated self-assembly of arrays of nanoscale semiconductor and metal islands controlled by epitaxial strain, surface chemistry or topography. The resulting well-ordered nanoscale island arrays will have technological relevance in devices that include optically active structures involving plasmon wires, and patterned magnetic recording media. A range of other applications will also benefit from the methods developed in this proposal; for instance optical devices based on arrays of semiconductor quantum dots. The educational goals of this work are to contribute to the public understanding of nanotechnology and to the training of skilled researchers.***