NNIN Annual Report for March 2013-Feb 2014

NNIN Annual Report (year 10) p.1 March 2013-Dec 2013 ECCS-0335765

National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network

NNIN Annual Report Year 10 (partial)

March 2013-Dec 2013

ECCS-0335765

Dan Ralph, PI Roger Howe, Network Director


Table of Contents

1.0 Introduction to the Report ................................................................................... 8 1.1 NG-NNIN ....................................................................................................................... 8 1.2 No Cost Extension ........................................................................................................ 8

2.0 NNIN Overview ................................................................................................... 8 2.1 Approach and Usage .................................................................................................... 9 2.2 Practices for User Support .......................................................................................... 12

2.2.1 User Facilities ............................................................................................................... 12 2.2.2 NNIN Project Support, Process Support and Training ................................................. 13 2.2.2 Intellectual Property ...................................................................................................... 14

2.3 Overview for 2013 ....................................................................................................... 14 2.3.1 Activities and Usage ..................................................................................................... 14 2.3.2 NNIN Web Site ............................................................................................................. 16

2.4 Network Management ................................................................................................. 16 2.5 Network and Site Funding-Year 10 ............................................................................. 17

2.5.1 Funding and reallocation .............................................................................................. 17 2.5.2 Funding Distribution ...................................................................................................... 18 2.5.3 Annual Review .............................................................................................................. 18 2.5.4 Wind-down .................................................................................................................... 18

2.6 Network Performance ................................................................................................. 19 2.6.1 Program Breadth .......................................................................................................... 22 2.6.2 Lab Use......................................................................................................................... 23 2.6.3 Cumulative Annual Users by Site ................................................................................. 24 2.6.5 User Fees ..................................................................................................................... 29 2.6.6 Hours per user .............................................................................................................. 36 2.6.7 New Users .................................................................................................................... 37

3.0 NNIN Education and Human Resources Programs .......................................... 39 3.1 Objectives and Program Challenges .......................................................................... 39 3.2 Coordination and Collaboration .................................................................................. 40

3.2.1 Scope of Program and “Countable” Activities............................................................... 40 3.3 NNIN Major National Programs: REU, iREU, iREG, and RET ................................... 41

3.3.1 REU Program ............................................................................................................... 41 3.3.2 iREU Program ............................................................................................................... 44 3.3.3 iREG-International Research Experience for Graduates ............................................. 46 3.3.4 RET Program ................................................................................................................ 47

3.4 Other Education Programs ......................................................................................... 47 3.4.1 Teacher Workshops ...................................................................................................... 47 3.4.2 NanoTeach ................................................................................................................... 48 3.4.3 Other K-12 Outreach .................................................................................................... 48 3.4.4 NanoExpress ................................................................................................................ 50 3.4.5 NNIN Education Portal .................................................................................................. 50 3.4.6 Nanooze ....................................................................................................................... 50

3.5 Technical Workshops--Laboratory Oriented ............................................................... 51 3.6 Diversity Related Efforts and Programs ..................................................................... 52

3.6.1 Diversity in NNIN REU Program ................................................................................... 52 3.6.2 Diversity in NNIN RET Program ................................................................................... 53


3.6.3 Laboratory Experience for Faculty Program ................................................................. 53 3.7 Assessment and Evaluation........................................................................................ 54 3.8 Program Summary ...................................................................................................... 54

4.0 NNIN Computation Program ............................................................................. 56 4.1 Scope .......................................................................................................................... 56 4.2 Codes at the Sites ....................................................................................................... 56 4.3 Hardware Updates ...................................................................................................... 57 4.4 NNIN/C Impact in Science and Education .................................................................. 57 4.5 Research Highlights .................................................................................................... 58

4.5.1 Electromechanical properties of 1D ZnO nanostructures: nanopiezotronics building blocks, surface and size-scale effects ......................................................................... 59

4.5.2 Transiting the Molecular Potential Energy Surface along Low Energy Pathways: The TRREAT Algorithm ....................................................................................................... 60

4.5.3 A 2-D directional air flow sensor array made using stereolithography and MEMS micro-hydraulic structures ...................................................................................................... 60

4.6 Progress on New Computation Initiatives ................................................................... 61 4.6.1 Virtual Vault for Interatomic Potentials ......................................................................... 61 4.6.2 Virtual Vault for Pseudopotentials Development .......................................................... 61 4.6.3 GPU Initiative ................................................................................................................ 62

4.7 Collaborative Projects ................................................................................................. 63 4.7.1 Defence Threat Reduction Agency Grant Award ........................................................ 63 4.7.2 Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Sandia National Laboratory ......................... 63 4.7.3 Thermal Transport in Crystalline and Disordered Materials ......................................... 64

4.8 Workshops and Training Activities .............................................................................. 64 4.8.1 NNIN/C Role in Training and Courses at NNIN sites ................................................... 64 4.8.2 Hands-on Workshops ................................................................................................... 65 4.8.3 Webinar Series on Modeling and Simulation of MEMS/NEMS and Micro/Nanofluidic

Devices and Their Fabrication Processes ................................................................... 65 5.0 Society and Ethical Implications of Nanotechnology ......................................... 67

5.1 Vision and Goals ......................................................................................................... 67 5.2 SEI Activities ............................................................................................................... 67

5.2.1 Shift in Leadership ........................................................................................................ 67 5.2.2 Analysis of previous NNIN programs ............................................................................ 67 5.2.3 NNIN SEI REU Participation ......................................................................................... 68 5.2.4 NNIN Seed Grant Winners ........................................................................................... 68

5.2.4.1 Seed Grant to Georgia Tech ................................................................................................... 68 5.2.4.2. Seed Grant to U. Minnesota ................................................................................................... 69 5.2.4.3 Seed Grant to UCSB .............................................................................................................. 69 5.2.4.4 Seed Grant to U. Texas Austin ............................................................................................... 69

5.2.5 Work by NNIN SEI Research Faculty ........................................................................... 69 5.2.6 SEI Publications and Presentations from all NNIN SEI Researchers ................................... 70

5.2.6.1 Publications ............................................................................................................................ 70 5.2.6.2 Presentations .......................................................................................................................... 71 5.2.6.3 Outreach Activities .................................................................................................................. 71

6.0 Site Reports ...................................................................................................... 72 6.1 Arizona State University Site Report .......................................................................... 72

6.1.1 Site Overview ................................................................................................................ 72 6.1.2 External User Projects .................................................................................................. 72


6.1.3 Education & Outreach ................................................................................................... 73 6.1.4 ASU-Selected Site Statistics (2011) ............................................................................. 74 6.1.5 ASU User Institutions (2013) ........................................................................................ 75

6.2 Cornell University NNIN Site Report ........................................................................... 76 6.2.1 Overview ....................................................................................................................... 76 6.2.2 Users and User Base .................................................................................................... 76 6.2.3 Technical Highlights ...................................................................................................... 76 6.2.4 Focus Areas/Assigned Responsibilities ........................................................................ 78 6.2.5 Equipment and Facilities............................................................................................... 81 6.2.6 Site Usage and Promotion Activities ............................................................................ 82 6.2.7 Commercialization Activities ......................................................................................... 83 6.2.8 Education Contributions................................................................................................ 83 6.2.9 Computation Contributions (CNF/C) ............................................................................. 85 6.2.10 Social and Ethical Issues in Nanotechnology ............................................................... 87 6.2.11 Staffing .......................................................................................................................... 87 6.2.12 Selected Cornell Site Statistics ..................................................................................... 88 6.2.13 Cornell User Institutions................................................................................................ 89

6.3 Georgia Tech Site Report ........................................................................................... 90 6.3.1 Research Highlights ...................................................................................................... 90 6.3.2 Growth of the Georgia Tech Facilities, Equipment and Capabilities ............................ 92 6.3.3 Diversity Activities ......................................................................................................... 93 6.3.4 Special Focus/Leadership: Education: ......................................................................... 93 6.3.5 Special Focus/Leadership: Bio and Life Sciences: ...................................................... 94 6.3.6 Georgia Tech Selected Site Statistics .......................................................................... 96 6.3.7 Georgia Tech Institutions .............................................................................................. 97

6.4 Harvard University Site Report ................................................................................... 98 6.4.1 Facility Overview ........................................................................................................... 98 6.4.2 Research Highlights ...................................................................................................... 98 6.4.3 Equipment Highlights .................................................................................................... 99 6.4.4 Staff Highlights ............................................................................................................ 100 6.4.5 Nanocomputation (NNIN/C) Site Activities ................................................................. 100 6.4.6 Education and Outreach ............................................................................................. 101 6.4.7 Harvard University Selected Site Statistics ................................................................ 104 6.4.8 Harvard User Institions ............................................................................................... 105

6.5 Howard University Site Report .................................................................................. 106 6.5.1 Overview ..................................................................................................................... 106 6.5.2 Progress in Attracting New Users ............................................................................... 107 6.5.3 Staff ............................................................................................................................. 108 6.5.4 Education .................................................................................................................... 108

6.5.4.1 Nanoexpress ........................................................................................................................ 108 6.5.4.2 NanoTalk- (HUR Radio Channel 141 Sirius –XM) ................................................................ 109 6.5.4.3 ASM/HNF Camp ................................................................................................................... 110

6.5.5 New Equipment .......................................................................................................... 110 6.5.6 Nanotechnology Seminar Series ................................................................................ 111 6.5.7 Renovations of HNF ................................................................................................... 111 6.5.8 Research Highlights .................................................................................................... 112 6.5.9 Publications HNF 2013 ............................................................................................... 113 6.5.10 Howard University Selected Site Statistics ................................................................. 125 6.x5.11 Howard user institions ................................................................................................ 126


6.6 Penn State University Site Report ............................................................................ 127 6.6.1 Site Description and Technical Capabilities ............................................................... 127 6.6.2 External and Internal Research Highlights ................................................................. 127 6.6.3 Facilities, Acquisitions, and Operations ...................................................................... 129 6.6.4 Education, Outreach and SEI ..................................................................................... 130 6.6.5 Penn State Selected Statistics ................................................................................... 132 6.6.6 Penn State User Institutions ....................................................................................... 133

6.7 Stanford University Site Report ................................................................................ 134 6.7.1 Overview ..................................................................................................................... 134 6.7.2 Research Highlights .................................................................................................... 134 6.7.3 Facility and Equipment ............................................................................................... 136

6.7.3.1 Facility ......................................................................................................................................... 136 6.7.3.2 Equipment ............................................................................................................................ 137

6.7.4 Site Usage and Promotion Activities .......................................................................... 139 6.7.4.1 Shared Nano Facilities Open House .................................................................................... 139 6.7.4.2 CIS New User Seed Grants .................................................................................................. 139

6.7.5 Commercialization Activities ....................................................................................... 140 6.7.6 Education Contributions.............................................................................................. 140

6.7.6.1 Undergraduate and K-12 Efforts ........................................................................................... 140 6.7.6.2 Continuing Education ........................................................................................................... 142

6.7.7. Computation Contributions ......................................................................................... 142 6.7.7.1 User Statistics ....................................................................................................................... 142 6.7.7.2 Training and Educational Activities ....................................................................................... 143 6.7.7.3 User Outreach Activities ....................................................................................................... 143 6.7.7.4 Research Highlights ............................................................................................................. 144

7.7.8 Social and Ethical Issues in Nanotechnology ............................................................. 146 7.7.9 Staffing ........................................................................................................................ 146 6.7.10 Stanford Site Selected Statistics ................................................................................ 148 6.7.11 Stanford User Institions .............................................................................................. 149

6.8 University of California Santa Barbara Site Report .................................................. 150 6.8.1 Site Overview .............................................................................................................. 150 6.8.2 Research Examples .................................................................................................... 151 6.8.3 Operations and Capital Acquisitions ........................................................................... 154 6.8.4 Education, Diversity, and SEI ..................................................................................... 154 6.8.5 USCB Selected Statistics ........................................................................................... 157 6.8.6 UCSB User Institutions) .............................................................................................. 158

6.9 University of Colorado Site Report ........................................................................... 159 6.9.1 Summary .................................................................................................................... 159 6.9.2 Technical Focus Areas ............................................................................................... 159 6.9.3 Research Highlights .................................................................................................... 160 7.9.4 Operations .................................................................................................................. 161 6.9.5 Diversity oriented initiatives ........................................................................................ 162 6.9.6 Education oriented contributions ................................................................................ 162 6.9.7 Society and ethics oriented activities .......................................................................... 162 6.9.8 New Initiative: Colorado Nanotechnology Coalition ................................................... 163 6.9.9 University of Colorado Selected Site Statistics .......................................................... 164 6.9.10 U. Colorado User Institutions ...................................................................................... 165

6.10 University of Michigan Site Report ............................................................................ 166 6.10.1 Technical Focus Areas ............................................................................................... 166


6.10.2 Research Highlights .................................................................................................... 167 6.10.3 Acquisitions, Changes and Facility Operations .......................................................... 170 6.10.4 Diversity Oriented Contributions ................................................................................. 170 6.10.5 Education Activities ..................................................................................................... 170 6.10.6 SEI highlights .............................................................................................................. 172 6.10.7 University of Michigan Selected Statistics .................................................................. 173 6.10.8 U.Michigan User Institutions ..................................................................................... 174

6.11 University of Minnesota Site Report ......................................................................... 175 6.11.1 Summary of Initiatives and Activities .......................................................................... 175 6.11.2 Selected External and Internal Highlights ................................................................... 175

6.11.2.1 Center for Spintronic Materials, Interfaces, and Novel Architectures .................................... 175 6.11.2.2 The Effects of Cell-Cell Interaction on Neutrophil Chemotaxis ............................................. 176 6.11.2.3 High Performance Tunable Materials ................................................................................... 176 6.11.2.4 Micro-Electron-Beam ADCs .................................................................................................. 176

6.11.3 Equipment and Facility Highlights .............................................................................. 176 6.11.3.1 New Clean Room ................................................................................................................. 176 6.11.3.2 KLA Tencor P7 Surface Profiler ............................................................................................ 177 6.11.3.3 Filmetrics F50-EXR Thin Film Mapping System ................................................................... 177

6.11.4 Diversity ...................................................................................................................... 177 6.11.4.1 Extended Tours & Presentations ......................................................................................... 177 6.11.4.2 Recruiting a More Diverse User Group ............................................................................... 177

6.11.5 Education Outreach Efforts Summary ........................................................................ 178 6.11.5.1 Outreach to Teachers and Faculty ...................................................................................... 178 6.11.5.2 Classes and Tours for Students .......................................................................................... 178 6.11.5.3 Outreach to External Users ................................................................................................ 178 6.11.5.4 NNIN Outreach Events and Activities ................................................................................. 179

6.11.6 SEI Activities ............................................................................................................... 179 6.11.7 University of Minnesota Selected Statistics ................................................................ 180 6.11.8 U. Minnesota User Institutions .................................................................................... 181

6.12 University of Texas Site Report ................................................................................ 182 6.12.1 Technical leadership areas: Initiatives and Activities ................................................. 182

6.12.1.1 Newer Lithographic processes suited to “soft” material ........................................................ 182 6.12.1.2 Large graphene crystals with exceptional electrical properties ............................................. 182

6.12.2 Acquisitions, Changes, Operations ............................................................................ 182 6.12.3 Diversity Activities ....................................................................................................... 183 6.12.4 Education .................................................................................................................... 183

6.12.4.1 Etch workshop for NNIN staff at Cornel ................................................................................ 183 6.12.4.2 REU summer 2013 ............................................................................................................... 183 6.12.4.3 Outreach activities ................................................................................................................ 184

6.12.5 Social and Ethical Issues (SEI) .................................................................................. 184 6.12.6 University of Texas Selected Statistics ....................................................................... 185 6.12.7 U. Texas User Institutions........................................................................................... 186

6.13 University of Washington Site Report ....................................................................... 187 6.13.1 Overview ..................................................................................................................... 187 6.13.2 Aquatic, Geo, and Environmental Sciences News ..................................................... 187 6.13.3 Research Highlights .................................................................................................... 188

6.13.3.1 Medicine, Biology, and Bioengineering ................................................................................. 188 6.13.3.2 Physical Sciences ................................................................................................................. 189 6.13.3.3 Engineering .......................................................................................................................... 191 6.13.3.4 Foreign Organizations and Universities ................................................................................ 192


6.13.3.5 Commercial Research .......................................................................................................... 193 6.13.4 Equipment, Facility and Staff Highlights ..................................................................... 194 6.13.5 Educational Highlights ................................................................................................ 195 6.13.6. University of Washington Selected Statistics ............................................................ 197 6.13.7 U.Washington User Institutions .................................................................................. 198

6.14 Washington University in St. Louis Site Report ........................................................ 199 6.14.1 Overview ..................................................................................................................... 199 6.14.2 Research Project Highlights ....................................................................................... 199

6.14.2.1 Energy and the Environment ............................................................................................... 199 6.14.2.2 Biological Applications ......................................................................................................... 200

6.13.3 Equipment and Operation ........................................................................................... 200 6.14.4 Staff ............................................................................................................................. 201 6.14.5 Education and Other Activities ................................................................................... 201 6.14.6 Washington University at St. Louis Selected Site Statistics ....................................... 202 6.14.7 Washington University St. Louis User Institutions ...................................................... 203


1.0 Introduction to the Report This report summarizes the activities and progress for the 10th year of the operation of the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN), from March 1, 2013 through Dec. 31, 2013 (10 months). NNIN is funded via a cooperative agreement between Cornell University and NSF; the current award period extends through Feb. 28, 2014.

