Collaborative Research: Development Of Nano-Electrical Discharge Machining (NANO-EDM) For Advanced Manufacturing

这项拨款为开发用于纳米级切削的电火花加工（EDM）工艺提供资金，即“自上而下”的纳米级加工。最初的实验已经成功地证明了这种技术方法的可行性，即在云母上沉积的原子平面金上加工40 nm（直径）× 30 nm（深）的圆形通孔。拟议的纳米电火花加工工艺提供了一个独特而有意义的机会，以低成本（根据目前的预测，10 × 10孔每孔0.25美分）和超高速（目前的速度是25 nm直径× 15 nm深孔2孔/分钟）书写精确的纳米结构，如过孔，不像既定的工艺，如聚焦离子束（FIB）和电子束光刻（EBL）。研究人员将从理论上和实验上探讨工艺条件的作用，并研究各种介质中放电能量密度、电压脉冲持续时间和刀尖与工件电极之间的放电间隙的影响。亚利桑那大学和UNL之间的独特合作将在纳米机械加工、纳米尺度测量、表面科学以及宏观和微观电火花加工等相关领域带来跨学科的专业知识和实验室资源。纳米电火花加工的成功将使业界能够在非真空环境下研究导电和半导体材料的范围。纳米电火花加工将有助于广泛的新兴应用，即用于互连的纳米通孔，单DNA检测设备制造等。为了对社会产生更广泛的影响，pi计划在“制造纳米机械加工”领域开设一门课程。在拟议的研究中，将特别强调培训代表性不足的少数民族。pi将与地区学校和社区学院建立伙伴关系。今天，培训是不可避免的，特别是在中西部的制造业社区，以创造和保留新的高薪纳米制造相关工作。

This grant provides funding to develop electrical discharge machining (EDM) process for nanometer scale cutting, "top-down" nanoscale machining. Initial experiments have successfully demonstrated feasibility of this technical approach to machine 40 nm (diameter) by 30 nm (deep) circular vias in atomically flat gold deposited on mica. Proposed nano-EDM process offers a unique and cogent opportunity to write precise nano structures, such as vias, at low cost (0.25 cent/hole according to current projection for a batch of 10x10 holes) and ultra high speed (currently the speed is 2 holes/minute for 25 nm dia x 15 nm deep hole), unlike the established processes such as focused ion-beam (FIB) and electron beam lithography (EBL). The investigators will explore theoretically and experimentally the role of process conditions and study effect of discharge energy density, voltage pulse duration, and discharge gap between the tool tip and the workpiece electrodes in various media. The unique collaboration between the U of A and UNL will bring interdisciplinary expertise and laboratory resources in related fields of nano mechanical machining, nano scale measurements, surface science and macro- and micro-EDM.The success of nano-EDM will practically allow the industry to work on gamut of electrically conducting as well as semiconducting materials in a non-vacuum environment. Nano-EDM will be instrumental for a wide range of emerging applications viz. nano vias for interconnects, single DNA detection device fabrication, etc. Further in the broader impact to the society, the PIs plan to introduce a course in the area of "Nano Mechanical Machining for Manufacturing". In the proposed research, the special emphasis will be to train underrepresented minorities. PIs will build partnerships with area schools and community colleges. Training is inevitable today, to the manufacturing community particularly in the Midwest, to create and retain new high paid nanomanufacturing related jobs in US.