MRI: Acquisition of Nanoscribe Photonic Professional GT2 3D Laser Lithography System for interdisciplinary nanoscience research and training

在过去的50年里，许多技术进步都是由半导体工业开发的纳米纤维技术推动的。虽然功能强大，但它们基本上是二维技术。换句话说，它们只能用来制造“扁平”的东西。3D打印的最新发展已经允许以毫米分辨率定制制造复杂的三维物体。最近的进展已经使得能够在微米和纳米尺度上进行三维打印/制造。该项目能够收购Nanoscribe Photonic Professional GT系统，并将其部署在康奈尔大学纳米级设施（CNF）的用户设施内。Nanoscribe是一种新型的仪器，它允许纳米结构的三维制造，开辟了许多新的研究途径。一个令人兴奋的发展是将这种仪器应用于生物系统的研究。例如，该仪器将用于制造3D结构，以研究细胞在有限空间中的迁移。这个项目与癌症的传播有关。另一个项目将使用Nanoscribe制造用于靶向药物递送应用的“微泳者”。该仪器将通过完善的CNF用户计划提供给全国各地的学术和工业用户，大大扩大了其知识和经济影响。这一工具将在目标技术领域对人力资源产生重大影响。Nanoscribe的技术是新的，熟练的用户群很小。扩大用户数量对于充分发挥其影响至关重要。CNF还将提供新的教育材料，包括短期课程讲座材料，这一新工具将在推广工作中发挥作用。Nanoscribe Photonic Professional GT系统使用双光子聚合的非线性光学过程，可以进行低至160 nm的3D纳米光刻。一个近红外激光束，通过显微镜物镜操作，在计算机控制下扫描，聚合只发生在高光子通量焦点。CNF用户将探索该技术在以下主要领域的应用：（1）微/纳米光子学：三维导光和光子超材料的开发;（2）纳米生物技术：支架和微机械和微流体设备的制造，以研究生物化学过程;（3）神经电子学：将电子学与大脑和神经系统连接;（4）异质整合：通过三维结构集成电子学、光子学和生物学。康奈尔大学的PI在材料科学，机械和生物医学工程领域完成。一些项目将受到这一文书的影响。将开发适用于双光子3D打印的新聚合物材料，包括用于纳米级传感器和致动器的弹性体材料。3D纳米光刻将用于制造模拟生理网络和间隙空间的体外模型，以研究与癌症转移相关的有限空间中的细胞迁移。流体运动结构（“微泳者”），是自驱动或远程驱动的光或超声波可以在体内用于提供药物的目标区域。其他主要用户将使用该技术探索细胞内的反应，开发用于细胞生长的3D支架和3D光子超材料。这将是一个多用户工具，对广泛的科学和工程领域产生影响。此外，通过CNF用户计划及其高度发展的培训过程，此次收购将在目标技术领域产生重大的人力资源影响。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Many technology advances over the last 50 years have been driven by nanofabrication techniques developed by the semiconductor industry. While powerful, they are fundamentally two dimensional technologies. In other words, they can only be used to fabricate "flat" things. The recent development of 3D printing has allowed custom manufacturing of complex three dimensional objects at millimeter resolution. Recent advances have enabled three dimensional printing/fabrication at the micrometer and nanoscale. This project enables the acquisition of a Nanoscribe Photonic Professional GT system and its deployment within the user facilities of the Cornell Nanoscale Facility (CNF). The Nanoscribe is a new type of instrument which allows three dimensional fabrication of nanoscale structures, opening many new avenues of research. One exciting development is the application of this instrument to the study of biological systems. For example, the instrument will be used to fabricate 3D structures to study cell migration in confined spaces. This project is relevant to the spread of cancer. Another project will use the Nanoscribe to fabricate "microswimmers" for targeted drug delivery applications. The instrument will be available to academic and industrial users from across the country through the well-developed CNF user program, significantly broadening its intellectual and economic impact. This instrument will have significant human resources impact in the target technical areas. The technology of the Nanoscribe is new and the skilled user base is small. Expansion of the number of users is critical to realizing its full impact. CNF will also provide new educational materials including short course lecture material and this new tool will be featured in outreach efforts.The Nanoscribe Photonic Professional GT system allows 3D nanolithography down to 160 nm using the nonlinear optical process of two photon polymerization. A near-IR laser beam, operating through a microscope objective, is scanned under computer control, with polymerization occurring only at the high photon flux focal point. CNF users will explore applications of this technology to the following major areas: (1) Micro/nanophotonics: guiding light in three dimensions and development of photonic metamaterials; (2) Nanobiotechnology: fabrication of scaffolds and micromechanical and microfluidic devices to study biochemical processes; (3) Neural electronics: Interfacing electronics with the brain and nervous system; (4) Heterointegration: Integration of electronics, photonics, and biologics through three dimensional structures. The PIs at Cornell are accomplished in the fields of Materials Science, Mechanical, and Biomedical Engineering. A number of projects will be impacted by this instrument. New polymer materials suitable for two-photon 3D printing will be developed, including elastomeric materials for nanoscale sensors and actuators. 3D nanolithography will be used to fabricate in vitro models mimicking physiological networks and interstitial spaces to study the migration of cells in confined spaces related to cancer metastasis. Fluid motile structures ("microswimmers"), that are self-actuated or remotely driven by light or ultrasound could be used in vivo to deliver drugs to targeted areas. Other principal users will use the technology to explore reactions within cells, to develop 3D scaffolds for cell growth, and for 3D photonic metamaterials. This will be a multiuser instrument with impact on a broad range of science and engineering fields. Additionally, through the CNF user program and its highly developed training process, this acquisition will have significant human resources impact in the target technical areas.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.