The network’s unique strengths – its diverse technical capabilities afforded through the laboratory and technical personnel, its unique user community with technical diversity and unparalleled reach as the largest community of nano-oriented researchers, and the academic strength and geographic reach that it can leverage through its place in the national research and development pursuit. These newer efforts in educational and outreach activities in education: development of an international perspective in national student community, in helping open and explore new science and engineering frontiers through advanced symposia and workshops, and in development of societal and ethical consciousness through citizenship building and research studies to assess implications of nanotechnology, drew on the reach and the resources of the network

This report documents NNIN’s activities and highlights for the 10 th year of NNIN operation (March 2013-Dec. 2013). It includes statistics of usage and particularly focuses on progress and activities that NNIN initiated for renewed term. Earlier reports have described NNIN functions and operations extensively and these will not be described here in detail.

1.1 NG-NNIN NNIN is in the 10th and final year of its Cooperative Agreement.As NNIN sunsets, there is an open competition for the NSF award for NG-NNIN, the Next Generation National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network. NG-NNIN, when it is awarded, will take over responsibility for support of national nanotechnology infrastructure including support of the existing users of NNIN and their projects.

The pursuit of the NG-NNIN opportunity is not an NNIN function, although members of NNIN management and most sites, operating independent of NNIN, have been actively engaged in response to this solicitation.Some NNIN sites are on one “team” and others are on another “team”. Reviews of NG-NNIN proposals were conducted during the summer of 2013; results of the competition will not be announced until the end of Feb. 2014, very close to the end of NNIN. Regardless of the outcome of this competition, NNIN will wind down and there will be a period of transistion to new management and to new sites. This will inevitably involve the transition of some users from existing sites to new sites and either the transfer of programs or the establishment of new programs under the new network.

NG-NNIN is mentioned here only to establish the context in which NNIN operated under in year 10. NG-NNIN is not an NNIN function and will not be further discussed.

1.2 No Cost Extension NNIN has applied for and been granted a 1 year no cost extension, extending the award period for performance and reporting until Feb. 28, 2015. This will provide for a period of wrap up, wind down, and transition for the sites, the users, and for NNIN and for transition to NG-NNIN in whatever form it takes. It is expected that most site activities will be wrapped up by July 2014 with roll up to NNIN and network reporting occupying the remainder of the No Cost Extension. A final period report will be generated for the “11th” year.

2.0 NNIN Overview The National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN) consists of advanced nanotechnology laboratories at 14 major universities. Funded via a cooperative agreement from NSF, the 14 NNIN sites cooperate to provide efficient and economical access to advanced nanotechnology equipment,


processes, and technical support. NNIN has served the national user community for 10 years since its inception in 2004. Over 6000 individual users take advantage of NNIN facilities each year; they consist of academic users from hundreds of institutions around the country and scientists from large and small companies and government laboratories. Consistent with its charter from NSF, NNIN views its mission as both supporting academic research and supporting economic development. NNIN facilities operate as hands-on user facilities. Over 1000 pieces of advanced equipment are available within the network for use on an open basis. Equally important, however, is the high level of staff support provided to enable users from all types of institutions to productively use the facilities.

In addition to its core mission of experimental research support, NNIN has extensive efforts in computational nanotechnology, nanotechnology education across the age spectrum, and exploration and promotion of the social and ethical impacts of nanotechnology. The NNIN computational nanotechnology effort provides a wide variety of open source and commercial codes for calculation of electronic and chemical properties at the nanoscale; consistent with NNINs experimental practice, experience computational scientists are available to support the computational requirements of NNIN users. The education program of NNIN is one of the largest nanotechnology education programs in the country, with activities spread across the age spectrum from elementary to professionals, and activities at all 14 sites, spanning the nation. The geographical and technical diversity of the NNIN sites enhances and broadens the impact of its educational activities far beyond the mere sum of its parts. The social and ethical issues (SEI) in nanotechnology supports limited research on the impacts of nanotechnology on society; in addition, NNIN sites play a major role in creating awareness of social and ethical issues within its large community of researchers.

2.1 Approach and Usage NNIN’s mission is to support nanotechnology research and development in both academic and industry. We use the resources provided by the National Science Foundation to provide the facilities and the staff to make nanoscience happen, by providing the most advance equipment in an easily accessible and affordable manner. A particularly critical part of this is the staff that are necessary to train users and support them in their research. Nanotechnology resources are optimized through the identification of the technical strengths at each of the nodes, which reflect the intellectual strengths of the host institution. When coupled with geographic diversity, this community approach also enables a balanced and broad set of capabilities for the nation’s nanotechnology researchers.

The network is focused on providing the infrastructure for nanotechnology research by the external user

Figure 1: NNIN Sites

Figure 2: NNIN Users, Scope, and Activities


community: the students and professionals from non-NNIN institutions Each NNIN facility is set up with the staff and procedures necessary to allow all users to become productive in a minimum amount of time. NNIN’s facilities are all committed to this open-access culture and operate as an organization supporting and complementing each other, so that the network can be effective across the breadth of nanotechnology’s subdisciplines, as well as geographically.

NNIN supports researchers having a wide range of experience, from novice to experts, by sharing with them the breadth of tools, along with a breadth of knowledge on integrated process design and execution, where a large number of material and environmental interactions can occur. Essential to each nanofab’s efficient and productive operation is the training of users on a large variety of equipment, maintaining a high level of equipment uptime, supporting the users by open sharing process knowledge and previous experience, and by keeping the facilities open 24 hours a day. Some projects are simple, requiring only one fabrication step or access to a single advanced instrument; others can be very complex, requiring integration of multiple process steps and the use of novel materials.

Nanotechnology extends to all forms of condensed matter and fabrication technology in order to build structures, devices, and systems. The ability and willingness to process new materials is critical for many emerging applications of nanotechnology, and is particularly critical at this time where problems and research challenges related to energy conversion and storage and the bio-sciences are expanding the materials being explored in nano-scale science and engineering. The willingness to embrace novel applications of nanotechnology and novel materials is one aspect that sets NNIN facilities apart from many captive research facilities.

Our approach for achieving our objective of effective and efficient project execution by external users is summarized by our commitment to provide:

• A true practice of openness at all sites, based on serving external users, • A state-of-the-art equipment resource, distributed across the sites, and supported by a high level

of technical staff expertise, • A commitment to technical excellence that focuses on bringing key instrumentation and

knowledge and training to users, especially new users, The effective and leveraged use of scarce equipment and staff resources, which is made possible by a critical mass of users across the network,

• A geographically distributed resource, with distributed technical responsibilities, building upon the research and technology strengths of each site, while serving the broadest community, and

• A synergistic set of local and national activities to support education of users, potential users, human resource development, and provide public outreach.

Each NNIN site has technical area responsibilities that are tied to the technical area strengths of the institution. NNIN sites, thus, do not provide identical capabilities but do provide a set of common, essential fabrication techniques, complemented by specialized technical area capabilities. We can provide world-leading expertise that is unique to each site, based on its own toolset and history, interests of the local faculty, and resources. The network is a distributed set of laboratories, each with distinctly local flavor, but all work toward a common goal, with a common approach. This shared vision is critical to the operation of the network. To achieve this vision, all sites have committed to the following common principles:

• Open and equal access to all projects independent of origin, • Single-minded commitment to serving external users, • Commitment to support interdisciplinary research and emerging areas, • Openness to new materials, techniques, processes, and applications,


• Commitment to deepening social and ethical consciousness, • Facility control, rather than ownership by individual faculty ownership, of fabrication tools,

instruments, and other resources, • Commitment to maintaining high equipment uptime and availability • Commitment to comprehensive training and staff support, • Facility governance dedicated to national networked support, independent of interference from

other local organizations at the site, and • Commitment to having no intellectual-property barriers to facility access.

These principles are critical to NNIN’s operational success and they distinguish NNIN facilities from other research facilities, which try to support external user access as a secondary rather than a primary mission. This approach also avoids any conflicts of interest that arise in conduct of research when multiple investigators are pursuing similar directions.

NNIN sites are not identical. This is infact one of the strengths of the network. Each site has its own character and expertise determined by a long history of local faculty research. This technical diversity complements the geographical diversity to make NNIN an effective resource for all. In general terms, the NNIN sites are distinguished as follows:

• Cornell: Broad nanotechnology applications with emphasis on high resolution lithography. There is a strong bias toward life sciences applications within the Cornell user community. Outside academic users are strongly respresented within the outside user community at Cornell. Until recently, Cornell has the coordinating site for the NNIN SEI effort. Cornel is also one of the NNIN Computational nanocience nodes

• Stanford: Broad nanotechnology applications with emphasis towards electronics and MEMS. Small Bay-area companies are strongly represented within the outside users community at Cornell. Stanford is one of the 4 sites contributing to the NNIN computational effort.

• Georgia Tech: Broad nanotechnology applicatiosn with emphasis towards life sciences and integrated systesm. In addition, the NNIN Educational activity operates out of Georgia Tech (although all sites participate.) As the education hub, Georgia Tech has a particularly large educational activity.

• Michigan: The laboratory at Michigan has particular expertise in MEMS and integrated electronic sensor systems. They have also recently taken the role of interfacing to the Ocean Sciences community. Michigan also contributes to the NNIN computation effort.

• Harvard: Harvard has rapidly become the largest node in the Network. They have expertise across the spectrum of nanotechnology and an excellent equipment base to support it. They are able to draw a large number of users from the many universities and small companies within the metropolitan Boston area. Harvard is also the coordinating site for the NNIN computation program.

• UCSB: UCSB has a strong history in the areas of compound semiconductors for optics and electronics applications. They have a particularly large component of local small companies from the Santa Barbara area in their user base.

• Minnesota: The University of Minnesota provides a broad spectrum of nanotechnology capabilities, with recently expanded capabilities and capacity created by a new research building and clean room facility.

• Penn State: While supporting a broad range of nanotechnology activities, Penn States expertise


and niche within the network relates to novel materials, e.g. ferroelectrics, piezoelectrics, complex oxides, magnetic materials, etc.

• Texas: The University of Texas has particular expertise in Electronics as well as novel manufacturing techniques including imprint lithography.

• University of Washington: Originally, the University of Washington site provided particular expertise in biology and life sciences to NNIN. Laboratory consolidations, however, have brought a larger microfabrication capability into the node as well.

• Howard: Howard University represents NNIN in the Capital area. Historically, Howard has had strong expertise in the area of high temperature semiconductor materials, e.g. SiC and GaN. Their laboratory supports both the grown and patterning of these materials.

• ASU: Arizona State is one of the new sites added to NNIN in 2008. They have expertise particularly in the area of energy and flexible electronics. ASU is the new coordinating site for the NNIN SEI activity.

• Washington University St. Louis: Washington University is one of the new sites added to NNIN in 2008. Their primary niche within the network relates to nanomaterials, particularly nanoparticles.

• University of Colorado at Boulder: Colorado is on e of the new sites added to NNIN in 2008. Their proximity to NIST has given them particular expertise in the application of nanotechology to precision measurements.

Together, these practices have established NNIN as a model of a distributed, shared laboratory environment that embraces interdisciplinary research and builds upon the nano-science and nanotechnology expertise resident at each of our member sites. This infrastructure support for nanotechnology research enables NNIN to play a leading role in the development of the scientists, engineers and high-technology work force of the future. These principles have served NNIN as well as it predecssor NNUN well, for the last 20 years. They have also been used as the basis for definition of the Next Generation NNIN (NG-NNIN) which will follow NNIN, as detailed in the NSF soliction.

2.2 Practices for User Support Our practices to support and train users, especially new users, continue to evolve with learning and experience. External user support, training, and procedures are our focus; internal users obviously benefit, because of the efficiencies created. The procedures are not straightforward to implement in a conventional university laboratory environment where multiple conflicting interests co-exist. Through the leadership of NNIN derived from its experience over the past 10 years, and its documented impact on nanotechnology research, both locally and nationally, the NNIN sites have adopted and implemented these methods. This section summarizes the NNIN user-support practices.

2.2.1 User Facilities The facilities of NNIN are resource facilities; i.e., the primary mission of NNIN and its individual sites are to facilitate the research of others. The NNIN sites are specifically not research centers and NNIN is not a research program. This fact distinguishes it from other center-based programs, including STCs, ERCs, NSECs, MRSECs, etc., which are primarily research centers. While the facilities of these research centers may be available to some collaborators, they are primarily maintained to support the research mission of the center; furthermore, such research centers rarely have the staff or user support mechanisms in place to assist users from unaffiliated research groups. The NNIN facilities therefore do not have a particular research thrust or a portfolio of research thrusts. NNIN does not fund research at the site by resident faculty or staff, with the exception of its society and ethics program. Similarly, NNIN does


not directly fund user projects from outside users.

The NNIN’s goal of providing a national nanotechnology infrastructure resource is accomplished by providing equipment, processes, staff support, and instruction to all feasible projects at each of the fourteen nodes. The user base thus defines the direction of their research in NNIN; we thus avoid the conflicts that arise between conducting research and supporting research. At most of the host universities, there are resident research programs — NSECs, MRSECs, STCs, ERCs, etc., as well as non-NSF centers — which use the facilities heavily and provide critical knowledge and information. These programs, related “research centers”, and their associated students provide much of the technology base, process development, and process characterization at each site, which is critical to the success of diverse user projects. A prime tenet of NNIN is, however, that all users are equal and the facility is equally open to all. NNIN sites are expected to separate research tasks from the user facility tasks so that even researchers from competing research programs have fair and equal access to all site technologies. The NNIN facility staff is distinct from any associated research staff. This separation is a cornerstone of NNIN operation and distinguishes the NNIN from other organizations.

