Collaborative Research: Fabrication of Functional Oxide Nanotubes and Nanorods for Nanoelectromechanical Devices

一维纳米结构，如纳米管和纳米棒，既可以作为微型化器件，也可以作为电互连，因此可能成为纳米电子和机械的重要组成部分。本项目旨在研究二元氧化物半导体氧化锌纳米管和纳米棒的可控生长及其在纳米机电中的应用。这项研究的目标包括：控制制备直径从几十纳米到几微米，长度从几微米到几百微米的二元半导体(压电)氧化锌纳米管和纳米棒。片上组装氧化锌纳米结构制备片上纳米谐振器。芯片上纳米谐振器的机械、电气和机电特性的表征。基于氧化锌纳米管和纳米棒的压电性设计、建模和表征用于射频和微波频率通信应用的纳米谐振器。本研究的预期成果包括：系统地研究了二元氧化物纳米管和纳米棒的可控制备，开发了用于制造纳米器件的创新的片上组装技术，并表征了这些新型片上纳米谐振器的机电性能。本研究的潜在技术应用包括片上纳米器件和系统，包括用于射频和微波频率控制的纳米谐振器，用于传感器应用的纳米谐振器，以及用于光学器件的纳米谐振器等。所提出的制造工艺方法也可用于制造其他二元半导体纳米材料，如AlN，GaN，研究氧化锌纳米结构的压电性或纳米机电性能及其规模化趋势，将为传统块体材料和微米材料所不能达到的应用提供纳米器件设计和制备的基础。对教育和培训的更广泛影响将包括：通过匹兹堡大学现在投资计划和多样性和少数族裔工程计划，在每个暑期学期为K-12学生和代表性不足的本科生提供动手研究培训机会；培训本科生和研究生纳米材料和纳米机电设备的制造和应用；将氧化物纳米结构和设备的制造作为纳米制造组件纳入当前的微制造实验课程。

One-dimensional nanostructures such as nanotubes and nanorods can function as miniaturized devices as well as electrical interconnect, thus may become important building blocks for nanoscale electronics and mechanics. This project proposes to study the controlled growth of binary oxide semiconductor ZnO nanotubes and nanorods, and their applications in nanoelectromechanics. The objectives of this research include: Controlled fabrication of binary semiconductor (piezoelectric) ZnO nanotubes and nanorods with diameter from a few tens of nanometers to a few micrometers, and length from a few microns to a few hundred microns. On-chip assembly of ZnO nano-structures to fabricate on-chip nano-resonators. Characterization of mechanical, electrical, and electromechanical properties of on-chip nano-resonators. Design, modeling and characterization of nano-resonators based on the piezoelectric properties of ZnO nanotubes and nanorods for RF and microwave frequency communication applications. The expected outcomes of this research include a systematic study for controlled fabrication of binary oxide nanotubes and nanorods, a development of innovative on-chip assembling techniques for manufacturing nanodevices, and the characterization of the electromechanical properties of these novel on-chip nano-resonators.The potential technical applications of this research include on-chip nano-devices and systems including nano-resonators, nano-electro-mechanical filters for RF and microwave frequency control applications, nano-resonators for sensor applications, as well as for optical device applications, etc. The proposed fabrication processing methods can be applied for manufacturing other binary semiconductor nano-materials, such as AlN, GaN, etc. The study of piezoelectric or nanoelectromechanical properties and their scaling trend of zinc oxide nanostructures will provide fundamental understanding of nanoscale device design and fabrication for applications that conventional bulk materials and micro-scale materials could not reach. The broader impacts to education and training will include: Providing hands-on research training opportunities for K-12 students and underrepresented undergraduate students in each summer semester through University of Pittsburgh INVEST NOW program and the Diversity and Minority Engineering Programs; Training undergraduate and graduate researchers on the fabrication and applications of nanomaterials and nanoelectromechanical devices; Incorporating the fabrication of oxide nanostructures and devices into the current Microfabrication Lab course as a nanofabrication component.