NER: Elliptically-Polarized-Surface-Wave-Scattering-Based Diagnosis of Self-Assembly and Nano-Fabrication

本研究的目的是开发和测试一种新的诊断系统，通过椭圆偏振表面波散射来表征纳米尺寸（直径5-10 nm）颗粒和结构的自组装。通过这种方法，可以监测表面上纳米颗粒的形成，同时改变溶液化学以实现最佳颗粒分散。这是通过测量不同偏振设置下散射表面波的角分布来实现的。从本质上讲，表面波对薄金属膜附近的颗粒和物体更敏感;因此，它们的散射模式允许更准确地检测纳米尺寸的颗粒，并且超出了传统光散射方法所能实现的范围。拟议的诊断工具可能是许多纳米制造技术的重要组成部分，预计在未来几十年内将显着增长。这种工具的应用将是众多的，并将包括电子，散装材料制造，膜合成，纳米机械系统，以及DNA筛选等不同的研究领域。这种技术将允许强大的在线诊断工具，这可能是用于自组装纳米结构的真实的时间反馈控制的建设，并可能提供一个更便宜的替代传统的电子和原子力显微镜测量。该研究项目可能会对整个社会产生重大的间接影响，因为它将有助于降低成本，提高基于纳米颗粒的设备，工具和制造应用的可靠性。

The objective of this research is to develop and test a novel diagnostic system to characterize self-assembly of nano-size (5-10 nm in diameter) particles and structures via elliptically-polarized surface-wave scattering. With this approach, the formation of nano particles on a surface can be monitored while the solution chemistry is altered for optimal particle dispersion. This is achieved by measuring the angular profiles of scattered surface waves at different polarization settings. By nature, the surface waves are more sensitive to particles and objects near a thin metallic film; therefore, their scattering patterns allow the detection of nano-size particles more accurately and beyond what the traditional light scattering approaches can achieve. The proposed diagnostic tool is likely to be an important and integral part of many nano-fabrication techniques, which are projected to grow significantly over the next several decades. Applications of such a tool will be numerous, and will include as diverse research areas as electronics, bulk material fabrication, membrane synthesis, nano-mechanical systems, as well as DNA screening. This technique will allow the construction of powerful on-line diagnostic tools, which may be used for real time feedback control of self-assembled nanostructures, and may provide a much less expensive alternative to the traditional electron and atomic-force microscopy measurements. This research project is likely to have a significant indirect impact on the society at large, as it will be instrumental in reducing the costs and improving the reliability of nanoparticle-based devices, tools and manufacturing applications.