2.2.2 NNIN Project Support, Process Support and Training NNIN facilities are primarily hands-on facilities. Users are trained by the staff to become self-sufficient. However, NNIN also serves users remotely, without the user needing to visit a site. Remote access to NNIN typically involves execution of a selection of reproducible and specialized processes and process sequences that are essential to a variety of tasks, but aren’t themselves the focus of the research. Examples of these processes are fabrication of thin low-stress membranes, selective etches, deep silicon etches, thin-film coatings, and fine-line lithography, etc.). These processes can be performed for a remote user by an NNIN-supported staff member. The NNIN, however, does not operate as a foundry for complex integration of materials and processes. The execution of a complex multi-step process sequence is itself a research project and must be performed by the user. Most users, from academia or industry, are performing research and development and wish to be part of the hands-on process of research, in order to learn from the staff, and become self-sufficient researchers.

Each site is responsible for providing sufficient staff resources to enable comprehensive training and support for external research projects. Currently, NNIN trains over 2000 new users per year, with almost 6000 different users taking advantage of NNIN laboratory facilities each full year. Since each users is generally trained on multiple instruments this amounts to 10s of thousands of individual training events. It is critical that this training is done both efficiently and effectively to protect the expensive and delicate equipment.

Safety training, including a component devoted to the development of societal and ethical consciousness, is mandated for all users prior to any activity in the laboratory. Each external user project is assigned to a staff mentor who is the primary contact for technical support. Instruction in all phases of nanotechnology is provided as necessary in addition to direct equipment instruction. The NNIN staff act only as facilitators; the technical and intellectual direction of each project remains with the user. As projects progress, users become more independent of NNIN staff support, many to the point of being self-sufficient. NNIN staff remains available, however, to provide support as necessary.

Accommodating large numbers of new users arriving weekly and training them to operate safely and creatively in a shared-facility environment is the most critical aspect of network operation. With a high level of training and process support delivered by a dedicated professional staff, complex technologies such as e-beam lithography and complex multi-step integrated processing procedures can be made available to a large user community in an efficient and timely manner. At the same time, new techniques and processes, developed either by the staff or by the user community, can be efficiently and effectively made available for the mutual benefit of all users, at the site, and across the network.


2.2.2 Intellectual Property In any shared or open research and development environment, protection of intellectual property is critical. This is particularly of concern to small companies as it is their most valuable asset. In order to foster economic development and to support industrial research and development, NNIN operates under an extremely flexible IP policy. The host institutions make no claims to the IP of users of the facilities. As hands-on user facilities, users can conduct research and development in our facilities without sharing critical parts of their IP. Only sufficient information to assure health, safety, and non-contamination need be shared. Many users have their own very experienced scientists who require little technical advice from NNIN staff. For others, the advice of NNIN staff is important. Only in the cases where staff are asked to intellectually contribute to the project does joint-ownership of IP come into play. This is extremely rare. Most users are able to do extensive research and development without concern for control of IP. This arrangement also enables users to work in NNIN facilities with a minimum of legal agreements, allowing for fast access.

That being said, sharing of process information amongst users and staff is one of the things that makes the environment efficient and productive. To the extent possible NNIN fosters an environment of sharing so that researchers can be productive in uncovering new knowledge, rather than duplicating results known to other practitioners.

2.3 Overview for 2013 The past year was the fifth year following NNIN’s mid-point renewal in 2009. As the final year of NNIN, few new activities were implemented. The new sites that were added in 2009 have all developed well to serve their particular geographical and technical niches and have been fully integrated into NNIN activities. Most prior activities, however, continued, serving the broad and expanding nanotechnology user community in the manner that NNIN has since 2004.

2.3.1 Activities and Usage This report covers the 10 month period March 2013-Dec 2013, most of the 10th year of the NSF NNIN Cooperative Agreement. While the rest of this report will explain the past year’s activities and accomplishments more detail, some of the salient milestones of the diverse network activities included:

a. Network usage: During this 10 month reporting period, 5867 unique users accessed NNIN facilities across the network. The usage was broadly distributed across disciplines. During this period 2066 new users were trained in the use of a large instrument set. Average costs incurred by academic users, who came from 210 different universities, was approximately $3300 for the year. This cost continues to be an affordable sum for research projects. Over 450 companies with 917 industrial scientists have used the facilities for their research and development efforts during this 10 month period The academic research community of approximately 5000 student users of NNIN reflects about 20% of experimental science and engineering student community that potentially needs the type of resources NNIN provides. NNIN, through its 14 advanced nanotechnology facilities and associated staff, continues to make a significant impact on both the academic community and on the economic development front.

b. Research and development impact: The importance and effectiveness of NNIN is reflected in the work product of its users—publications, presentations, and patents. Several thousand publications are generated bNNIN users each year, as well as 100s of patents. These will be compiled for the final period for the NNIN final report. Significant research accomplishments are highlighted in the site reports at the end of this report.

c. Education and outreach: The broad portfolio activity encompasses the spectrum of age group and technical knowledge. Through the diverse events, NNIN reached over 54,000 individuals in person, at over 250 events during the 2013 year (not counting Nanooze or web activity). Some of


the more visible activities included: (other activities are covered in the education report in Section 3.0).

i. Nanooze is a children’s magazine, a website resource, and a hands-on museum-quality exhibit for elementary to middle-school age children. Thirteen issues of the print edition are now available and nearly 100,000 copies or each issue are distributed by direct mailing upon request and at conferences and local NNIN events. Nanooze has garnered a significant number of “secondary distributors” as well, other research centers and university programs unaffiliated with NNIN. Nanooze in print is distributed free of charge to all these organizations for them to distribute to their end users. The “museum exhibit” part of Nanooze continued on display at Epcot Center/Disney World and at Disneyland where they are seen by hundreds of thousands of visitors. The Nanooze web site was completely redone to provide a more stable platform for future distribution of Nanooze content.

ii. REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates): NNIN continued its highly successful REU program, which offers a hands-on nanotechnology research experience across the breadth of disciplines to beginning undergraduate researchers. In 2012, xxx students participated in this 10 week research experience. Already some students have published papers or presented their research at national conferences.. The end of program REU Convocation was held Georgia Tech. Archives of the video presentations are available on the NNIN web site..

iii. NNIN continued its highly successful iREU (international Research Experience for Undergraduates) program which provides an advanced research experience for exceptional students selected out of our prior year’s REU program. This program gives them not only a more advanced exposure to nanotechnology research , but also provides them with experience in an international context, helping them develop as globally aware scientists. The 2013 program consisted of 15 students at partner laboratories in Japan ,France, and Germany. These students shared their experience with the NNIN REU students at the annual REU convocation.

iv. NNIN continued its LEF (Laboratory Experience for Faculty) program, a summer REU-like program for under-represented faculty or faculty at under-represented serving institutions. A total of five participants were supported at 5 NNIN sites. Faculty from University of Toledo, St. Catherine University, Baylor University, Norfolk State University, and Pennsylvania State University at Altoona did research at University of Michigan, University of Texas, University of Minnesota, and Pennsylvania State University, respectively. LEF is one of our diversity pipeline programs to increase the diversity of the NNIN user base and the nanotechnology workforce in general. This program helps the faculty establish viable research programs and provides a nanotechnology experience, which can be incorporated into their classroom environment.

d. Societal and ethical implications of nanotechnology: Our SEI effort participated in the training of over 2500 new users through discussions, presentations, and training modules, reaching the community of new NNIN users. An interactive activity was presented at the NNIN REU Convocation in August to engage all the young participating researchers. On July 1, responsibility for coordination of the NNIN SEI program shifted from Cornell to Arizona State.


Details of these accomplishments, as well as other NNIN activities, are given in subsequent sections of this report and in some cases in the individual site reports.

2.3.2 NNIN Web Site NNIN is served by a single network web site at http:www.nnin.org. This site was completely redesigned in 2012. It provides a central gateway to NNIN resources, activities, and events. A network wide tool database is available as well as an extensive set of video instruction materials from across the network. Within NNIN.org is also an extensive section on the network’s educational activities. Because of the diversity of the NNIN sites, interactions between users and specific sites are still handled at the site level. Nonetheless, the NNIN web site acts as a gateway to all network resources.

2.4 Network Management NNIN operates as a distributed resource with activities at 14 different sites. Management is responsible for coordination of intra-network activities and for various levels of reporting to NSF, NNI, and others. The management structure of NNIN also has to take into account the large number of network university sites, the individuality of universities and their environment and yet has to be flexible, responsive and adaptive to the evolving environment of nanotechnology research. Network management does not attempt to manage the day to day local affairs of each site. Sites are free to operate within the general goals of the NNIN User Program with periodic reporting to management. Our management structure and procedures follow the format outlined in the NNIN proposal.

Since 2011, Prof. Roger Howe of Stanford has been the Director of NNIN. He is responsible for oversight, management, and reporting for the network and for all interactions with NSF program management Other management functions including routine site coordination remain at Cornell. Since the NNIN Cooperative Agreement is between Cornell and NSF, a Cornell Faculty member must be PI on the award, for financial accountability reasons. Prof. Dan Ralph, Cornell, is thus PI of the award, with Roger Howe as co-PI. Functionally, however, Prof. Howe is Director of NNIN. All financial and direct management functions remain at Cornell, under Dr. Lynn Rathbun, NNIN Deputy Director.

Three Network Coordinators are responsible for the broad outreach activities areas across the network.

• Education & Outreach: Dr. Nancy Healy, Georgia Tech, • Society & Ethical Implications in Nanotechnology: Jameson Wetmore, ASU (since 7/1/2013), • Computation and Modeling: Dr. Mike Stopa, Harvard

For the purpose of implementation of the program and policies, the Network Director and the Program Manager interact directly and regularly with the site directors and the coordinators of thrust activities. The Site Directors are responsible for the operation of individual sites.During 2013, Prof. Robert Westervelt assumed responsibilty for the Harvard node of NNIN and Prof. Karl Bohringer assumed responsibility for the University of Washington node, and Prof. Oliver Brand assumed responsibility for the Georgia Tech node. A complete list of current Site Directors is provided in Appendix 1.

The Network Executive Committee (NEC), chaired by the Network Director, sets the vision, policies, operating procedures, evolution, and manages the allocation of the NNIN resources. NEC has 2 permanent members — the Network Director (also Stanford Site Director and the Cornell site director — and 3 members elected from the other sites. The Network Executive Committee as consisted of the following since 2012.

Figure 3: NNIN Web Site


• Prof. Roger Howe (Stanford University), ex-officio • Prof. Dan Ralph (Cornell University), ex-officio • Prof. Khalil Najafi (University of Michigan) • Prof. Bart van Zeghbroeck (University of Colorado)) • Prof. Theresa Mayer (Penn State)

This Network Executive Committee will remain unchanged for the duration of NNIN. As no new initiatives for NNIN were implemented during its final year the Executive Committee was inactive for 2013.

The Network Director and the Network Executive Committee receive advice from the Network Advisory Board (NAB), an independent body of leaders and thinkers of the disciplines and communities that the network serves. The NNIN advisory board represents eminent scientists, engineers, and administrators. The advisory board members are a cross-section representative of the nanotechnology user areas and are individuals with stature, experience and independence that can help the network evolve through critical advice and guidance of programs, activities, vision and future directions.

The members of the Network Advisory Board are:

Again, as no significant changes were appropriate during the final year of NNIN, the Advisory Board did not meet in 2013.

2.5 Network and Site Funding-Year 10 2.5.1 Funding and reallocation NNIN is funded by a primary cooperative agreement between NSF and Cornell University at a level of initially set to $17.0 M/ yr. Funding has fluctuated in recent years. The budget for year 10 (March 13-Feb 14) was 16.3M$. These funds were distributed to sites in the manner described in last year’s report and in the annual budget request. This is repeated below as a summary of the funding under which year 10 was conducted. The year 10 fund distribution did reflect some redistribution of funding between sites based on year 8 and year 9 performance metrics. This redistribution scheme was previously described.

Although year 10 funding was $700,000 less than the initial budget, most of that shrinkage was taken up in the management budget. Unspent funds in the management budget were also distributed to sites as part of the year 10 funding. The net result of the overall reduction, the site re-allocation, and the management reallocation was that funding for most sites actually increased slightly for year 10.

No new funds have been allocated to sites after the year 10 award was processed in spring 2013; no new allocations or reallocations are planned..

Dr. Samuel Bader; Assoc. Div. Director, Materials Science Division, Argonne National Lab Dr. Carl Kukkonen; CEO, ViaSpace Technologies Prof. George Langford; Dean of College of Arts and Sciences, Syracuse University Dr. Jim McGroddy; Retired Senior VP, Research, IBM Prof. Hans Mooij; Chairman, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft Univ. of Technology Prof. Paul Peercy; Dean of Engineering, U. Wisconsin Dr. Kurt Petersen; Entrepreneur and consultant Dr. Tom Theis; Director of Physical Sciences, IBM Research Prof. Vivian Weil; Director, Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago


2.5.2 Funding Distribution The budget distribution by site for year 10 is outlined in Table 1. This reflects the redistribution based on metrics, the overall funding reduction ($700K) from NSF, and the redistribution of surplus management funds from prior years. Effectively, the entire $700K reduction was taken from management funds.

Table 1 NNIN Annual Funding by Site Year 10 Budget Cornell $2,719,750 Stanford $2,611,000 Georgia Tech $1,621,000 Michigan $1,293,500 UCSB $929,250 Harvard $937,250 U. Minnesota $773,000 Penn State $770,000 U.Washington $754,750 U. Texas $720,000 Howard Univ. $506,750 Arizona State $570,000 U. Colorado $470,000 Wash. Univ. in St. Louis $520,000 Network Coordination $210,398 Network Activities and Programs (central) $893,352 Total $16,300,000

Note : site budgets for Harvard, Georgia Tech, and Cornell include extra amounts for the coordination of network Computation, Education, and SEI activity, respectively.

The NNIN Activities budget is for network-scale activities, including participant support for various programs (REU, iREU, LEF, iWSG, Showcases), network booths at outreach activities and professional meetings, and support of Symposia and Workshops. Much of this budget is sub-awarded to sites annually for specific site activities such as REU, LEF, etc., amounts in addition to those shwn above. The mix of activities funded under this budget changes annually based on new initiatives and feedback on existing programs and initiatives. Retaining these funds at the network level, at least initially, gives maximum flexibility in meeting the changing program needs.

A more complete explanation of funding and program allocation is given in the Budget Justificaiton for year 10 funding supplied to NSF.

2.5.3 Annual Review Typically, NSF conducts an annual site review during May of each year. As this schedule overlapped severely with the NG-NNIN competition as as NNIN was nearing its sunset, at the decision of NSF, no annual review was held in 2013

2.5.4 Wind-down As this report is being written, year 10 is winding to a close. A one year No Cost Extension has been granted to NNIN to the purpose of wind-down, wrap up, and transition to NG-NNIN, in whatever form that takes.This short extension is entirely reasonable for the wrap up of a complex 14 site, 10 year program NNIN Management has been remaining balances in all site subawards and discussed budget balances with each site. Each site has a plan for termination of their subaward. It is expected that site activities will be wrapped up early, within the first 4-5 months of the NCE, followed by rollup to the main cooperative


agreement and final reporting from Cornell.

2.6 Network Performance For NNIN to deliver the greatest possible value to the national user community and the nation, it is essential that the network be a dynamic organization that rewards performance and systematically adapts to changing circumstances and emerging opportunities. During formation of NNIN, we committed to making funding allocations yearly based on productivity metrics and on the basis of leadership contributions in research service in areas of assigned responsibilities and the other NNIN thrust areas. A balanced evaluation requires understanding of responsiveness to user needs, the quantity and quality of output from the individual sites, the needs of different types of usage, and the changing requirements of new and rapidly developing fields. Sites are expected to allocate resources in accordance with the assigned focus areas and are held specifically accountable for success in those areas.

