Award Abstract # 0506690
NER: Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Assisted Deposition and Interfacial Properties of Metal Oxide Thin Films

NSF Org: CBET
Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems
Recipient: UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE COUNTY
Initial Amendment Date: June 29, 2005
Latest Amendment Date: June 29, 2005
Award Number: 0506690
Award Instrument: Standard Grant
Program Manager: Robert M. Wellek
CBET
 Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems
ENG
 Directorate for Engineering
Start Date: July 1, 2005
End Date: June 30, 2007 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $100,000.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $100,000.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2005 = $100,000.00
History of Investigator:
  • Theodosia Gougousi (Principal Investigator)
    gougousi@umbc.edu
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: University of Maryland Baltimore County
1000 HILLTOP CIR
BALTIMORE
MD  US  21250-0001
(410)455-3140
Sponsor Congressional District: 07
Primary Place of Performance: University of Maryland Baltimore County
1000 HILLTOP CIR
BALTIMORE
MD  US  21250-0001
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
07
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): RNKYWXURFRL5
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s): NANOSCALE: EXPLORATORY RSRCH
Primary Program Source: app-0105 
Program Reference Code(s): 0000, 1414, 1676, OTHR
Program Element Code(s): 167600
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.041

ABSTRACT


NER: Supercritical carbon dioxide assisted deposition and Interfacial properties of metal oxide thin films.

NSF Nanoscale Exploratory Research
PI: Prof. Theodosia Gougousi
Department of Physics, University of Maryland Baltimore County

This proposal was received in response to Nanoscale Science and Engineering initiative, NSF 04-043, category NER. The objective of this research is to investigate whether salvation forces from supercritical fluids can be used to enable deposition of thin insulating films with good interfacial properties. Mainstream vacuum-based deposition techniques are usually mass transport limited by the low vapor pressure of the precursors, and proceed through a chemical reaction on a heated substrate (>300 C), high pressure process that uses soluble organic peroxides and metal organic precursors to a surface, b) provide energy for film formation, and c) accomplish reaction by-product removal.

This research is important because fabrication of future nanoscale devise may entail formation of multilayer miniaturized structures on patterned surfaces, and may involve depositions on microporous structures and on temperature sensitive materials such as organic or biological molecules. Nanoscale materials have different properties from bulk materials because the proportion of surfaces and interfaces in significant compared to the volume. As a result, interface phenomena are important because they define the operation of nanodevices. Conventional chemical vapor deposition techniques are unable to deposit uniform films on deep, narrow wells or inside porous materials. They involve high temperature steps that augment undesirable interface reactivity and would either destroy or render inactive most organic/biological molecules. Processing in supercritical carbon dioxide may provide a low temperature avenue for the deposition of uniform, high purity, thin films, with desirable interfacial properties and quality on patterned surfaces or microporpous structures, impacting technological fields such nanoelectronics, molecular electronics, biocatalysis, NEMS and bioNEMS. Students will be trained in these novel approaches providing the human infrastructure required for the wider implementation of these techniques.

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