| NSF Org: |
ECCS Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | August 31, 2012 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | August 31, 2012 |
| Award Number: | 1229182 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Dimitris Pavlidis
ECCS Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems ENG Directorate for Engineering |
| Start Date: | September 1, 2012 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2015 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $959,959.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $959,959.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
2601 WOLF VILLAGE WAY RALEIGH NC US 27695-0001 (919)515-2444 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
2410 Campus Shore Drive, MRC Raleigh NC US 27695-7920 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Major Research Instrumentation |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.041 |
ABSTRACT
Objective: This proposal is for a new electron beam lithography and imaging system to augment the nanoscale fabrication capabilities at NC State University for a wide range of applications and users.
Intellectual Merit: This acquisition proposal is expected to lead to high-performance nano-devices for nanoelectronics, opto-electronics, nanofluidic bio-sensors, and nanogap sensors. The electron beam lithography system and imaging system will have the capability to reach the resolutions down to 10 nm on six inch wafers. The PI manages the Microelectronics center, where this new tool will be located. The new tool will be widely used, with over 40 faculty members actively involved in research that will be enabled by this tool; 20 specific research projects of high impact have been described in this proposal. This new instrument proposed here will catalyze and accelerate interdisciplinary research in nanoscience on a variety of technical fields.
Broader Impacts: The requested instrument will serve 4 colleges and 10 departments at NC State and hence is expected to serve a large population of faculty and their respective students. The research enabled by the requested system will have significant impact in both graduate and undergraduate research and training at NC State and the instrument will be integrated into several lab courses. Outreach activities include involvement with Shaw University, a local HBCU, and summer internships for minority students providing getting hands-on education and research training.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
The RAITHTWO ultra-high resolution direct-write system acquired through this MRI grant provides the users of the NC State University's Nanofabrication Facility the ability to fabricate nanostructures with a minimum feature size of 7 nanometers. The instrument is a major addition to the university’s research infrastructure, providing support to a variety of research projects on new nanoscale phenomena and emerging devices based on them. As a university service center operating under the college of engineering, the facility provides support to a diverse array of users from different disciplines. To date, the instrument has been incorporated in projects that originated from a variety of departments including physics, electrical and computer engineering, mechanical and aerospace engineering, and materials science and engineering. In addition, two local companies benefited from the instrument in their research and development efforts.
Furthermore, the instrument provides unique opportunities for teaching state-of-the-art patterning in courses on nanofabrication techniques that rely on the facility as a teaching laboratory. A hands-on teaching module has been developed for an advanced course, providing the students the opportunity to go through a basic training and fabricate basic nanostructures (e.g. nanowires). The instrument is also used for demonstrations in two other courses including an undergraduate fabrication course.
Similar demonstrations are also given to summer REU students, young scholars, and high-school science teachers participating in summer research programs organized by the ASSIST Nanosystems Engineering Research Center. Finally, the instrument is an attractive stop for students visiting the facility on tour from local middle and high-schools, helping us to inspire them toward careers in science and technology.
Last Modified: 11/30/2015
Modified by: Mehmet C Ozturk
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