We distinguish experimental R&D usage, i.e. research usage, from educational usage that is in support of our broader outcome objectives. Research usage is in support of a specific research task, supported by research funds whose end result are publications for academic users, or new technology and commercialization-oriented development for the industrial users, and new knowledge for both. Educational and other broader area usage has as its goals training or knowledge dissemination. Technical workshops that we conduct, e.g., are in educational usage. On the other hand, an external user, who comes to facilities, gets trained and uses resources to accomplish their own technical tasks, is a research user when we count in our user statistics for experimental support.

We also collect statistics related to Scientific Computation and Modeling activities separately because of the different nature and needs of this activity.

Evaluating performance in this context is a complex task since it must balance between the nature of the activity and its requirements and needs and an appropriate evaluation of the contribution. Evaluating performance in this context is a complex task since it must balance between the nature of the activity and its requirements and needs and an appropriate evaluation of the contribution. Not all performance can be quantified; the task is further complicated by the diversity of network sites, the diversity of their funding, and the diversity of their user base.

User support and educational user support require different resources and scientific computation users also require a very different type of attention and support. Similarly, within research user support activity, different tasks may require different level of time and intensity of commitment from staff as well as of the level of complexity of instrumentation. Thus, data needs to be looked at in a variety of ways in order to assess the performance. In addition to quantitative measures, a qualitative evaluation of the enabled research also sets a different context of performance evaluation. Impact of the activity is also critical, and hence quality and quantity of research contribution enabled by site activities, particularly in the area of site focus, is an important consideration in performance evaluation. NNIN focuses on collecting information that helps with forming a balanced and relatively complete picture of the network operation. For research quality, this includes collection of highlights of research and development, related publications and presentations, the impact of the scientific research, as well as quantitative measures that look at research and educational user service.

The different components of the NNIN mission - research-user services, computation and web-based services, education and outreach, and the societal and ethical thrust - each requires separate measures to evaluate productivity, quality of contributions, and user satisfaction. The quantitative data shown in the following sections primarily relates to support of the user research mission.

NNIN sites also vary considerably in size and scope of effort related to NNIN. Consequently, the level of funding and the resultant expectations vary accordingly with the following guidelines:


• The range and volume of service that each site can, now and in the near future, provide to outside research users in specific technical areas assigned to it;

• The infrastructure needs of the technical focus areas that are supported by each site;

• The infrastructure needs for the educational efforts and educational user activities — activities that are different in character than research support activities;

• The level of responsibilities and range of activities that each site undertakes with regard to the NNIN education and outreach thrust, the computing and web-infrastructure thrust, and the societal and ethical issues thrust.

In the following, we summarize the performance of the network and the sites.


Figure 4 shows some of the major elements of the information collection. Since each user and each site is different, none of the metrics tells a complete story in itself. In particular, aspects of the quality of the research or the quality of the customer service are not captured well by any of the quantitative metrics. It is also acknowledged that the scope and type of use varies significantly from site to site, and that some types of users/fields have significantly different use profiles (e.g. a simple characterization or thin film deposition user vs. a user doing complex process integration for a MEMS or electronic device).

The information summarized here is for experimental research lab usage only. These are related to the projects where a user is trained and performs independent research, uses the variety instruments in the laboratory, and is the primary focus of the network research support activity. This data there does not include any educational “user”, people who attended workshops, and other significant activities, or local students taking using any resources for class-room learning, etc. These statistics do not include Computation and Modeling Users; although a significant number and requiring close work with our Computation Domain Experts, and doing in theory what we also do in experiments, they are evaluated separately as this is a distinctly different use available only at four sites currently.

Primary usage data is periodically by each site to NNIN management. All graphs are subject to the accuracy of the data supplied by the sites.

Unless otherwise noted, all data is for the 10 month period comprising most of year 10, March 1, 2013-Dec. 31,2013. Prior year data is for each full funding year March-February.

Persons exclusively using NNIN Computation resources for scientific simulations are not counted as part of the NNIN Users. We collect that data separately. As used here, “users” refers to laboratory users only.

Figure 4: NNIN Metrics

No single “best” indicator

Primary Metrics • External usage • Cumulative Users • Average Monthly Users • Lab Time • User Fees • Publications • Highlights • …

Secondary Metrics Computed from primary metrics • External hours/user • User fees per user • Fees per hour • Area resource requirements

Broken Down By

• All Users • Outside Users • Outside Academic Users • Technical Area • Site • Combinations of above

Primary Metric Data submitted by Sites monthly

Diversity of data collection from network sites for usage, intensity, demand, type and impact of usage. Our focus is on the external user support from the facilities.


2.6.1 Program Breadth NNIN’s mission in support of experimental nanotechnology is spans the entire range of nanotechnology disciplines and applications, from complex fabrication of structures such as in MEMS, biosciences, optics and electronics, to synthesized molecular scale structures and creation of materials assemblies for advanced studies. Figure 5 shows the distribution of users by field across the network. Overlap between technical areas is inevitable and many users could be assigned to multiple categories. None the less, the broad coverage of nanotechnology subareas is apparent. Materials is a broad category when specific engineering application is not intended; it is the largest in usage and users from Chemistry, Physics and Materials Sciences are usually pursuing projects in this category.

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Figure 5: NNIN User Distribution by Field


2.6.2 Lab Use Laboratory hours are counted by one of two means at NNIN sites; either direct use equipment time, or clean room time. The former does not include lab use for non-charged equipment or other general lab time but does count multiple simultaneous equipment use. The latter counts just time in the lab, which could be used for a single piece of equipment, or multiples or none. Thus, while there is correlation between the two measures, they are different between sites. We accept this variation in counting methods as part of the uncertainty and have not standardized to one approach because of the expense and time involved .

The chart in Figure 6 represents total lab hours during the 10 month period (Mar. 2013-Dec. 2013). The size of each NNIN facility and its associated funding varies significantly and each includes different amounts of “associated” facilities (.e.g. characterization facilities [large materials characterization resources are not included in NNIN]). Nonetheless, they reveal information about the size, scope and character of each laboratory’s activities when looked together with user numbers and other related metrics. The activity at all laboratories is dominated by local usage. The local users are a vital foundation and critical element of the facilities. The local users develop the processes, provide quite often the initial impetus for new technology development, and provide the rigor and reproducibility that becomes the knowledge and training foundation for the external user.

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Figure 6: User Lab Hours by NNIN Site. Note different sites count hours in different ways – equipment time where equipment has charges associated with it, or clean room time.


2.6.3 Cumulative Annual Users by Site NNIN uses the construct of “Cumulative Annual Users” to count users. Here each unique user is counted once during the year ( or in this case , the 10 month reporting period). The counter is reset each March 1, and Cumulative Annual Users increases monotonically until the end of the reporting period (typically 12 months). Each user is this counted once, regardless of whether they used the facility every day or just once during the period. (Elsewhere, we also calculate Monthly users, the number of unique users in a month, and the Average Monthly Users. These give an alternative view of “business” and :”impact”.

Figure 7 shows the distribution of users across the network by site and institution type. This figure can also be contrasted with the chart for laboratory hours (either laboratory time or equipment time) (Figure 6). There is considerable variation in the number of users and in their distribution between sites, and this should be considered together with the technical focus responsibility area at the specific site. In this metric, each user counts the same regardless of whether he/she uses the facility 4 hours per year or 400 hours per year. To gain a fuller picture of the effectiveness of each site one has to look at other metrics, such as intensity of usage, as a supplement to this information.

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Figure 7:Cumulative Unique Users (10 months)


As discussed in the introduction, NNIN’s effort is organized around the theme of serving the external user – a focus we believe leads to crucial benefits in quality, efficiency, and local community and external community effects that are essential to bringing the maximum benefits to progress in nanotechnology from an infrastructure.

External users are the most important component of the NNIN effort together with the focus on external users in assigned areas of technical responsibility within the network. This enables effective use of limited funds with the maximum efficiency in equipment usage and delivery and sharing of critical technical knowledge and expertise.

Figure 8 show the distribution of outside (external) users only, i.e. local site users have been removed for clarity. Nearly all sites continue to make progress towards the objectives. Foue major sites of the network(Cornell, UCSB, Georgia Tech, and Harvard) all have 150 or more outside users each in the 10 month period, with both academic and industrial users benefiting from the network.

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Figure 8:Cumulative Outside Users (10 months)


Building up usage at a site is a multiyear enterprise based on network and site outreach and user successes that reinforce confidence in the site’s capabilities. Particularly for the new or smaller sites, it takes considerable time to grow effective and sustainable usage and vibrant user base. Capacity at each site is a complex function not only of funding and staff but also of the size of the physical facility, the type of equipment and processes supported, the size and type of the local economy, and the number of researchers, universities , and companies within the geographical area. The new sites to the network are the ones with the smaller usage and it is important to also view the progress in network usage since the inception of NNIN in 2004. Figure 9 shows the trends in usage of the network at the sites. In this figure, the data for current year is for a 10 month period. Many of the larger, older sites, are operating at or near saturation, given current resources. This user number is also tied to the type of needs, its usage needs in equipment and in staff, and the intensity, i.e. hours of usage per user.

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Figure 9: Historical Users by Site over 10 Years


Figure 10 shows total network usage (Users) in each of the 10 years of NNIN- broken down by user type, i.e. local and external academic, and industrial. It shows a continuing increase in network usage across all types over the full history of the network. .

Figure 10: NNIN Users by Year

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2.6.4 Average Monthly Users

Usage needs to be looked at from a variety of perspectives as remarked earlier. The metric of average monthly users, i.e., number of unique users each month, e.g., is indicative of “how busy” a site is (Figure 11). The larger NNIN sites also show a larger number of average monthly users. Figure 11 shows this demand from external users only , the user populace that NNIN places its emphasis on.

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Figure 11: Average Monthly Users by Site

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Figure 12: Average Monthly External Users by Site


2.6.5 User Fees Lab use fees supplement the NNIN funding at all sites. All users, both internal and external, pay user fees. Fees are charged on per user or per hour basis with the exact structure varying by site. The user fee rates at each site are set at local discretion following the federal and university regulations for cost centers. Some of the NNIN site programs are connected to existing and sometimes larger facilities and programs. As such, no attempt has been made to standardize fees across the network since cost structures are different at different locales. NNIN only expects that external academic users receive the same rate as local academic users, and that NSF funds be allocated to support open academic usage. Thus, industrial users pay the full cost of usage, while the academic users benefit from lower costs that the NSF support makes possible. In short, academic fees cover the incremental costs of operation while the industrial users are charged at higher rates to reflect full cost recovery and reflecting effort that does not compete with commercial enterprises .

User fees provide a mechanism for allocating costs to different activities. The NNIN mission is to make successful research and development happen through open and effective usage of these facilities by the national user community. NNIN funds largely pay for the staff and training infrastructure required to support this outside user effort and not for operation of existing facilities. The level of expense recovery obviously varies with the size of the user base as well as the type of user, e.g. industrial users are an important source; examination of total fee recovery yields little new information. The amount of user fees collected at each site is shown in Figure 13 There can be several explanations for low fee recovery from outside users, among them: a) low number of outside users, and b) low average level of use by outside users. At least four sites, however, show that company usage is an important component of achieving their sustainability. In particular, it points to the large relative small company fee recovery at UCSB and Harvard. In almost all cases, overall user fee recovery is an important part of facility operation budgets.

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Figure 13: User Fee Recovery by Site


Figure 14 shows the overall high leverage of the NSF investment over the years. Each dollar of the NSF cooperative agreement is more than matched by user feesBoth user fees and the NSF support are critical to operation of NNIN. Note this charge does not reflect university or state funding to the sites. .Not shown at all are University contributions in terms of operating subsidy, equipment funds or equipment matching funds, salary supplements, or buildings, nor are any state contributions shown. These vary widely from site to site but on average are more than double the NSF investment. Neither does it include any federal awards directly to the site such as from MRI awards nor any “research funding” enabled by the NNIN site presence. Clearly the NSF NNIN funds are highly leveraged. While there are many supplemental sources of funding the steady base funding provided by NSF for NNIN is critical to maintaining the stable base infrastructure in support of users. A significant amount of this supplemental funding would not be available without the NNIN support of the site.

Figure 14: Historical Trend of NSF and User Fee Funding

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One of the requirements of a successful user facility/network is that it be affordable. This is particularly critical for academic research where the effort is paid largely by various government grants. Because of the economies of scale and the critical mass of users, NNIN is able to keep academic use charges low. Figure 15 compares the local academic (NNIN institution) and outside academic average user fees per user over year (total academic fees/ total # of academic users). Note the difference here is not in the rates ($/hour fees), but in the intensity of use. All academic users are charged the same rates. In general, local academic users tend to be more intensive users than outside academic users.

Figure 15: Academic Fees by Site (10 months)

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Figure 16 shows a subset of the same data, the average user fees per user for just outside academic users. While there is some variation between sites, the most striking part is that the average external academic user paid approximately $2400 per year, a level that is quite affordable for access to an extremely large set of research enabling tools. This is an average; many heavy users paid significantly more, and many users paid significantly less. Figure 15 and 16 together also show that the usage recovery from internal academic user is about twice that of external academic user, and for sites an important component of their sustainability.

Figure 16:Fees per OUTSIDE academic user (10 months)

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$2,570 network average (10 months)


Similarly, average academic rates per hour (Figure 17) are clustered around $30 per hour, a quite reasonable and accessible fee for high technology equipment.

Figure 17:Fees per hour (average) by site

The point of these figures is not any individual variation, either between sites, or between local and outside users at a given site; there is far too much variation in complexity of projects and the available equipment sets to draw those conclusions (although actually most use falls in the $20-40 per hour range, a quite tight and reasonable result). One should thus not conclude that one site’s fees are too high or too low from this data – a larger fraction of user of expensive tools, electron beam lithography or deep ultra violet lithography can skew this data. Similarly any difference between “average rates” between inside and outside at a given site are due to differences in use profile (type of equipment) and not due to differences in actual rates. In addition, there are certainly individual users who are at both 4x the average and 1/4 the average, i.e. there is a broad distribution.

The data does show, however, that access to NNIN facilities for an “average” user is quite affordable. The full out average over all sites for all academic users by being near $3,500 is quite within the budget of most research grants.

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In contrast, the average cost for an industrial users (small and large company) is $9,416 for the 2013 period (Figure 18) or approximately $83 per hour (Figure 19), again with a broad distribution both within sites and across sites. This level is again extremely manageable for the complex resources that the NNIN sites provide to the industrial users. The level of fees should not be a barrier to any reasonably funded project. Again, the equipment use profile varies significantly across the sites resulting in some of the intra-site variation. The major point is that equipment resources are affordable and accessible.

Figure 18: Fees per Industrial User by Site

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Figure 19: Average Industrial Fees per Hour by Site

For outside users we do not believe that the relative costs of NNIN facilities are a major factor in selection of a facility. Technical capabilities of the sites, technical alignment with the user’s requirements, and geographical considerations are significantly more important considerations.

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2.6.6 Hours per user Hours per user is a particularly enlightening metric as it reflects intensity of use and the intensity of associated staff support, with the caveat that different sites collect data on hours of specific equipment usage ) or clean room time. A site can more easily sustain a large number of users doing small processes than a similar number of users doing complex processing. Hours per user is an average secondary metric, gathered by dividing lab hours in a particular category by the cumulative annual users in that category. Average usages of 100’s of hours per user would indicate a facility with more complex processing and a concomitant larger impact upon the facility and its resources. A hundred hour of usage is more than a couple of weeks of dedicated effort by the user. Average usages of <25 hours indicate a group of users who place a significantly smaller burden on the facility. That use may still in fact be critical to a given project but it requires fewer resources to support incrementally. Results across the network, for both internal and external academic users, are shown in Figure 20. It is obvious that there is considerable difference between sites in the intensity of use by an “average” user. Note, in some cases, this derived metric is the ratio of two small numbers and thus the metric is less enlightening for sites with a small number of users. In most cases, intensity of use by internal users is higher than external users reflecting the higher availability for routine and unplanned use.

