A Breakthrough Nanolithography Technique Using 'Electro-Fountain Pens'

该奖项的研究目标是开发一种制造工艺，通过用电激活的纳米尖端“钢笔”进行“书写”，为未来的电子和其他应用生产复杂的纳米级电路。该过程被称为“电子钢笔（EFP）光刻”，利用电迁移引起的液态金属流动，并能够用金属液体连续写入纳米级图案，以制造高质量的电路。 该技术通过能够连续地将书写材料递送到尖端而不需要频繁补充来消除当前基于尖端的光刻技术的主要缺点。 由于流动是电驱动的，EFP光刻不仅可以用于通过电迁移连续地输送金属液体，而且可以用于通过电泳连续地输送非金属液体。 计划中的工作将开发工具，优化在不同基底上放置几种材料的粘附图案的条件，并研究液体电迁移的物理学及其对材料和工艺参数的依赖性，如果成功，这项研究对社会的好处将包括开发一种新的纳米制造工艺，最终可能导致商业化。该过程有可能成为一种新的和有效的方法，使复杂的纳米图案的基板上的应用范围从电子到传感器，生物分子测定，因此可能会有重大影响的国家？的生产基地。 此外，这一努力将通过推进研究生的发现和理解来整合研究和教育。 本科生将通过本科生研究经验计划参与研究，高中实习生将被聘请协助吸引他们到工程的目的。该项目的成果将通过教师和学生参加学术团体会议和NSF土木、机械和制造创新部门的受赠者会议来广泛传播。

The research objective of this award is to develop a manufacturing process for producing complex nanoscale circuits for future electronics and other applications by "writing" with electrically activated nano-tip "fountain pens". The process, termed "electro-fountain pen (EFP) lithography", takes advantage of electromigration-induced flow of liquid metal, and enables continuous writing of nanoscale patterns with a metallic liquid for making high quality electrical circuits. The technique eliminates the main drawback of current tip-based lithography techniques by being able to continuously deliver the writing material to the tip without the need for frequent replenishment. Because the flow is driven electrically, EFP lithography may be used to continuously transport not only metallic liquids via electromigration, but also non-metallic liquids by electrophoresis. The planned effort will develop the tool, optimize the conditions for laying down adherent patterns of several materials on different substrates, and study the physics of liquid electromigration and its dependence on material and process parameters.If successful, the benefit to society of this research will include the development of a new nano-manufacturing process, which may eventually lead to commercialization. The process has the potential to be a new and effective method for making complex nano-patterns on substrates for applications ranging from electronics to sensors to bio-molecular assaying, and is therefore likely to have significant impact on the nation?s manufacturing base. In addition, this effort will integrate research and education by advancing discovery and understanding by graduate students. Undergraduate students will participate in the research through the Research Experience for Undergraduates program, and high school interns will be hired to assist with the aim of attracting them to engineering. Results of the project will be broadly disseminated through faculty and student participation at meetings of learned societies and grantees' conferences of the Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation division of NSF.