MRI: Acquisition of an Electron Beam Lithography System for Quantum Engineering and Nanoscience Research, Education and Training

University Of Colorado At Boulder, Boulder CO

Investigators

Abstract

Abstract Title The acquisition of a state-of-the-art electron beam lithography system that will enable high resolution patterning of materials and devices. Abstract The capability of high-resolution patterning a wide range of materials into nanostructures is a fundamental requirement for almost all solid-state materials and device research. This has been instrumental in key technological advancements including high-performance classical and quantum computing, photonic communications, chip-scale optical frequency combs, integrated sensors, energy harvesting, and flexible electronics. Future breakthroughs will lead to long-distance quantum networks, fault-tolerant quantum computers, miniature chip-scale optical clocks, new materials for thermal transport, personalized medicine, and nanosensors for force, position and navigation. The proposed acquisition of a state-of-the-art electron beam lithography (EBL) system at University of Colorado Boulder will provide the required nanofabrication capabilities. It will greatly enhance scientific research and education for a broad array of researchers and students, including under-represented groups, in the Rocky Mountain Region, as well as nationwide. This will help to address the national need for expertise in the semiconductor and quantum industries. The EBL’s unique capabilities have attracted over 64 research programs, with strong interest in an electron beam lithography system at University of Colorado Boulder. The system will provide the region’s only state-of-the-art 100 kV electron beam writer in an open access shared user facility. The goal of the project is the acquisition of a state-of-the-art electron beam lithography system at the University of Colorado Boulder that will enable nanofabrication capabilities in terms of high pattern resolution, large field of view, low stitching/overlay errors and features with low side-wall roughness. Research on solid-state nano-scale devices requires the ability to produce complex, high-quality patterns on functional materials. For further progress, fabrication techniques that yield nanometer-scale resolution, low roughness, and high quality devices are critical. Electron beam lithography, with its wide applicability to a vast array of materials, nanometer-scale resolution, and ability to produce high quality devices is well-suited to the next generation of devices that will form the backbone of nano-, photonic, quantum and electronic technology. The system will spark a wide array of nanoscience and quantum engineering research, transforming materials and device research in the Rocky Mountain region and on a national scale. The proposed EBL system will greatly enhance regional and national research and collaboration in the areas of quantum technologies, photonics, sensing and metrology, bioengineering, and energy, providing fabrication capabilities currently unavailable to most researchers and students in the Rocky Mountain Region. It will be a cornerstone for the research at the University of Colorado Boulder, as well as for the broader research community and industry in the Rocky Mountain Region and across the United States. 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.