Figure 20: Hours per User (10 months) by Site

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2.6.7 New Users Each facility is constantly accepting new users. This is part of the trend of growth and of turnover as projects succeed and graduate. New users require training, hand holding at least initially, and intense staff commitment during the initial periods of visit and start up. The number of new users is thus an excellent metric for measuring the demand for NNIN resources. Here (Figure 21) we show the number of new users trained in FY2013 by site. Note that some sites average 3-6 new users (inside + outside) per week, a load involving a significant amount of user training and associated staff support.

Figure 21: New Users (Internal and External) by Site

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In addition, there needs to be a balance between new users and total users. Figure 23 shows the ratio of new users to total users in FY2012 at each site. A ratio too low could indicate a stagnant facility with little growth or replenishment. A high ratio hand could indicate a rapidly growing facility. On the other hand, a ratio too high could also indicate an excessive turnover often associated with short term low impact projects.

Figure 22: Fraction of users who were "new" during the 10 month period., by site.

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3.0 NNIN Education and Human Resources Programs 3.1 Objectives and Program Challenges In completing its tenth year of operation, the NNIN Education and Outreach (NNIN E&O) program continues to offer numerous activities at the local, network, and national level.

NNIN’s E&O mission is to address the explosive growth of nanotechnology and its expanding need for a skilled workforce and informed public by offering education and training to individuals (school-aged students to adults). We provide resources, programs, and materials to enhance an individual’s knowledge of nanotechnology and its application to real-world issues. We believe that a strong US economy requires a STEM-literate workforce ready to meet the technological challenges of a nano-enabled economy as well as an informed citizenry that supports continued and safe growth of nanotechnologies. We have established specific programmatic objectives which impact national or local efforts. These include:

• develop and distributing activities to encourage K-12 students to enter Science, technology, engineering, and mathematic (STEM) fields;

• develop resources to inform the public about NSE; • develop activities and information for undergraduates regarding careers in nanoscience; • develop tools and resources for undergraduates and graduate students; • design programs to ensure the inclusion of underrepresented groups; • develop programs for technical workforce development; and • develop programs and resources for K-12 teachers

This report provides updates on our accomplishments and current programs that are both local and national in focus. To attain each of the NNIN’s education objectives, a variety of innovative activities has been defined, developed, and implemented. NNIN E&O components include network-wide programs to address needs at the national scale and more specific efforts for communities that are local to network sites. Table 2 illustrates the type of programs offered by NNIN and the scope across the network. The various facets of the NNIN E&O program are reviewed in following sections of this report.

Figure 23 summarizes events that NNIN has conducted yearly since 2005 and reported through our web-based recording system (Education Events Manager). The graphs demonstrate how the program

Table 2. Local and National NNIN education activities and program.

Site Specific Activities Network-wide Activities

Local Scope Local Activities – Site Specific Network Activities - Local Scope

Facility tours Community days/Open house Seminars/Public lectures School programs K-12 and post-secondary

User support & training Diversity K-12 education- school programs Summer & after school camps

National Scope Site Activities - National Scope Network Activities - National Scope

Workshops Technical & teacher training K-12 lessons & Nanooze Hands-on demos & experiments Undergraduate education Lab Experience for Faculty (LEF)

National Conferences & Meetings Research Experience for Undergrads Research Experience for Teachers NNIN Education portal User support Diversity


continues to maintain a high level of activity since we began collecting data on events in 2005. Figure 23 also shows that we maintain our capacity in the number of events offered across the network sites. In 2013, we directly reached more than 54,000 individuals. This number does not include the NNIN education portal (http://www.education.nnin.org), the Nanooze web site, the print version on Nanooze (~100,000), nor the Nanooze the Exhibit at Epcot and Disneyland, nor the listeners of the NanoTalk radio show done at Howard University for XM-Sirius radio.

Figure 23: NNIN Education Events and Participants

In the nine years we have been collecting data (2005 – 2013), we have hosted 1680 findividual events and directly reacherd ovwe 200,000 individuals, not including the programs noted in the above paragraph. Inclusion of these numbers would mean that we have reached several million through out outreach efforts.

3.2 Coordination and Collaboration The challenges of any large-scale activity center on coordination and communication. Each NNIN site has a full-time or part-time education coordinator. The NNIN site education coordinators have established a communications network which effectively allows us to refine our work plans, establish short and long-range plans, and ensure continuous communication and collaboration among the sites. The network coordination of NNIN E&O occurs from Georgia Institute of Technology and Dr. Nancy Healy serves as the NNIN Education Program coordinator. She is assisted at the site by Joyce Allen and Leslie O’Neill. In addition, the E&O office had a post-doctoral fellow until July 1, 2013 (Dr. Smanatha Andrews). Communication methods include phone, e-mail, and face-to-face meetings. Large education programs are coordinated in cooperation with the NNIN Deputy Director (Dr. Lynn Rathbun) and assistants at Cornell.

In 2005, NNIN launched the Education Events Manager (EEM), a web-based electronic database for tracking activities and participants. All sites are required to regularly update the system by posting their events and activities. Tracking of events is done by Georgia Tech and Cornell which can monitor entries and use the system to generate reports.

3.2.1 Scope of Program and “Countable” Activities In a large distributed program like NNIN, consistently counting activities and even determining what activities to include as part of the NNIN program is a major task. NNIN is fairly strict about determining what is and what is not part of NNIN Education Program activities. All of our campuses have multiple

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nanotechnology programs supported by other funds. While synergies and collaboration are good, double counting is not. We want to be sure that those activities that NNIN reports and the sites report are actually activities for which NNIN is responsible for and for which NNIN contributes signficant resources. We do this without taking credit for activities which are supported by other centers.

To be counted as part of NNIN, activities must include signficant NNIN staff effort and use significant other NNIN resources (funds, equipment, facilities, modules, activites). We specifically exclude activities and programs supported by or organized by separately funded centers unless there is signficant NNIN involvement. For example, we count our own REU and RET participants, but the REU programs and REU participants from other centers are not part of the NNIN education activity, they are merely users.

3.3 NNIN Major National Programs: REU, iREU, iREG, and RET 3.3.1 REU Program The NNIN has developed, operated, and managed a highly successful Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program in nanotechnology since 1997 (begun under National Nanofabrication Users Network (NNUN)). This program is a coordinated network activity which has ~80-90 students participating each summer across 14 NNIN sites.This program is entirely funded out of NNIN Cooperative agreement funds; we do not have support from the NSF REU program. In 2013, the NNIN management budget allocated funds to sites to assure a minimum of 5 students were hosted at each of the 14 sites, for a total of 91 interns.

The technical diversity of our laboratories allows us to offer a program covering the broad range of nanotechnology fields, from biology and chemistry to electrical and mechanical engineering. Our program offers a well-supervised independent research project for a 10 week summer period. While individual sites are responsible for daily project supervision, there is strong network coordination to assure a uniform program with high expectations. Our program features a central on-line application process for the entire network program as well as specific program expectations for projects, interns, project directors, and mentors.

The NNIN REU draws top quality participants from a diverse applicant pool. Our program remains a popular choice among students with completed 989 applications received in 2013. We have been committed to providing research opportunities to students who have the most to gain from the NNIN REU experience - 75% of the 2007, 69% of the 2008, 65% of the 2009, 48% of the 2010, 58% of the 2011, 68% of the 2012, and 60% of the 2013 paraticipants had no prior orgainzed summer research experience (REU type internships). Table 3 shows the demographic make-up of applicants, participants, and their type of home institution for 2011, 2012, and 2013.

Table 3. 2011-2013 NNIN REU Program Demographics

# of applicants Applicant Pool # Participants Appl. Success Rate

Participation (%)

‘11 ‘12 ‘13 ‘11 ‘12 ‘13 ‘11 ‘12 ‘13 ‘11 ‘12 ‘13 ‘11 ‘12 ‘13 Overall 814 738 989 86 93 91 11% 13% 9% Gender* Women 289 259 372 36% 35% 38% 43 31 40 15% 12% 11% 51% 33% 44% Men 525 479 617 64% 65% 62% 42 62 51 8% 13% 8% 49% 67% 56% Race/Ethnicity

Minorities** 168 223 175 21% 30% 18% 24 15 29 14% 7% 17% 28% 16% 32% Non-Minorities**

646 515 814 79% 70% 72% 62 78 62 10% 15% 8% 72% 84% 68%


Inst. Type*** ‘11 ‘12 ‘13 ‘11 ‘12 ‘13 ‘11 ‘12 ‘13 ‘11 ‘12 ‘13 ‘11 ‘12 ‘13 Ph.D. Level 549 564 648 67% 76% 66% 63 69 61 11% 12% 9% 74% 74% 67% Master’s Level

119 83 159 15% 11% 16% 11 10 14 9% 12% 9% 13% 11% 16%

Bacc. Level 115 66 138 14% 9% 14% 9 11 13 8% 17% 9% 11% 12% 14% Assoc. Level 29 25 44 4% 4% 4% 2 3 3 7% 12% 7% 2% 3% 3%

* Not all report gender; * *Race/Ethnicity is only for students who reported this information. +Carnegie Ratings: The Carnegie Foundation ratings of high education institutions are used as the measure of institutional size diversity. Some Ph.D. institutions may not offer advanced degrees in the sciences and engineering.

With such large number of applications, the participation group varies from year to year. We encourage PIs to choose females, minorities, and those from non-research institutions. However, the overwhelming majority of applications come from doctoral granting research institutions – 66 percent of applicants in 2013 came from such institutions. Female applications have remained steady for the last three years and participation in the program increased to 44% in 2013. Typically, approximately one-third to half of the interns are female. Minority participation increased to 32% in 2013.

The REU program is funded from the central NNIN

activities budget, with supplemental fund transfers to sites to cover the per student costs at a rate of $7,500 participant support per student. Sites can have as few as 5 or as many as 10 participants.

The NNIN REU program culminates with the NNIN REU Convocation which is a “mini” scientific conference attended by all site coordinators and REU interns (Fig. 24). The 2013 convocation was held August 11-14, 2013 at Georgia Tech. At the convocation, each student presents his/her research results to fellow NNIN REU participants and NNIN staff. Students do both oral and poster presentations (Fig. 25), which assist them in developing their presentation skills. For many of our students, this is their first scientific presentation. We simultaneously webcast these presentations which allows faculty, graduate student mentors, and staff from the sites, as well as any other interested viewers, to view the convocation. To complete the program, all students write a research report that is published as the NNIN REU Research Accomplishments. The archived webcasts and the Accomplishments are online at http://www.nnin.org/reu/past-years/2013-nnin-reu-program.

Each year we survey our interns as part of our program evaluation. We consistently receive very high ratings for our program including the quality of research, support by faculty and graduate student mentors, and technical training and support (among others). Table 4 highlights the technical components of our 2013 program. Comparison of 2013 results to previous years indicates consistency of the scores. Analysis of past results shows that the scores vary by approximatley +.40 which clearly demonstrates that the sites adhere to program expectations and offer a high quality program from year to year.

Figure 25:: REU convocation poster session at Georgia Tech

Figure 24: REU Convocation at Georgia Tech

http://www.nnin.org/reu/past-years/2013-nnin-reu-program

http://www.nnin.org/reu/past-years/2013-nnin-reu-program


Table 4 NNIN REU Participant Post Survey 2013 Question Avg. Question Avg. Did the program offer you a substantial independent research project with a strong intellectual focus?

4.3* How well did the program provide you with an understanding of the graduate research life?

4.5

Were you able to execute the research project using the available equipment and facilities?

4.3 How well did the program provide you with an understanding of careers in nanotechnology?

3.9

Did you consider your project a "good" project- interesting, right scale, right complexity, etc.

4.1 Did the program assist you in making future educational & career choices?

4.4

Were you reasonably able to complete the project?

3.9 How likely is it that you will choose a career in nanotechnology?

3.5

Were you satisfied with how much you were able to complete, given the time constraints?

3.9 How likely is it that you will go to graduate school in science/engineering?

4.4

Did you receive significant scientific interaction with the faculty member/ senior staff in charge of your project?

4.1 Did the program assist you in developing presentation and writing skills?

4.4

Were you included in group meetings and seminars?

4.4 Was the Convocation a worthwhile experience?

4.4

Did the program provide you with experience that allowed you to see the breadth of nanotechnology applications?

4.2 Would you recommend the program to a friend?

4.6

How well did the program assist you in learning to use advanced equipment and processes in nanotechnology?

4.3 How likely is it that when you return to your home campus that you will share your experiences with fellow students and faculty?

4.6

How well did the program assist you in understanding the scientific basis of nanotechnology equipment & processes?

4.1 How do you rate the overall quality of the program?

4.4

How well did the program provide you with an exposure to the social and ethical issues related to nanotechnology, and research in general?

3.7 Did you think that your experience with the program was positive? Would you do it again?

4.5

* Likert Scale 1-5; 1 = poor/no 5= superior/very yes

Since its inception in 1997, the NNIN REU program has had nearly 1,200 participants. As noted above, the program began under the NNUN and expanded to twelve sites with the inception of the NNIN, and to 14 following renewal in 2009. The NNIN REU is a long-term investment in human resource development. The career plans of the participants play out only five or more after participation, particularly for those who persue a graduate degree research path. In 2006, we began a longitudinal study to determine the educational and career path of interns who participated in the early (pre-2003) years of the program; since then, that window has been gradually expanded to include all participants between 1997- 2009, encompassing all past participants who are more than 4 years out of the program. This is an ongoing, labor-intensive study which has significance for not only the NNIN REU program but to other undergraduate research-experience programs, as well.


We have chosen this time period because participants will have graduated from their home institutions and will have entered or completed additional education and/or entered into the workforce. Of the 735 participants from 1997-2009, 525 (71%) have completed the online survey. Locating past participants is sometimes a challenge and for the past few years we gather sufficient information from current participants to facilitate future contact. We inform interns to use the “REU Check In” link on our website to update their information and status. Academic and career results are shown in Table 5. Ninety-five percent of the respondents have remained in science and engineering with approximatley 50% reporting their current position involves nanotechnology (broadly defined). The results presented in Table 5 have shown little varability as the number of responses has increased from the initial sample of ~200. While we continue to look for more respondents, we do not expect the general conclusions to vary significantly with additional data.

3.3.2 iREU Program Each summer, the NNIN REU program described above provides the introductory research experience for approximately 80 students. The training and experience these students receive is excellent and they are highly sought by employers, graduate schools, and other internship programs. While they almost all perform well, from observations over the summer and PI/mentor surveys it is clear that 15-25% are very high-quality students and have an exceptional ability and commitment to research These are destined to be future research leaders; and with the right experience, we believe they can become research leaders in nanotechnology.

In 2008, we established the NNIN international REU program (iREU) to further the nanotechnology experience of these exceptional individuals. NNIN established this program because we believe that globally aware scientists and engineers should be a priority in the 21st century. In this program, selected students are offered a “2nd summer” REU-like experience in the laboratories of one of our international partners in Europe or Japan. This program is only open to our prior year REU students – we are effectively using our REU program as a “filter” to select only the very best students for this enhanced research experience.

