RUI: A Molecular-Ruler Process to Create Nanostructures through Self- and Directed-Assembly

现代的重大工程挑战之一是创造具有高吞吐量和重复性的纳米级结构和设备。在纳米电子学中，设备的速度和密度一直是传统自上而下方法提高分辨率和能力背后的驱动力。保持这一轨迹的能力取决于新型制造方法的发展。这一本科院校研究奖(RUI)支持开发一种混合方法，将传统光刻的一个关键方面，即在大范围内创建复杂结构的能力，与分子自组装所提供的分辨率结合起来。这项工作的目标是为电子和通信行业创造新的经济的纳米制造技术。鉴于该项目的跨学科性质，本科生将学习跨学科交流，并将接受广泛的科学和技术培训，为他们在北佛罗里达大学以外的职业生涯做准备。在分子标尺过程中，传统的光刻技术与选择性沉积由双功能硫醇分子和金属离子组成的多层膜相结合。化学多层膜限定了光刻图案化表面结构的纳米级间隔。这种混合方法本质上是并行的，因此是可扩展的，并且可以集成到现有的光刻方法中。分子尺法作为一种制备技术具有很大的潜力，但其一般的有效性和重复性受到多层膜质量的限制。该奖项将支持一项通过利用自组装和定向组装策略来扩展分子标尺过程能力的研究。双功能硫醇分子将被设计和合成用于金属连接的多层膜。将组装单层和金属连接多层膜，并将使用一系列表面分析技术来表征它们的结构和质量。将分子尺工艺与原子力光刻相结合，将在定制的纳米GaP内制造具有单纳米互连的器件，并对其电子行为进行表征。这种制造纳米GaP的混合策略应该提供一种通用的、广泛适用的方法来生产定义良好的、注册的纳米级特征。此外，该奖项将支持本科生在有机合成、分析表面科学和电子设备制造和表征领域的跨学科培训。

One of the great engineering challenges of the modern era is to create nanometer-scale structures and devices with high throughput and reproducibility. In nanoelectronics, the speed and density of devices have been the driving forces behind the increased resolution and capabilities of traditional top-down methods. The ability to maintain this trajectory is predicated upon the development of novel fabrication methods. This Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) award supports the development of a hybrid approach that couples a key aspect of conventional lithography, the ability to create complex architectures over large areas, to the resolution afforded by molecular self-assembly. The goal of this work is to create new economical nanomanufacturing techniques for the electronics and communications industries. Given the interdisciplinary nature of this project, undergraduate students will learn to communicate across disciplines and will receive broad scientific and technical training in preparation for their careers beyond the University of North Florida.In the molecular-ruler process, conventional lithography is combined with the selective deposition of multilayers that are comprised of bifunctional thiol molecules and metal ions. The chemical multilayer defines the nanometer-scale spacings of the lithographically patterned surface structures. This hybrid approach is inherently parallel and, hence, scalable and can be integrated into existing lithographic methods. The molecular-ruler process has great potential as a fabrication technique, however its general effectiveness and reproducibility is limited by the quality of the multilayer. This award will support an investigation of extending the capabilities of the molecular-ruler process by utilizing self- and directed-assembly strategies. Bifunctional thiol molecules will be designed and synthesized for use in metal-ligated multilayers. Monolayers and metal-ligated multilayers will be assembled, and their structure and quality will be characterized using a range of surface analytical techniques. Combining the molecular-ruler process with atomic force lithography, devices with single-nanometer interconnects within tailored nanogaps will be fabricated and their electronic behavior will be characterized. This hybrid strategy for the fabrication of nanogaps should provide a general and widely applicable methodology to produce well defined, registered nanometer scale features. Additionally, this award will support the interdisciplinary training of undergraduate students in the areas of organic synthesis, analytical surface science, and electronic device fabrication and characterization.