Broadband dielectric spectrometers with 1-10 nm planar nanofluidic channels

本研究的目的是开发具有1-10 nm平面纳米流体通道的宽带介电光谱仪，用于研究流体和分子的约束效应。该方法是使用原生二氧化硅的湿蚀刻和晶圆键合来形成纳米流体通道，并使用掺杂硅作为传输线来提供宽带表征能力。将开发用于精确测量的寄生信号去嵌入程序。所获得的光谱仪将用于研究直流电场作用下承压水的性质。测量的水性质也将用于证明所开发的光谱仪的功能。智力优势：这是第一次将宽带介电光谱与单个纳米流体通道相结合。得到的临界通道尺寸接近1 nm，这对研究受限流体和受限分子具有重要意义。在直流电场应力作用下，承压水的介电特性也未见报道。这些结果对于验证分子动力学研究中的模型具有重要意义。更广泛的影响：电介质光谱仪是生物学、化学、纳米流体电子学、健康科学和摩擦学领域强有力的新工具。随着光谱仪的发展，有望在这些领域取得变革性的研究成果。社会、经济和环境影响包括用于卫生服务的新型分析仪器和高性能电化学电容器，这对电动汽车缓解能源挑战和温室气体排放至关重要。研究与教学的结合将丰富高速电路课程，激励和吸引不同背景的学生进入科学和工程学科。

The objective of this research is to develop broadband dielectric spectrometers with 1-10 nm planar nanofluidic channels for the study of confinement effects of fluids and molecules. The approach is to use wet etch of native silicon dioxide and wafer bonding to form nanofluidic channels and to use doped silicon as transmission lines to provide broadband characterization capabilities. Parasitic signal de-embedding procedures for accurate measurement will be developed. The obtained spectrometer will be used to study confined water properties under DC electric fields. The measured water properties will also serve to demonstrate the functionality of the developed spectrometers. Intellectual merits: This is the first effort to integrate broadband dielectric spectroscopy with individual nanofluidic channels. The obtained critical channel dimension approaches 1 nm, which is vital for studying confined fluids and confined molecules. The measured dielectric properties of confined water under DC electric field stresses have also not been reported to date. These results are important to verify models in molecular dynamics studies.Broader impacts: The dielectric spectrometers are powerful new tools for use in biology, chemistry, nanofluidic electronics, health science and tribology. Transformational research results are expected in these areas with the developed spectrometers. Social, economical and environmental impacts include novel analytical instruments for health services and high performance electrochemical capacitors, which is critical for electric cars to mitigate energy challenges and greenhouse gas emissions. The integration of research and teaching will enrich high-speed circuit courses, inspire and attract students of diverse backgrounds into the science and engineering disciplines.