Our partners for this program in 2013 were the National Institute for Materials Science (MINS) in Tsukuba, Japan, the Forshungszentrum Julich (FZJ) in Germany, and Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Saint Etienne in France. Five of the participants at NIMS were supported by supplemental funding from NSF International Research Expereince for Students Program (IRES). The 3 international sites hosted a total of 16 participants -- 10, 3, and 3 students, respectively (Figure 26 - 28).

Students are selected and assigned to projects in January. They spend approximately 11 weeks at the international laboratories working on more advanced nanotechnogy research projects.. NNIN provides travel, stipend, housing, and a food allowance. This program is slightly more expensive than REU ( ~$11,000 per participant) but all the laboratory and project supervision costs are borne by our international partners. We have completed 6 summers of this program; our international partners have been well pleased with the arrangement and have been eagar to maintain and even expand the partnership.

Table 5. Academic/Career paths NNIN REU Longitudinal Study Degree/Career 1997-2009 Doctorate 51% Master’s 23% Baccalaureate 13% M.D./J.D./MBA 7% Other 6%


Participants in 2013 included:

Japan

• Melinda Jue, University of Texas • Srephen Olson, Bethel University • Adam Overig, Columiba University • Radu Reit, Georgia Inst. Technology • Emily Ross, Harvey Mudd College • Jacob Rothenberg, Univ. of Rochester • Andre Tam, Rice University • Geoffrey Vrla, Middlebury College • Clay Long, Penn State University • Colin Burns-Hefner, Clemson University

Germany

• Adam Blonsky, Univ. of Wisconsin • Christopher Nakamoto, Beloit College • Jordan Occena, Tulsa University

France:

• Camrynn Johnson, Louisiana State Univ. • Kaleigh Margita, Newberry College • Brianna Thielen, Harvey Mudd College

Their research is reported along with our REU project reports in the NNIN REU Research Accomplishments (http://www.nnin.org/reu/past-years/2013-nnin-reu-program).

This program provides an excellent career growth opportunity for the participants. iREU interns have indicated that their prior NNIN REU experience allowed them to meet the challenges of a more advanced project, work in a different research environment, and live and work with colleagues from another culture. Consistent with the goals of the program, the participants indicated that they would pursue other international programs in their future education and career paths, something that would likely not have

Figure 28: IREU France Participants

Figure 27: iREU Germany Participants (2013)

Figure 26: iREU Japan Participants with President Ushioda.


happened otherwise. We will continue to monitor these students in terms of education and careers, including international placements.

Of the 85 participants in the 6 years of this program, 62 are in graduate school, one has received a Ph.D. already, and 8 are still undergraduates; the remainder are employed but some of them intend to return to graduate school in the near future. The 62 in graduate school include 25 NSF fellows, a testament to the high quality of the participants and the boost that participation in this program offers. We will continue to track the career paths of these students.

3.3.3 iREG-International Research Experience for Graduates As an integral part of our relationship with NIMS Japan for hosting our iREU program, NNIN hosts a number of graduate students from Nanonet, the Japanese equivalent of NNIN, which is managed by NIMS. In 2013, 9 graduate students from Japan came to NNIN sites to preform research (Table 6).

Table 6: iREG Students Summer 2013

Name NNIN Project Title

Sunayama Yuki University of Colorado Graphene Electro-optic Modulators

Fumiya Kurokawa Pennsylvania State Univ. Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Devices

Satoshi Anada Pennsylvania State Univ. Deterministic Assemby of Metal-Oxide Nanowire Sensor Arrays

Tomoyuki Inoue Arizona State University An All-Aluminum Silicon Solar Cell

Kosuke Wataya University of Michigan Characterization of Silicon and Silica Cased MEMS Resonators

Azusa Miyagawa University of Michigan Direct Nano Patterning of Anisotropic Conjugated Polymers

Diachi Oka University of Texas Silicon and Germanium Nanomaterials for High Performance Lithium Ion Batteries

Yuki Hamasaki University of Washington Living Polymerizations for Semiconducting Polymers

Kiwamu Nishimoto UC Santa Barbara WSi2 Films for Superconducting Resonators

Table 6. List of Japanese Graduate students, host NNIN sites, and research projects.

Each of these students was at an NNIN site for 8-10 weeks during which time they were treated much like our REU students. In particular, they were integrated both socially and technically with the REU students, which added greatly to their experience. Unlike undergraduate REU students, these graduate students come with a significant prior skill set and more focused scientific interests. During this time they integrated into the appropriate research group, were trained in equipment and techniques, and contributed to both their own research project and the overall goals of the research group. All Figure 29: Japan Students and NIMS staff at Convocation


nine participated in the REU convocation at Georgia Techalong with two staff from NIMS. (Fig. 29)

Since 2008, 29 Japanese students have been hosted at eight NNIN sites: Penn State (x4), University of Texas (x6), Harvard, UCSB (x2), Cornell (x2), Georgia Tech (x4), University of Michigan (x5), and University of Colorado (x2) Pennsylvania State University (x2), Arizona State University, University of Washington. NIMS and the Nanotechnology Platform are highly pleased with the program and the interactions developed with this exchange. The goal of this program is much the same as iREU, that is, to increase awareness of the global nature of research. In this, it has been very successful. These students interact strongly with our resident REU students, which results in considerable synergy between the REU, iREU, and iREG programs.

3.3.4 RET Program Four sites participate in an NSF-funded Research Experience for Teachers (RET) Program which began in March 2006. We have been fortunate to have received three awards from NSF to support this program: 2006-2009; 2009-2012; and 2012-2015. The first two awards supported five NNIN sites: Georgia Tech (lead), Harvard, Howard, Penn State, and UCSB. The 2012 award supports RETs at four sites: Georgia Tech, Arizona State, University of Minnesota, and UCSB.The new award differs by including community college faculty and hosting the NNIN Nanotechnology workshop for secondary and post-secondary educators (to be held this program year at Arizona State University in February 2014). In 2013, we had 21 participants: 7 from community colleges and 14 from K-12 shcools.

Although it is funded separately, the NNIN RET program is an integral part of the NNIN Education Program. It is directed out of the NNIN Education Office at Georgia Tech, is implemented by the NNIN Education Coordinators at participating sites, and the work product of the RET program forms a major part of the nanotechnology education resources distributed by NNIN. Not all sites, however, participate in this program for two reasons: We wanted to have a critical mass at each site – at least four teachers to work with each other. The NSF RET program has a monetary limit which precludes having this crtical mass at all of the sites.

The new award includes an evaluation done by an external evlauator. Overall, the program received a very positive assessment. The conclusion it states: “Teachers had a positive experience with the NNIN RET program. Their reasons for joining the program included gaining research experience, increasing their knowledge, and exposing their students to NSE material and careers. These reasons are reflective of the primary RET program goals. Although the program was generally beneficial to teachers, there are some areas for improvement. Specifically, the areas of content knowledge, ensuring sustained interaction with mentors, and training are of concern.”

Lessons and modules developed by the NNIN RET participants are an important part of the expanding set of nanotechnology education resources offered by NNIN. RET modules are edited, reviewed, and vetted, and eventually posted on the NNIN education web portal, making them available for wider use. These activities also become an important part of the activities NNIN uses at its various workshops, camps, and public engagement activities. The lessons developed under the new award will include lessons suitable for undergradaute classes thus expanding NNIN’s lessons to a new community.

3.4 Other Education Programs 3.4.1 Teacher Workshops NNIN (Georgia Tech) has developed and provided teacher workshops on nanoscale science and engineering (NSE). The intent of these activities is to give teachers the background and tools necessary to increase student awareness and interest in STEM in general and NSE in particular. We believe it is very important to provide professional development training for teachers in order to move NSE into classrooms to help meet the projected workforce demands of nanotechnology.


Georgia Tech offers a variety of workshops which range from two hours to one week which focus on how NSE can be included in standards-based science curriucla. All of the instructional materials are tied to National Science Education Content Standards or state standards. Georgia Tech workshops in 2012 were presented at the annual meetings of the Georgia Science Teachers Association, Texas Science Teachers Association (with University of Texas), and National Science Teachers Association (national and regional conferences). Other venues were at University of Texas Health Science Center (San Antonio), Gwinnett County School District (GA), and two rural Georgia Regional Education Service Centers. To date we have reached at least one teacher in 48 of the 50 states and and Puerto Rico and 99 of the 159 Georgia counties. In most cases, we have reached more than one teacher in each of these states and counties.

Georgia Tech was the recepient of two awards from the U.S. Department of Education’s State Grants Program – Improving Teacher Quality which wrapped up in the spring of 2013. These funds have supported two week-long workshops for teachers in rural southwest Georgia. Results from the external evaluation indicate, based on the teachers’ pre- and post-test scores, that there were significant gains. On average, teachers increased their score by 29.2% on the post-test than they had on the pre-test, indicating that they had increased their knowledge of nanotechnology between those two tests. One hundred percent of the participatns “strongly agreed” or “agreed” that the professional development program was responsive to professional development needs; appropriate to teacher knowledge, skills, and interest; increased content knowledge; provided strategies to transfer what was learned into classroom practice.

Georgia Tech developed a relationship with Southeastern Consortium of Minorities in Engineering (SECME) to offer workshops at its annual conference and provided other workshops for K-12 educators in the Alabama Black Belt Region. The University of Michigan offered a one day “Nano Camp” for middle school teachers. The University of Minnesota exhbited at their state science teachers assocation where they distributed information on NNIN education resources to 600 educatorss. Stanford provides hands-on activities, lectures, and facility tours to teachers attending the week-long Summer Institute for Middle School Teachers. Cornell provided four workshops (in collaboration with Georgia Tech) during the week long “Ithaca Loves Teachers” held annually in February.

3.4.2 NanoTeach In September 2008, NSF (DRK-12) funded the Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning’s (McREL) NanoTeach project. Stanford, Georgia Tech, and University of Colorado at Boulder (MRSEC) are the university partners for this professional development program. Since its inception, the NNIN sites at Stanford and Georgia Tech have been involved in the development of the two week professional development workshop. NanoTeach (http://www.mcrel.org/NanoTeach/index.asp) uses a combination of face-to-face and online professional development experiences for high school science teachers who teach physical science topics. The primary goal of this research project is to determine how best to prepare teachers to use an instructional design framework to integrate NSE content into their curriculum in significant ways. The Stanford site has developed remote access events for NanoTeach and also provides content support. Georgia Tech developed a PowerPoint on the Big Ideas in Nanoscale Science and Engineering: A Guidebook for Secondary Teachers (Stevens, et. al, 2009), developed posters on the Big Ideas, provided content and instructional materials support, and recruited NNIN site researchers to present webinars. Both NNIN sites are active in evaluating pre- and post-survey answers and providing content support for the instructional model. This fall, NanoTeach completed its final year.

3.4.3 Other K-12 Outreach Numerous outreach activities have occurred in 2013 including K-12 field trips to facilities, visits to schools, summer/weekend camps, workshops, and demonstrations. In order to provide these activities, the NNIN sites have developed hands-on activities (http://www.nnin.org/education-training/k-12-teachers),

http://www.mcrel.org/NanoTeach/index.asp

http://www.nnin.org/education-training/k-12-teachers


demonstrations, and presentations on NSE. We also adopt and adapt activities developed by other centers and programs such as University of Wisconsin-Madison’s MRSEC & NSEC, Nanosense (SRI), NISE Net, among others. Hands-on summer, weekend, or after-school camps/programs to engage students in NSE are offered by sites in addition to school on-site visits and tours. These camps/programs focus on middle and high school students and have a variety of formats (one day to one week) and content (e.g., chip camps). In addition, most sites provide on-site activities for visiting school groups as well as the general public. These typically involve lectures, hands-on activities, demonstrations, lab tours, and cleanroom tours. Most include discussions on career and educational opportunities to encourage students to consider careers in STEM and in particular NSE. Sites are also involved in career days at schools, family science nights, science fairs, and community days.

Examples of some of these program for 2013 include:

• UCSB “Chip Camps” provided hands-on nanofabrication to students from area high schools.

• University of Michigan offered NanoCamp (parent and student versions) and participated in local school Science Olympiads, science nights, and the Southeast Michigan Science Fair.

• University of Minnesota hosted two NanoDays events – one at the Sabathani Community Center and the other on its campus. The Center is a community organization which provides programs and services for in need/underserved populations.

• University of Washington hosted tours of the facility to school groups and provided demonstrations at the Life Science Research Weekend – a three day event co-hosted by the Pacific Science Center and The Northwest Association for Biomedical Research. Approximately 9,000 attend this three day event.

• Stanford hosted the Cesar Chavez Academy by providing a presentation, activities, and a window tour of the SNF cleanroom facilities

• Arizona State held two NanoDays events at the Arizona Science Center and the Tempe Festival of the Arts. They also did similar demonstrations during Geeks Night Out at the Arizona SciTech Festival.

• Harvard presented demonstrations and lectures to several Boston area schools and presented at Cambridge Public Schools Science and Engineering Showcase – a program to encourage students to STEM; 53% of the district’s students are from underrepresented groups. They continued their support of NanoDays at the Boston Museum of Science.

• Cornell supported a variety of events including programs for local high schools, the FIRST Junior LEGO® Event (done annually), and NanoDays with the Ithaca Science Center.

• University of Colorado hosted a NanoDays event.

• Georgia Tech hosted a variety of middle and high school students for an introduction to nano and provided activities for the Model Atlanta Regional Commission – a leadership program for Metro Atlanta high school students.

• Penn State participated with demonstrations at the campus Materials Day and at the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts Kids Day.

• University of Texas provided a tour and activities for a local charter school and a high school technology club.

At the September 2009 coordinators meeting it was agreed that all sites would seek materials from NISE Net to host a NanoDay event beginning in 2010. In 2010, 13 sites participated, 9 in 2011 and 9 in 2012 and 11 in 2013. Sites are either the primary sponsor of the NanoDays event or host in collaboration with a local science , museum, or other on-campus group.


3.4.4 NanoExpress Howard University launched the NanoExpress in summer 2006. This is a mobile laboratory which presents the world of nanotechnology to schools and the general public. The NanoExpress (Figure 30) is a mobile van with 208 square feet of lab space designed to facilitate hands-on experiments but also capable of doing nanotechnology research. Experimental areas include: Introduction to Passive Nanoparticles, Introduction to Self Assembly, Introduction to Micro and Nanofabrication, “Chips are for Kids”, Instruments for NanoScience, Shape Memory Alloys, and Soft Lithography. Undergraduate, graduate lab assistants, and RETs help supervise experiments. In 2013, NanoExpress visited D.C. area schools, and community colleges.

3.4.5 NNIN Education Portal In 2012, the NNIN website was completely revised including the education portal. The NNIN education portal (http://www.nnin.org/education-training) serves as another avenue in reaching a variety of audiences by offering information for children and adults. The teacher resource section now has a searchable database of our ~60 lessons as well as a comment section for each of the lessons. In 2013 we updated each lesson to include correlation to the Next Generation Science Standards. The education portal has general interest articles, links to additional resources, and information for K-12 students, undergraduates, and graduate students. Multimedia resources are also available for undergraduates and graduate students.

3.4.6 Nanooze NNIN produces and distributes a children’s science magazine related to physical sciences and in particular nanotechnology. Editorially the content is produced by Prof. Carl Batt of Cornell, with printing and distribution handled by the NNIN office at Cornell. Nanooze began as a web based magazine (http://www.nanooze.org/), with kid-friendly text, topics, and games. It is designed for grades 5-8 but we have found that even high school students enjoy the magazine. The web edition of Nanooze is available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Nanooze has evolved into an 8 page printed “magazine” that is distributed directly to schools in hard copy. A total of 13 issues are available, each with colorful graphics and interesting stories written at an accessible level. They are used as enrichment material at all levels from elementary to high school. Teachers may request classroom packs of any or all of these issues - free of charge. Through a variety of distribution mechanisms, including NNIN’s exhibit booth at NSTA, over 100,000 copies were distributed to upper elementary through high school students in 2013 (approximately 1 million copies have been printed). Five issues are now avaialbe for download in Spanish.

