Biocatalytic Nanolithography

这项研究的目标是开发新的技术，在具有重要技术意义的衬底上创建纳米尺寸的图案，如硅、氮化镓和钻石。目前，几乎所有微米和纳米级的图案化都是使用光刻技术进行的，这一工艺非常适合于计算机芯片等小表面的高通量并行打印。然而，这种技术需要在昂贵和复杂的仪器设备上进行巨大的投资，并且不能对大表面进行图案处理。软光刻是一种将分子油墨从橡胶印章转移到金属表面的技术，是光刻的替代方案，但只适用于一小部分与技术无关的材料，如金和硅氧化物。该项目将开发一种通用的软光刻方法，用于几乎任何金属或半导体表面的图案化。在这种方法中，将高度有序的均匀单分子膜放置在金属或半导体表面。在第二步中，一个带有催化剂的弹性印章被用来在印章与表面接触的地方的表面上产生图案。这项工作将对许多科学和工程领域产生巨大的影响，包括纳米技术、材料科学、电气工程、化学、生物化学和物理。构图技术上相关的底物的能力将促进新传感器的开发，允许制造用于快速识别药物的新型细胞和生物分子阵列，并允许在几乎任何表面上构建纳米尺寸的三维物体。这项工作将涉及研究生和本科生研究人员，他们将学习合成化学、催化和表面表征。

The objective of this research is to develop new techniques for creating patterns with nanometer dimensions on technologically important substrates, such as silicon, gallium nitride, and diamond. Almost all micro- and nano-scale patterning is currently carried out using photolithography, a process well suited for high-throughput parallel printing of small surfaces such as computer chips. This technique, however, requires an enormous investment in expensive and complex instrumentation and cannot pattern large surfaces. Soft lithography, a technique in which molecular "inks" are transferred to metallic surfaces from rubber stamps, is an alternative to photolithography but is applicable only to a small range of non-technologically relevant materials, such as gold and silicon oxide. This project will develop a universal soft lithographic method for patterning virtually any metal or semiconductor surface. In this approach, a highly ordered uniform monolayer is placed on a metal or semiconductor surface. In a second step, an elastomeric stamp bearing a catalyst active against the initial monolayer is used to create patterns on the surface in places where the stamp contacts the surface.The work will have an enormous impact on many areas of science and engineering, including nanotechnology, material science, electrical engineering, chemistry, biochemistry, and physics. The ability to pattern technologically relevant substrates will facilitate the development of new sensors, permit the fabrication of novel arrays of cells and biological molecules for the rapid identification of drugs, and allow the construction of 3-dimensional objects with nanoscopic dimensions on virtually any surface. The work will involve both graduate and undergraduate researchers, who will study synthetic chemistry, catalysis and surface characterization.