Support of the Workshop Entitled Transport Phenomena in Micro- and Nanodevices

Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond VA

Investigators

Abstract

ABSTRACT PROPOSAL NO.: CTS-0349849 PROPOSAL TYPE: INVESTIGATOR INITIATED PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS: M. GAD-EL-HAK INSTITUTION: VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY SUPPORT OF THE WORKSHOP ENTITLED TRANSPORT PHENOMENA IN MICRO-AND NANO-DEVICES Interest in micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS and NEMS, respectively) has experienced explosive growth during the past few years. The rapid progress in fabricating and utilizing MEMS and NEMS has not been matched by corresponding advances in understanding of the unconventional physics involved. Providing such understanding is crucial to designing, optimizing, fabricating, utilizing and controlling improved minute devices. This international workshop has the primary objective of improving fundamental understanding of the physics of transport phenomena in micro- and nano-devices. Partial support from the National Science Foundation will facilitate the attendance of several American students and other researchers who would otherwise be unable to attend. The workshop will be held in the Island of Hawaii during the period 17-21 October 2004. The meeting will bring together a small but select group of researchers interested in all aspects of transport phenomena in MEMS and NEMS. That is the transport of mass, momentum, energy and quantum particles in devices with characteristic lengths as small as 1 micrometer and 1 nanometer, respectively. A unique aspect of this workshop is bringing together two communities that have not interacted much in the past, those of quantum transport and classical transport. The broader impact resulting from the proposed activity lies in its focus on rapidly advancing micro- and nanotechnologies. The fundamental understanding that the workshop provides will result in potential advances in areas such as: micro- and nano-systems involving particulate and other multiphase flows, mixing, combustion, energy conversion, computing, biochips, photonics, microfabrication involving transport phenomena, such as spin coating and etching, quantum dots and circuits, electronic transport through organic and inorganic materials, molecular electronics, control of electronic wave functions in molecules, quantum computations, and single-electron devices. Selected papers and a roadmap for future research will be published in the form of a hard cover book or a special issue of Physics of Fluids and will be made widely available to the research community Jointly funded by the CTS programs of Fluid Dynamics & Hydraulics, Particulate & Multiphase Processes, and Thermal Transport & Thermal Processing.