In 2013, Abt Associates undertook a study of Nanooze to better understand how teachers use Nanooze with students, and to compare current to former (lapsed) subscribers. K-12 teachers were contacted to participate in an online survey during the spring of 2013. The conclusion indicates: “Results overall indicate that the Nanooze magazine fills an important gap in the supplemental STEM resources that are available to teachers—providing up-to-date science information on a topic often not covered in other publications through age-appropriate, engaging, widely accessible media (print and web-based). The plurality of educators (i.e., experienced science teachers) currently using this publication are in large, public schools with more than 1,000 students. Somewhat surprisingly, this publication is used with students across the achievement spectrum—average-achieving students, honors students, struggling

Figure 30: Nanoexpress at Boston Museum of Science

http://www.nnin.org/education-training

http://www.nanooze.org/


readers, and English language learners, with reading comprehension skill building being identified by 50 percent of users as one of the reasons they use this publication. Another somewhat atypical use, for this magazine compared to other types of supplementary materials, is that it highlights scientists at work in real-world settings with real problems to address. This career awareness-building aspect of the magazine was noted by 70 percent of current users.”

Figure 31: : Recent Issues of Nanooze

In addition, NNIN has two 1500 sq.ft. interactive ”museum” displays that are currently deployed at Epcot in Disney World and at Innoventions in Disneyland Anaheim. There exhibits were developed under other programs, but now fall under the “Nanooze” brand. They promote nanotechnology and Nanooze to hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

3.5 Technical Workshops--Laboratory Oriented The NNIN is committed to workforce development training through a variety of activities which have been developed and implemented across the network. Training and development activities focus on undergraduate and graduate students, industry and government personnel, and faculty from other institutions. Information on these workshops is found on the NNIN website and upcoming events are advertised on the home page so that individuals can find quick links to the technical workshops. A variety of multimedia is also available on the website including talks, symposia, short courses, and equipment training - http://www.nnin.org/nnin_multimedia.html. Individual sites also offer online training materials which are downloadable. Many of these video demonstrations and lectures are downloaded by individuals worldwide for use in classrooms and training activities.

Technology and Characterization at the Nanoscale (TCN) is a workshop offered twice a year by Cornell. The content of TCN is designed to encompass all nanotechnology techniques relevant to current research in the field. While traditional topics in nanotechnology - thin films, lithography, pattern transfer (etching), and characterization - provide the basic structure of the course, we include emerging

Figure 32: Nanooze the Exhibit at DisneyLand

http://www.nnin.org/nnin_multimedia.html


technologies and new approaches in nanotechnology. Nano-imprint lithography, bottom-up nanofabrication, carbon nanotubes, soft lithography, and surface preparation for biology applications are among the topics addressed.

The University of Minnesota provided a short course on Lithographic Micromachining . The University of Michigan offered several workshops including: Nano and Micro Manufacturing, Pressure Sensor Workshop and Semiconductor Process Development and Integration with Semulator 3D. IN addition they made several technical presentations at conferences. Georgia Tech hosted one NanoFans(Nano Focusing on Advanced NanoBio Systems) on Nano Immuno Engineering.

Two sites offered workshops in collaboratoin with industry: UCSB with Oxford Instruments hosted an ALD and Ion Beam workshop and UT with Woollam hosted an Ellipsometry workshop. The University of Colorado hosted a Nanocharacterization workshop while Penn State provided one on Plasma Therm.

3.6 Diversity Related Efforts and Programs A primary focus of NNIN E&O is inclusion of underrepresented populations and this theme runs throughout the education goals and objectives of the NNIN. While there are specific outreach activities that focus on underrepresented populations, inclusion is an underlying objective of all of our outreach programs. Discussed below are some of the specific programs that are occurring which highlight some of our inclusion activities.

Individual sites make every effort to ensure participation by underrepresented groups in the K-12 programs. With our data management system, gender and ethnicity are being tracked for all activities (when possible). Sites that are located in diverse areas of the country have the best opportunities for recruiting underrepresented participants to the events. However, all sites make an effort for reaching out to diverse populations. UCSB is situated near school districts with highly diverse enrollemtns (Hispanic/Latinos). They provided provided demonstrations at family science nights at three area elementary schools with high Hispanic enrollments (43%, 73%, and 95%). UCSB continues to focus its Chip Camps on schools with high under-represented/disadvantaged populations such as Valencia High School (57% Hispanic) and Rio Mesa High School (65% Hispanic) .Georgia Tech worked with Morehouse College’s Upward Bound participants and provided activities and Nanooze for Georgia Tech’s Chemistry Department’s program for middle school black males.

University of Minnesota has established a relationship with Sabathani Community Center (focus of underserved populatins) to provide NanoDays activities each Their NanoDays event worked with - College of Science & Engineering Outreach Office, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, and National Society of Black Engineers. Harvard provides lectures and demonstraion as part of early college and career awareness for disadvantage Boston 4th-6th graders.

3.6.1 Diversity in NNIN REU Program Our REU program places a special emphasis on providing research opportunities for women and minorities. Specifically, the program requirements indicate, “Sites are encouraged to select applicants who are female, minority members, or from non-research institutions.” The REU program has quantifiable benchmarks regarding participants which include 50% women participants, 20% from underrepresented minorities, 50% from schools with no Ph.D. program in science and engineering, and 50% from outside the 100 largest research universities. The results reported in the REU section of this report demonstrate that women typically have a higher participation rate in our program in comparison to the applicant pool and in 2013 we had 44% female participation in the REU program. Minority students participation is typically at a higher rate than the applicant pool and in 2013 it was 32% from an applicant pool of 18%. We continue to fall short of our benchmark of having 50% of the interns come from schools with no Ph.D. program in science and engineering with 67% of our interns coming from these schools in 2013, which is decrease from the 74% in 2012 and 2011. We typically have more than two-thirds of our applicants


coming from Ph.D. granting institutions which is then reflected in the participation percentage of around 65-75% each year.

3.6.2 Diversity in NNIN RET Program The NNIN RET program recruits teachers who are themselves from underrepresented groups or teach at schools with a high percentage of underrepresented students or low socio-economic status. In 2013, the 21 RET participants were - 11 women (52%),10 men (48%), and 20% from underrepresented populations. The percentage if underrepresented RETs is less than our eight year average of 42%.

3.6.3 Laboratory Experience for Faculty Program In fall 2007, NNIN introduced a new program, the NNIN Lab Experience for Faculty. The program focuses on supporting underrepresented faculty or faculty from minority serving institutions to perform research at one of our facilities. In some cases, the participants may become NNIN users in the future; in others, they will relate their experience to their students. Either way, NNIN has an impact on participation of underrepresented populations in nanotechnology (minorities and females). This program runs annually, in the summer in parallel with our REU and RET programs. Five awards of $14,000 each (covering stipend, travel, housing, and lab expense) were made to University of Michigan, University of Texas, University of Minnesota, and Pennsylvania State University. Faculty spent 8-10 weeks in the summer of 2013 undertaking their own research project in nanoscale science. Table 7 summarizes the faculty and their projects.

Table 7. NNIN 2011 LEF participants

Faculty Participant Home Institution NNIN Site Project

Prof. Rashmi Jha University of Toledo University of Michigan

Nanoscale Memresitive/RERAM Devices for High-Density Memory Applications

Prof. Jolene Johnson Armstron

St. Catherine University University of Minnesota

Studying Chemical Messaging in Platelet Cells Using Flourescence and Microfluidics

Prof. Linda J. Olafsen Baylor University University of Texas Fabrication of Split-Ridge Interband Cascade Lasers

Prof Lea Lanz Norfolk State University Arizona State University

Characterization and Statistical Modeling of Defects in Oxide Semiconductors

Prof. Kofi Adu Pennsylvania State University at Altoona

Pennsylvania State University

In situ microRaman Analysis of the Effect of Confine Phonons on the Superconducting Critical Temperature of MgB2 Nanowires

Beginning in fall 2011, we sent a request to all LEF participants to complete a short follow-up survey to gain information on the technical aspects of the program with the results presented below. To date, 22 of the 28 participants have completed the survey. The results (Table 8,9) indicate that the LEFs were easily integrated into the facilities and had good support from the cleanroom and site staff allowing them to complete their project. The responses for the 2013 jparticipants have not been completed and will be included in the final report.


Table 8: LEF Follow-up Survey Results Technical Aspects: 2007-2012 Avg.*

Were you able to easily establish a working relationship with the site to develop your project? 4.5

Did you develop a good working relationship with your host NNIN faculty member 4.4

Were you able to execute the research project using the available equipment and facilities? 4.2

Please rate the quality and availability of the overall facility. 4.5

Did site staff provide assistance, if needed, to help develop your project? 4.5

Please rate the availability of necessary equipment in other labs, if necessary. 4.4

Support by cleanroom staff 4.6

Support by site education staff 4.7

*Likert scale 1-5 with 1= Poor/No and 5 = Superior/Very Yes

We also asked them questions about their interactions with the host site and NNIN. As can be seen in the table below, many of the participants have continued interaction with the site with more than 2/3rds still users of the facility and nearly the same epercentge using the experience to enrich their teaching. While 50% have presented their results at a conference, very few have published their results. Importantly, 96% have shared their experience with their students.

Table 9 LEF Follow-up Survey Results Post-Experience: 2007- 2013 No Yes NA I have continued to interact with NNIN site faculty/staff. 16% 84% 0% I am still a user of an NNIN facility. 27% 68% 5% The results of my research have lead to a conference presentation 41% 50% 9% The results of my research have lead to a publication 77% 14% 9% The results of my research has lead to a funding opportunity 68% 18% 14% My students now use the NNIN facility 55% 41% 4% My students are aware of my research conducted at the NNIN site. 4% 96% 0% My students are considering or have applied for graduate school at the NNIN

32% 46% 22%

I have shared my LEF experience with colleagues at my institution. 4% 96% 0% Have you used your LEF experience to enrich your undergraduate courses 36% 59% 5% Have you recommended undergraduate students to the NNIN REU program. 36% 46% 18%

3.7 Assessment and Evaluation NNIN has developed a variety of evaluation instruments for its major programs which include: REU, RET, iREU, LEF, past REUs, iWSG, teacher workshops (pre and post), camps (pre and post), and school visits (pre and post). Instruments have been shared among all of the sites which can adopt and adapt them for their particular programs.

In 2008, NNIN developed a logic model and evaluation plan with the assistance of an external consultant (Tom McKlin, The Findings Group). The model and plan were presented in the 2008 annual report. We use the plan to ensure that we are collecting the correct data to assess the impact and quality of our outreach endeavors. Data presented in this report represent some of our findings using our instruments and other data collection methods.

3.8 Program Summary NNIN’s education program is widely recognized as a leader within the nanotechnology and academic research center community. NNIN has and will continue to offer a variety of education and outreach


activities at the local and national level. The synergy between the local andnational programs make NNIN a dynamic education and outreach program by allowing continuous interaction among our activities. Table 10 provides a summary overview of NNIN network-wide education programs and the target audience for each.

Table 10: Summary of Major NNIN Education Programs and Activities Program Participants Purpose REU Undergraduates Research experience for a diverse population of undergraduates;

introduction to nanotechnology research & careers iREU Undergraduates – former

NNIN REU participants Develop globally aware scientists and engineers from the most successful REU participants

iREG Graduate students from Japan (NIMS)

International outreach; reciprocity for iREU Japan; No cost to NNIN

RET Middle and high school science teachers

Introduce teachers to nanotechnology and experimental design; develop nanotechnology classroom activities

LEF – Lab Experience for Faculty

Underrepresented faculty and/or faculty from minority serving institutions

Increase diversity in NNIN user base and in STEM/ nanotechnology pipeline

Nanooze Upper elementary and middle school students

Stimulate and maintain interest in STEM at a young age

iWSG Graduate students Develop globally aware scientists and engineers; Provide technical workshops in nano to US and foreign students; Encourage international collaboration


4.0 NNIN Computation Program 4.1 Scope Nanoscience, as we know it, would not be possible without computation. Numerical calculations are crucial for every stage of nanoscale research, including device design, analysis of experimental data, and complex predictive simulations. The computation project of the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network, (NNIN/C), enables nanoscience research by providing on-site domain experts, access to computing resources, a broad suite of simulation tools, numerous workshops, and unique cyberinfrastructure resources. This framework has led to an active and expanding NNIN/C user community that regularly generates seminal research and high-impact publications.

Since its inception in 2004, the NNIN/C has focused on a broad range of simulation expertise and tools to address the spectrum of research projects in the nanoscale regime. While other NSF funded projects such as the Purdue Nanohub operate under a similar mandate, the computational effort of the NNIN/C is unique due to the fact that it is embedded at leading nanofabrication user facilities across the country. At each site, Ph.D. level research liaisons work directly with users to help them overcome the initial learning curve associated with new simulation approaches so that these tools can be an effective part of their research plan. These experts provide insight on multiple aspects of nanoscience, including MEMS and NEMS devices, electronic structure of materials, nanoscale thermal and electronic transport, semiconductor devices, and advanced parallel computing architectures (i.e. GPUs). This unique juxtaposition of simulation and fabrication efforts helps us reach and impact the efforts of a cross-section of nanoscale researchers that may be missed by other on-line or remote simulation efforts. This effort exceeds that of desktop capabilities, provides expert staff to assist new users in simulation approaches, and also serves as a gateway to larger NSF computational grid facilities such as XSede. In addition, the NNIN/C also provides targeted simulation workshops, cyberinfrastructure resources like the Virtual Vault for Nanoscience, and access to unique computing resources like the GPU cluster at Harvard.

The success of NNIN/C is measured by its ever-increasing user numbers, by the popularity of NNIN/C sponsored events and, most notably, by the number and strength of the publications resulting from NNIN/C support – manifested by an incredible h index of 29 after only eight years. Since its inception in 2004, NNIN/C has stressed the synergy and close interaction between experiments and simulations and has thereby enabled cutting edge research and scientific and engineering discoveries in all fields of nanoscience.

This report describes code and hardware additions (including the addition of 600 cores to the Harvard University Faculty of Arts and Sciences “Odyssey” cluster in January of 2013 to support a priority queue for NNIN/C users), publication statistics and specific highlights, sponsored workshops and advanced projects – such as the virtual vault for nanoscience and the GPU project – during the past year of the project. References are given to the NNIN/C webpage where a complete record of publications and a list of codes, for example, can be found.

4.2 Codes at the Sites Nanoscale science pertains to the regime where the number of atoms or molecules under study are too numerous for a single-atom/molecule treatment, on the one hand. On the other hand, the number and arrangement of atoms is also neither regular (periodic) nor sufficiently large for meaningful statistical (thermodynamic) analysis. The foundations of nanoscale computation consist of electronic structure codes, which are initially appropriate for small atom number or periodic systems, and molecular dynamics codes, which are statistical insofar as they typically require ensembles of initial conditions and treat systems interacting with heat baths. Additionally, photonics and phononics codes address the primary bosonic degrees of freedom of nanoscale matter, processing or fabrication codes treat the


physics of ion implantation (among other areas), and multiscale or finite element tools treat micro-fluidics, which while larger than the nanoscale often interfaces with nanoscale structures and are important in their own right. Our choice of supported codes is driven by user needs and by identifying emerging trends in simulation and the research topics.

