Equipment: MRI: Track 1 Acquisition of a 3-Dimensional Nanolithography Instrument

该奖项支持收购最先进的三维(3D)纳米光刻仪器，该仪器使用双光子聚合过程来实现3D微型结构。该仪器满足了在乔治敦大学校园和哥伦比亚特区创建3D微/纳米结构，特别是各种功能无机和有机纳米结构的迫切需求。该仪器支持的研究项目在超低功率信息存储、纳米电子学、过滤介质、仿生学、人工视网膜修复、纳米声子学、高性能材料和机械超材料等领域具有潜在的重大技术影响。该仪器还支持从乔治敦大学和附近机构的广泛用户基础扩大代表不足的群体在STEM领域的参与的活动，以及为学生提供实践学习体验并通过REU项目为本科生提供研究经验的教育和推广活动。3D纳米光刻仪器具有独特的技术特征，对于支持许多NSF资助的项目和未来的研究工作至关重要，包括深亚微米特征尺寸低至160 nm的3D构图能力，100 mm宽的大写入区域，任意3D轨迹的多种写入模式以及在逐层过程中的超快结构，与2D纳米光刻集成，以及聚合物客户设计的灵活性。这些特点非常适合于满足研究各种具有重要技术意义的微/纳米材料所涉及的广泛需求和广泛的长度范围。该仪器支持广泛的突破性材料研究项目，包括用于高能效信息存储的3D拓扑自旋纹理，用于3D记忆和神经形态学的磁网络，用于高效和坚固过滤介质的金属泡沫，用于实现高性能超材料和结构材料的复杂网络，用于实现新型工程材料和刺激响应材料的生物仿生，用于视网膜细胞替代治疗的生物医学支架，用于单芯片器官探索的微流体平台，以及使用3光子聚合推进3D纳米制造的纳米声学。这种共享的3D纳米光刻仪器将为乔治城大学和更大的华盛顿特区的研究基础设施带来变革。周边地区有一个庞大的、不断增长的多学科综合用户群，其中包括2个HBCU和6个来自学术界、国家实验室和工业界的其他研究所。女性在预期用户中的初级研究人员中占很大比例。该仪器将与研究生和本科生课程整合，为学生提供实践学习体验。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为是值得支持的。

This award supports the acquisition of a state-of-the-art 3-dimensional (3D) nanolithography instrument that uses a two-photon polymerization process to achieve 3D miniature structures. The instrument meets a critical need for creating 3D micro/nanostructures, particularly for a wide variety of functional inorganic and organic nanostructures, on the Georgetown University campus and in the greater District of Columbia area. The research projects enabled by this instrument have potentially major technological impacts in ultralow power information storage, nanoelectronics, filtration media, biomimetics, artificial retina repair, nanophononics, high performance materials, and mechanical metamaterials. The instrument also supports activities in broadening participation of underrepresented groups in STEM fields from a broad user base at Georgetown and nearby institutions, and educational and outreach activities to provide students with hands-on learning experiences and to provide research experience for undergraduate students through REU programs.The 3D nanolithography instrument has unique technical features that are critical to support many NSF-funded projects as well as future research efforts, including the 3D patterning capability with deep submicron feature sizes down to 160 nm, large writing areas of 100 mm across, versatile writing modes for arbitrary 3D trajectories as well as for ultra-fast structuring in a layer-by-layer process, integration with 2D nanolithography, and flexibility in customer-design of polymers. These features are ideal for meeting the broad demands and wide length scales involved in studying a large variety of technologically important micro/nanomaterials. The instrument enables broad range of ground-breaking materials research projects , including 3D topological spin textures for energy-efficient information storage, magnetic networks for 3D memory and neuromorphics, metal foams for efficient and robust filtration media, complex networks for realizing high performance metamaterials and structural materials, biomimetics for achieving new classes of engineered and stimuli-responsive materials, biomedical scaffolds for retinal cell replacement therapy, microfluidic platforms for organ-on-a-chip explorations, and nanophononics to advance 3D nanofabrication using 3-photon polymerization. This shared 3D nanolithography instrument will be transformative for the research infrastructure at Georgetown University and the greater DC area. There is a large and growing multi-disciplinary General User base from the surrounding area, including 2 HBCUs and 6 other institutes from academia, national lab, and industry. Women represent a large fraction of junior researchers from the anticipated user. The instrument will be integrated with graduate and undergraduate curriculum to provide students with hands-on learning experiences. It will also be utilized to provide research experience for undergraduate students through REU programs.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.