GOALI: Nanoscale Printing and Machining using Electron Beams in Liquids

University Of Kentucky Research Foundation, Lexington KY

Investigators

Abstract

Nearly all high-throughput nanomanufacturing processes require the replication of master templates. As a result, three barriers to manufacturability demand new solutions: (1) rapid prototyping before committing to a production template, (2) repair of template errors and defects both before and during production, and (3) product debugging before committing to revised templates. Locally adding ("printing") and subtracting ("machining") materials using a focused electron-beam could meet these needs if the available materials, purity, and throughput were not limited by the associated gas-phase reactants. This Grant Opportunity for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) award investigates a change from gas to liquid reactants in order to expand the range of processes and materials available and dramatically improve purity and throughput. These advances would enhance efficiency at multiple points in the product cycle for nanomanufactured systems, and thus benefit U.S. industry and society. The award involves an industry partner to accelerate the transition from laboratory research to industrial implementation. The multidisciplinary nature (electrical, chemical, and materials science and engineering) of the work provides a remarkable training opportunity for undergraduate and graduate participants, while educational and outreach efforts involving K-12 students further broaden its impact. The award advances knowledge in the primary field of electron-beam induced processing by elucidating the physical and chemical mechanisms involved in liquid-based processes and deepening understanding of the factors controlling resolution, material purity, and throughput. The effort will advance understanding of radiation- and electro-chemistry in nanoscale volumes near liquid-solid interfaces and fluid dynamics in reduced pressure environments. This knowledge is relevant to fields as diverse as in-situ electron microscopy, electron-beam lithography, and radiation induced chemical and biochemical processes. The technical objectives are to (1) relate process parameters to figures of merit by comparing deposition and etching experiments to Monte Carlo and finite element simulations; (2) understand how to control thin liquid films in partial vacuums using in-situ liquid injection, microfluidic structures, and surfactant additives; and (3) evaluate processes for two immediate nanomanufacturing applications: nanoelectronic circuit edit and plasmonic device prototyping.