NIRT: Electron Beam Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) - A New Tool for Manufacturing Nanomaterials and Devices

这个纳米级跨学科研究团队(NIRT)的研究项目的目标是：1)开发一种新型的纳米级制造工具，利用EB-CVD、电子束表面增强或蚀刻；2)通过建模和实验，对控制沉积、表面增强和蚀刻的物理、化学和材料现象有一个基本的了解；3)确定一套关键材料的工艺-纳米结构-性能关系，这将有助于制造先进的纳米材料和器件，包括将纳米材料与微系统集成。纳米材料和器件为许多重要的民用和军事应用提供了巨大的希望，但它们的制造往往被证明是有问题的。同样，将纳米结构与微系统或其他纳米结构相结合是从单一结构制造过渡到真正的纳米制造的主要障碍之一。这项研究的重点是一种极有潜力解决这些问题的技术--电子束化学气相沉积或简称EB-CVD。具体地说，将开发两种电子束工艺。两者都能够通过EB-CVD沉积金属和陶瓷，并且在性质上是互补的。第一种工艺使用紧密聚焦的电子束，即束直径小到1 nm，以实现所制造结构的高空间分辨率。第二种工艺使用宽光束，并依靠建设性和破坏性干涉来实现大面积的图案化，从而实现高产量制造。这两种工艺的巧妙结合提供了一个独特的机会，通过计算机控制窄聚焦和宽光束相对于衬底的同时移动来制造非常复杂的结构。这项研究的成功完成将产生重大的广泛影响。它将加深对电子束CVD的基本理解，并为关键材料的沉积、表面增强和蚀刻提供细节，从而允许大量制造先进的纳米材料和器件，包括微电子、光子学、传感器、纳米催化剂和纳米/微混合系统。EB-CVD系统将成为全校纳米制造研究的中心。研究方法和成果将转化为产业，并纳入本科生和研究生课程。将努力确保将女性和代表不足的少数族裔、K-12、REU和研究生包括在内。

The goals of this Nanoscale Interdisciplinary Research Team (NIRT) research project are: 1) To develop a novel nanoscale manufacturing tool that utilizes EB-CVD, electron beam surface enhancement, or etching; 2) To obtain a fundamental understanding, via modeling and experimentation, of the physical, chemical, and materials phenomena that control deposition, surface enhancement, and etching; 3) To identify process-nanostructure-property relationships for a key set of materials that will permit fabrication of advanced nanoscale materials and devices, including integrating nanomaterials with microsystems. Nanoscale materials and devices offer great promise for many important civilian and military applications, but their fabrication often proves problematic. Similarly, integrating nanostructures with microsystems or other nano structures is one of the main roadblocks to transitioning from single structure fabrication to true nanomanufacturing. This research focuses on a technology that has an excellent potential for solving these problems -- Electron Beam Chemical Vapor Deposition or simply EB-CVD. Specifically, two electron beam processes will be developed. Both are capable of depositing metals and ceramics by EB-CVD and are complimentary in nature. The first process uses a tightly focused electron beam, i.e., beam diameters as small as 1 nm, to achieve high spatial resolution of the fabricated structures. The second process uses a broad beam and relies on constructive and destructive interference to permit patterning of large areas, leading to high throughput manufacturing. The judicious combination of these two processes offers a unique opportunity to manufacture very complex structures by computer-controlled concurrent movement of the narrowly focused and broad beams relative to the substrate.Successful completion of this research will have significant broad impact. It will further the basic understanding of electron beam CVD and provide specifics for the deposition, surface enhancement, and etching of key materials permitting high volume fabrication of advanced nanoscale materials and devices, including microelectronics, photonics, sensors, nanocatalysts, and hybrid nano/micro systems. The EB-CVD systems will be centers for campus-wide nanomanufacturing research. Research methods and results will be transitioned to industry as well as incorporated into undergraduate and graduate courses. Effort will be made to ensure that female and underrepresented minority, K-12, REU, and graduate students are included.