MRI: Acquisition of a Dedicated Electron Beam Lithography (eBL) System for Interdisciplinary Research, Hands-on Education and Inspiring Outreach

MRI：采购专用电子束光刻 (eBL) 系统，用于跨学科研究、实践教育和鼓舞人心的推广

• 批准号: 1828676
• 负责人: Vinayak Dravid
• 金额: $ 59.95万
• 依托单位: Northwestern University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2018-10-01 至 2021-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1828676&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: MRI; Acquisition; Dedicated; Electron; Beam; MRI; Acquisition; Dedicated; Electron; Beam

This award provides support to Northwestern University (NU) to procure a dedicated electron beam lithography (eBL) system for interdisciplinary research, integrated hands-on training and education, and outreach. The ability to position structures down to the nano-/molecular-scale with exquisite and precise control over size, site, shape and overall architecture is one hallmark of modern science and engineering. Advances in research across multiple fields, from optoelectronics to quantum information processing to biosensors, are enabled by the ability to manipulate matter at these length-scales addressed by the eBL nanopatterning and nanolithography. In this context, eBL has become the workhorse for patterning with nanometer-scale precision across a large spatial area. This eBL system will significantly impact the Northwestern community and beyond. Undergraduate, graduate students and researchers will benefit from the hands-on training and cleanroom experience with the new dedicated eBL, and its diverse applications. The instrument capabilities will form hands-on laboratory modules in courses in broad area of materials fabrication and characterization. The system will be housed in a dedicated clean-room nanofabrication facility called "NUFAB", and will help provide a complete integrated micro/nanofabrication process flow within the facility. In addition, NUFAB is part of the NSF-National Nanofabrication Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) node in the Midwest region called Soft- and Hybrid Nanotechnology Experimental (SHyNE) Resource. As an NNCI node, SHyNE Resource provides access to this dedicated eBL to regional and national users, such as SMEs and large corporations, in addition to access to local area institutions, regional universities and community colleges. The eBL system will greatly enhance NU and surrounding research capabilities, regional infrastructure under NSF-NNCI node, and contribute to integrated and cross-disciplinary education and outreach, with lasting impact. The eBL system supported by this award will be key in enhancing the "figures of merit" for patterning and lithography that are essential for myriad scientific challenges and technological proof-of-concepts addressed by project team, NU colleagues and collaborators. It will enable hitherto challenging experiments in a wide range of initiatives. The eBL system will impact broad categories in: plasmonics and photonics; quantum structures and phenomena; materials for electronics and energy; NEMS/MEMS sensors and systems; soft matter, fluidics and biomolecular structures. The eBL system will enable fabrication of active nanoscale elements across inch-scale spatial distribution for broad-beam interrogation/measurements. It will push the limits of plasmonics and photonic structures in terms of size, shape, definition, fidelity, at the nanometer scale. Theorists and modeling experts will cross-correlate experimental findings for potential breakthroughs in light-matter interactions. The eBL will enable fabrication of nanoscale contacts for critical transport and related measurements of emerging functional nanostructures, as their size requires nanoscale contacts. Those exploring quantum phenomena/systems in spatially confined systems (2-D layers, semiconductor heterostructures), will make use of the precision stage, pattern "stitching" and other novelties of the proposed system. The system will serve as a testbed for the development of novel electron-beam resists and materials modification by electron-beam exposures. It will enable exploring the role of roughness and spatial confinement on wetting behavior, fluid transport, biomolecular sorting and other phenomena anchored by nanoscale fabrication and patterning of eBL system.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.

该奖项为西北大学（NU）提供了支持，以为跨学科研究，综合动手培训和教育以及外展提供专用的电子光光刻（EBL）系统。将结构定位到纳米/分子规模的能力，具有精致和精确的控制，对大小，场地，形状和整体建筑的精确控制是现代科学和工程学的一个标志。从光电学到量子信息处理再到生物传感器的多个领域的研究进展，可以通过在EBL纳米图和纳米光刻所解决的这些长度尺度上操纵物质的能力来实现。在这种情况下，EBL已成为在大型空间区域中使用纳米尺度精度进行构图的主力。这种EBL系统将对西北社区及其他地区产生重大影响。本科生，研究生和研究人员将从新的专门EBL及其多样化的应用中受益于动手培训和洁净室的体验。仪器功能将在材料制造和表征广泛的课程中形成动手实验室模块。该系统将安置在名为“ Nufab”的专用清洁室纳米制造设施中，并将有助于在该设施内提供完整的集成微型/纳米制动过程。此外，NUFAB是中西部地区的NSF-国纳米制造协调基础设施（NNCI）节点的一部分，称为软和混合纳米技术实验（Shyne）资源。作为NNCI节点，Shyne Resources除了访问地方机构，地区大学和社区学院外，Shyne Resource还向地区和国家用户（例如中小型企业和大型公司）提供了对这种专用EBL的访问权限。 EBL系统将极大地增强NU和周围的研究能力，NSF-NNCI节点下的区域基础设施，并促进综合和跨学科的教育和外展，并产生持久的影响。该奖项支持的EBL系统将是增强图案和光刻的“功绩”的关键，这对于项目团队，NU同事和合作者所涉及的无数科学挑战和技术证明至关重要。它将在各种计划中实现迄今为止具有挑战性的实验。 EBL系统将影响以下方面的广泛类别：血浆和光子学；量子结构和现象；电子和能源的材料； NEMS/MEMS传感器和系统；软物质，流体和生物分子结构。 EBL系统将在英寸尺度的空间分布中制造活跃的纳米级元素，以进行大光束询问/测量。它将按照纳米尺度的大小，形状，定义，忠诚度来推动等离子间和光子结构的极限。理论家和建模专家将跨色彩的实验发现，以实验光 - 互动中的潜在突破。 EBL将使纳米级接触能够制造纳米级接触，以进行关键的运输和新兴功能纳米结构的相关测量，因为它们的尺寸需要纳米级接触。那些探索空间限制系统（2-D层，半导体异质结构）中量子现象/系统的人将利用精度阶段，模式“缝合”和所提出系统的其他新颖性。该系统将用作开发新型电子梁的测试床，并通过电子梁暴露来改变材料。它将能够探索粗糙和空间限制对润湿行为，流体运输，生物分子分类以及其他因纳米级制造和EBL系统构图所锚定的现象的作用。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是通过基金会的知识优点和广泛的范围来评估的。