BRITE Synergy: Transforming Electron Beam Lithography with Reactive Gases

这项促进工程变革和公平进步的研究理念（BRITE）协同奖将支持旨在通过引入改变过程化学的反应气体来改变制造商执行电子束光刻的方式的研究。电子束光刻对于几乎所有纳米尺度的制造都是至关重要的，并且通常是制造半导体电子，数字成像，通信和医疗保健设备的第一步。这一创新将使新的功能材料的图案，同时也提高了传统材料的性能。该研究项目旨在了解反应气体对光刻工艺影响的基本物理和化学机制，并利用这些知识来提高光刻性能。现在很多行业都依赖于纳米级制造，因此也依赖于电子束光刻技术。因此，该奖项将影响美国经济的多个部门，同时加速产品开发，增加纳米技术产品的使用。这项工作还将通过为主要服务于弱势群体的中学教师举办讲习班和为从弱势群体招募的研究生提供多学科培训，扩大先进制造业的多样性、公平性和包容性。电子束光刻是几乎所有纳米制造的主要模式生成技术，从集成电路掩模制造到量子器件的直接写入。聚焦电子束在气体和液体中的诱导加工提供了具有功能材料的纳米级快速原型设计以及纳米级修复和编辑能力。这项工作综合了这两个领域的研究成果，并建立了辐射化学和电子-材料相互作用的知识，以加强对反应气体对电子束光刻的影响的理解。具体而言，该研究旨在了解反应性气体如何改变辐射化学过程，以扩大可图案化材料的范围，并改善传统电子束电阻的光刻性能。一个严格的研究综合程序，混合蒙特卡罗-连续体模拟和精心设计的纳米图案实验将建立工艺条件之间的关系的知识，如气体成分和压力，光刻性能指标，如灵敏度，对比度和分辨率。电子束光刻技术的成功可能会改变电子束光刻技术，因为功能材料的分辨率和吞吐量可以与传统的电阻相媲美，而传统的电阻的性能可以通过反应气体进行调整。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。

This Boosting Research Ideas for Transformative and Equitable Advances in Engineering (BRITE) Synergy award will support research which seeks to transform the way manufacturers perform electron-beam lithography by introducing a reactive gas that modifies the process chemistry. Electron-beam lithography is critical for nearly all manufacturing at nanometer length scales and is often the first step in fabricating devices in semiconductor electronics, digital imaging, communications, and healthcare. This innovation will enable patterning of new functional materials while also improving the performance of conventional materials. The research program seeks to understand the fundamental physical and chemical mechanisms underlying the effects of reactive gases on the lithographic process, and to use this knowledge to advance lithographic performance. A broad range of industries now relies on nanoscale manufacturing, and thus on electron-beam lithography. This award could thus impact multiple sectors of the U.S. economy while accelerating product development and increasing access to nanotechnology-enabled products. This effort will also expand diversity, equity, and inclusion in advanced manufacturing through workshops for middle-school teachers primarily serving underrepresented groups and multi-disciplinary training for graduate students recruited from underrepresented groups. Electron-beam lithography is the primary pattern generation technology for nearly all nanomanufacturing, from integrated circuit mask making to direct-writing of quantum devices. Focused electron-beam induced processing in gases and liquids provides nanoscale rapid prototyping with functional materials as well as nanoscale repair and editing capabilities. This effort synthesizes research outcomes in these two areas with established knowledge in radiation chemistry and electron-material interactions to enhance understanding of the influence of reactive gases on electron-beam lithography. Specifically, the research seeks to understand how reactive gases can alter radiation chemical processes to expand the range of materials that can be patterned and to improve lithographic performance for conventional electron-beam resists. A rigorous research synthesis program, Hybrid Monte Carlo-continuum simulations, and carefully designed nanopatterning experiments will build knowledge of the relationships between process conditions, such as gas composition and pressure, and lithographic performance metrics, such as sensitivity, contrast, and resolution. Success could transform electron-beam lithography because functional materials could be patterned with resolution and throughput comparable to conventional resists while the performance of conventional resists could be tuned by the reactive gas.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.