CAREER: Controlled Positioning of Nanoparticles and the Parallel Fabrication of Single Electron Devices

本研究的目的是开发在CMOS技术框架内可靠地制造单电子器件的新技术。该方法是通过1)在有机分子的自组装单层（SAMs）上控制纳米粒子的定位，2)通过沉积、氧化和间隔层形成的组合来实现电极的纳米级定位，以及3)系统地研究单电子通过纳米粒子和隧道势垒的隧穿。新的制造技术基于现有的CMOS技术，从而实现可靠、并行和实用的单电子器件制造，它们之间相互连接，也与外部宏观世界相连。该计划的更广泛影响是教育和技术。学生们将通过参与研究直接接受广泛的培训，一门跨学科课程“纳米技术的当前主题”将提供“动手”实验室，使来自不同学科的学生受益。该项目还将提供“动手”科学营，K-12学生和教师将直接接触尖端设备和洁净室设施。随着教育的好处，技术对我们的社会和经济的好处将是巨大的。这项新技术将生产超灵敏的传感器，可以在分子水平上检测生物和化学材料，这有助于保护我们的国家免受恐怖主义袭击，并为疾病提供更好的诊断工具。此外，这项新技术将生产出具有超低功耗的下一代设备，在商业、军事和太空应用方面具有巨大潜力。

The objective of this research is to develop new techniques which can reliably fabricate single electron devices within the framework of CMOS technology. The approach is to fabricate single electron devices through 1) controlled positioning of nanoparticles on Self-Assembled Monolayers (SAMs) of organic molecules, 2) nanoscale positioning of electrodes through the combination of deposition, oxidation, and spacer formation, and 3) systematic study of single electron tunneling through nanoparticles and tunneling barriers. The new fabrication techniques are based on current CMOS technology so that reliable, parallel, and practical fabrication of single electron devices, connected among themselves and also to the outside macroscopic world, will be realized.The broader impacts of this program are educational and technological. Students will receive extensive training directly by participating in the research, and an interdisciplinary course, "Current topics in nanotechnology," will provide "hands-on" laboratories, benefiting students from various disciplines. This program will also provide "hands-on" science camps in which K-12 students and teachers will have direct exposure to cutting-edge equipment and clean room facilities. Along with the educational benefits, the technological benefits to our society and our economy would be enormous. The new technology will produce ultra-sensitive sensors to detect biological and chemical materials at the molecular level, which can help protect our nation from terrorism as well as provide better diagnostic tools for diseases. Also, this new technology will produce next generation devices that operate with ultra-low power consumption with great potential for commercial, military, and space applications.