In addition to the core areas of computation related to nanotechnology (molecular dynamics, ab inito electronic structure, semiconductor device modeling, photonics and fluidics) there inevitably occur simulations of new systems that obey equations that don’t fit into the standard categories. One such example is the recently installed Oommf (Object Oriented MicroMagnetic Framework) software (developed by NIST) at the Harvard University site. A highlight of research perfomed by the Aidala group at Mount Holyoke College is included below. At the Cornell site, the WANNIER90 code, phonon dispersion processing tools (PHON, Phonopy) and a code to predict phonon focusing in nanostructures and materials were added to the site.

Beta Version of Anharmonic Code With support from a separate NSF CBET collaborative grant, Derek Stewart has been working with David Broido at Boston College to develop a code (anharm) to calculate the third order force constants using density functional perturbation theory. In 2012, the code was optimized to run faster and also interface with FFTW 3 (fast fourier transform) libraries. An initial trial version has been released to a beta tester at ORNL and full public distribution through the NNIN/C occurred at the end of 2013.

Phonon Branch Sort In collaboration with Keith Refson, (STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory), UK, Derek Stewart developed a python conversion tool that allows Quantum Espresso users to sort phonon branch data properly for analysis. This ability is critical for extracting phonon group velocities relevant for thermal conductivity estimates in both materials and nanostructures. A formal distribution site for this script was developed in early Spring 2013.

Duchinsky Matrix Calculation Code We have extended the Duchinsky Matrix Calculation Code developed by Professor Jeffrey R. Reimers of University of Sydney for computing electron-phonon couplings in electronic transport calculations and extened the interface of the code to popular electronic structure codes in chemistry. The code is being used to design tools for measuring identity of toxic proteins based quantum tunneling effects.

The complete list of codes, listed in a matrix according to site, can be found at: http://www.nnin.org/nnin_computation_code_matrix.html.

4.3 Hardware Updates The cluster at Stanford was updated by increasing the memory on all the nodes to 16 GB in order to accommodate memory intensive jobs. The University of Michigan computation cluster is now linked to nanoHUB computation clusters. The nanoHUB users are able to run their jobs on Michigan site cluster.

The Harvard University node of NNIN/C will receive a major addition to its computational “iron” early in 2013. The Center for Nanoscale Systems, which manages NNIN and NNIN/C at Harvard, has initiated the purchase of a cluster of AMD opteron-based blades that are connected by infiniband rapid communication and will comprise a total of over 600 cores. This facility, which will reside within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences “Odyssey” cluster, will provide a much-needed boost, with a priority queue, for the growing NNIN/C user base.

4.4 NNIN/C Impact in Science and Education The NNIN/C continues to have an important impact on research activities both at nodes in the NNIN/C and other institutions across the United States. Since its inception, NNIN/C user activities have been measured based primarily on the number of researchers who obtain accounts and perform research on

http://math.nist.gov/oommf/overview.html

http://www.nnin.org/nnin_computation_code_matrix.html


NNIN/C computational facilities. However, this measure unfortunately does not capture consulting activities or collaborative work which also leads to a measurable impact in research. Since the computational liaisons are embedded at nanofabrication facilities, these direct exchanges can occur quite often. Other major nanotechnology simulation efforts, like the NCN, measure user number based on the number of researchers who log into the Nanohub site. In order to develop similar statistics, the NNIN/C has moved to a platform where researchers interested in consultations or computing resources can fill out a standard request form.

We have listed user statistics both in terms of researchers using computing resources at NNIN/C and the broader framework (consulting, collaborations, and local resourcess.). In addition, we have listed seperately the number of participants at each site that have taken part in educational activities (conferences, workshops, courses). Cornell is the only site that charges for cluster access.

Table 11: User Statistics for the different NNIN/C sites (2012)

Total Users (consulting, collaborations, computing time)

Users with computing time on NNIN/C resources

Educational Participants

Internal External Internal External

Harvard 71 83 61 81 15

Cornell* 29 29 26 10 60

Stanford 58 33 27 10 10

Michigan 21 40 12 22 308

4.5 Research Highlights The NNIN/C initiative focuses on providing doctorate level expertise and consultation, cutting-edge simulation tools, and computing resources to help researchers succeed. The effectiveness of this effort can be measured through the publications of NNIN/C users and the impact they have had in the scientific community. During 2013, over 50 publications resulted from NNIN/C users in leading journals such as Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Nano Letters, ACS Nano, Applied Physics Letters, and Energy and Environmental Science. Since the NNIN/C program started in 2004, there have been 260 publications through the NNIN/C program that have been cited a total of 2825 times with an average of 13.45 citations/paper. Six of the papers have 95 or more citations. The total collection of NNIN/C papers has a Hirsch or h index of 29 which indicates that 29 papers have 29 or more citations. (Citation data and statistics obtained from Thomson Reuters ISI Web of Knowledge). The majority of the papers (59%) are independent projects that do not involve direct collaboration or co-authorship with NNIN/C simulation liasons. This is comparable to other NSF nanoscience users facilities like the NCN Nanohub where 63% of the publications were due to independent (non-NCN) projects (source http://nanohub.org/groups/ncn/research). A full list of NNIN/C publications is available at the NNIN website:

http://www.nnin.org/nnin_computation_publications.html

http://nanohub.org/groups/ncn/research

http://www.nnin.org/nnin_computation_publications.html


4.5.1 Electromechanical properties of 1D ZnO nanostructures: nanopiezotronics building blocks, surface and size-scale effects

K. Momeni, and H. Attariani, “Electromechanical properties of 1D ZnO nanostructures: nanopiezotronics building blocks, surface and size-scale effects”, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. (2013)

Iowa State University researchers has been using NNIN/C computation resources at Michigan to investigate zinc oxide nanostructures as main components of nanogenerators and nanopiezotronics. In this reasrch, they have showon that the electromechanical properties of these structures can play a major role in designing next-generation nanoelectromechanical devices. Atomistic simulations are utilized to study surface and size-scale effects on the electromechanical response of 1D

ZnO nanostructures. It is also shown that the mechanical and piezoelectric properties of these structures are controlled by their size, cross-sectional geometry, and loading configuration. The study reveals enhancement of the piezoelectric and elastic modulus of ZnO nanowires (NW) with diameter d > 1 nm, followed by a sudden drop for d < 1 nm due to transformation of NWs to nanotubes (NTs).

Figure 33: Effect of size and loading configuration on piezoelectric response of 1D ZnO nanostructures. The piezoelectric coefficient, ẽ33, of bulk ZnO and its 1D nanostructures (NWs and NBs) of infinite length along [0001] (filled square and triangle) and different lateral sizes are plotted along with values reported for finite length NBs (circles). The piezoelectric coefficient of infinitely long ZnO NWs (NBs) with hexagonal (rectangular) cross-section is inversely (directly) related to the smaller dimension of the nanostructure, with an exception for nanostructures of lateral dimensions <1 nm in which the structure undergoes major surface reconstructions.


4.5.2 Transiting the Molecular Potential Energy Surface along Low Energy Pathways: The TRREAT Algorithm

C. Campana, and R. Miller, “Transiting the Molecular Potential Energy Surface along Low Energy Pathways: The TRREAT Algorithm”, J. Computational Chemistry, 34, (2013).

Researchers at Carleton University have used the Michigan computation resources to develop a numerical technique to survey the potential energy surface of a molecular system along low curvature. The Transition Rapidly exploring Random Eigenvector Assisted Tree (TRREAT) algorithm is introduced to perform searches along low curvature pathways on a potential energy surface (PES). The method combines local curvature information about the PES with an iterative Rapidly exploring Random Tree algorithm (LaValle, Computer Science Department, Iowa State University, 1998, TR98–11) that quickly searches high-dimensional spaces for feasible pathways between local minima. Herein, the method is applied to identifying conformational changes of molecular systems using Cartesian coordinates while avoiding a priori definition of collective variables. The researchers analyze the pathway identification problem for alanine dipeptide, cyclohexane and glycine using nonreactive and reactive forcefields. They show how TRREAT-identified pathways can be used as valuable input guesses for double-ended methods such as the Nudged Elastic Band when ascertaining transition state energies. This method can be utilized to improve/extend the reaction databases that lie at the core of automatic chemical reaction mechanism generator software currently developed to build kinetic models of chemical reactions.

4.5.3 A 2-D directional air flow sensor array made using stereolithography and MEMS micro-hydraulic structures

M. Sadeghi, R.L. Peterson, and K. Najafi, “A 2-D directional air flow sensor array made using stereolithography and MEMS micro-hydraulic structures”, Transducers 2013, Barcelona, SPAIN, 16-20 June 2013

Researchers at the University of Michigan have used the Michigan computation resources to model and fabricate a 2-D directional micro-hydraulic hair-like airflow sensor (HAFS). The hair appendages are made using stereo-lithography for inexpensive and rapid batch fabrication. The hair structures are optimized through modeling and simulation to improve the HAFS performance. The maximum measured HAFS sensitivity is 47.9 𝑓𝐹 𝑚. 𝑠−1⁄ , a ten-fold increase over our previous uni-directional air-flow sensor. The new sensor dynamic range is 0 − 15 𝑚. 𝑠−1, with an extrapolated minimum detection limit of about 2 𝑚𝑚. 𝑠−1, and an angular resolution of 13°. The HAFS presented in this paper have a wide dynamic range while maintaining high resolution. The experimental results show 78.9 𝒅𝐵 of range to minimum detection ratio. This range to resolution ratio is one of the highest reported among all flow sensors.

Figure 34: a) Vertical view of two NEB-refined TRREAT pathways on the alanine dipeptide PES. b) Perspective view of the same two pathways shown in the top plot. The TS are clearly identified by the NEB


4.6 Progress on New Computation Initiatives 4.6.1 Virtual Vault for Interatomic Potentials Atomistic simulations using empirical interatomic potentials are playing an increasingly important role in realistic scientific and industrial applications in many areas including advanced material design, drug design, renewable energy, and nanotechnology. The predictive capability of thes approaches hinges on the accuracy of the interatomic model used to describe atomic interactions. Modern potentials are optimized to reproduce experimental values and electronic structure estimates for the force and energies of representative atomic configurations deemed important for the problem of interest. However, no standardized approach exists yet for comparing the accuracy of interatomic models, or estimating the likely accuracy of a given prediction. In addition, a lack of standardization in the programming interface of interatomic potentials and the lack of a systematic infrastructure for archiving them makes it difficult to use potentials for new applications and to reproduce published results. These limitations are preventing the field of atomistic modeling from realizing its true scientific and technological potential.

The Knowledgebase of Interatomic Models (KIM) is a four-year NSF Cyber-Enabled Discovery and Innovation (CDI) program which seeks to address the limitations described above in two stages:

• Development of an online infrastructure consisting of a web portal, repository and processing pipeline.

• Development of a framework for evaluating the transferability and precision of interatomic models.

The original proposal for KIM included a letter of support for the project from NNIN/C coordinator Michael Stopa. Since then, NNIN/C has participated in KIM workshops and we are currently working on a plan to have the new computational nodes at Harvard serve as a mirror site for the KIM database.

4.6.2 Virtual Vault for Pseudopotentials Development Virtual Vault for Pseudopotentials: The CNF hosts the Virtual Vault for Pseudopotentials for the NNIN/C. The NNIN database provides the global scientific community with access to pseudopotentials used in a wide range of electronic structure codes (See http://www.nnin.org/nnin_comp_psp_vault.html .) The clearinghouse consists of a PHP-SQL database of pseudopotentials which now contains over 1100 pseudopotential files from a variety of density functional tools, including Quantum Espresso, Siesta (added in 2012), Abinit, and Qbox. This database provides the first centralized resource for pseudopotentials that spans multiple electronic codes and numerous websites in the electronic structure community now provides links to the Vault as a valuable resource. Key milestones in 2012 include the addition of 300 new pseudopotential files, including PAW (projected augmented wave) datasets, relativistic pseudopotentials for non-collinear spin calculations, and a collection of pseudopotentials for

Figure 36 :Array of micro-hydraulic HAFS structure Figure 36: Volume change under a parylene membrane (simulation) or capacitance change (experiment) vs Θ. The y-axis is normalized and scaled for comparison. Noise in experimental data is partially due to inertial movement of the rotating stage.

https://exchange.cornell.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=I-mI5Fxls0uodYx_VU_VuZ-aiJbAxs8IGzS_xWKalKvJNT0anZvdzXi0s5PgZ8-YSw01KAuoKpI.&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.nnin.org%2fnnin_comp_psp_vault.html


the Siesta density functional code.

Figure 37: Global Distribution of Visitors to the NNIN Virtual Vault for Pseudopotentials . Each red dot represents multiple visits for a given location, for example Palo Alto has 73 visits. In April 2012, Google Analytics was added to the Virtual Vault database to track usage and impact. From April 2012 – January 2013, there were nearly 2100 visits to the Virtual Vault with the average visitor spending more than three minutes perusing the site. Robust webpages should show both a high rate of returning users who value the content as well as an expanding user base. The Virtual Vault shows a healthy mix with 57% of the visits coming from new visitors and 43% from returning users accessing additional pseudopotential resources. Visitors have come from 35 states in the U.S. and from 67 different countries. Top ten countries in order of access are United States, China, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, India, Russia, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

4.6.3 GPU Initiative The Graphical Processing Unit, highly parallel computing initiative of NNIN/C got underway in 2009 with the installation of the Orgoglio cluster. Since then, several users have made remarkable research achievements based on the use of Orgoglio. In particular, the research group of Dr. Alfredo Alexander-Katz published: “Dynamics of Polymers in Flowing Colloidal Suspensions,” Hsieh Chen and Alfredo Alexander-Katz, Physical Review Letters 107, 128301 (2011), and the research group of Dr. Miriam Leeser at Boston University has begun transitioning her code on GPU algorithms to the Orgoglio cluster. The cluster specifications are as follows:

• Single quad-core Xeon ‘Harpertown’ processors at 3 GHz

• 16 GB of EEC DDR2 800 RAM

• Two Tesla C1060 GPUs (each with 4GB of RAM)

• (total of 24 nodes/motherboards, 96 cores, 192 GB RAM, 48 S1070 cards).

• QLogic 24-Port 9024 DDR InfiniBand networking between the nodes.

The field of high performance computing has been transformed by the advent of GPU computing and the introduction of the CUDA programming language by Nvidia. On January 10-14, 2011, the Institute for


Mathematics and it’s Applications (IMA) at the University of Minnesota held a major workshop entitled High Performance Computing and Emerging Architectures. NNIN/C director Michael Stopa was an invited participant and presented a poster detailing high performance computing in NNIN/C.

4.7 Collaborative Projects 4.7.1 Defence Threat Reduction Agency Grant Award In February of 2010 the Defense Threat Reduction Agency granted an award (Contract No HDTRA1-10 1-0046) for a proposal on Coherent Molecular Profiling Using Nano-Structured Environments submitted by Dr. Alan Aspuru-Guzik in collaboration with NNIN/C director Michael Stopa and Research Scientist Semion Saykin. The project calls for the development of analytical and numerical approaches to describe interaction of analyte molecules with excitations in nanostructured environments, as well as describing the influence of the nanostructured environment on the ground state properties of molecules. As an example the researchers explore several model systems for better understanding of the physical processes involved. The models were selected to benefit from our ongoing experimental collaborations.

As described by Dr. Eric Moore, Chief of Basic and Supporting Sciences for DTRA, the mission areas of DTRA are: (1) to provide a robust fundamental knowledge base for countering current and future Chemical and Biological (CB) threats through scientific discoveries leading to technological breakthrough; (2) to provide fundamental scientific understanding of CB threat agents with specific attention to information gaps or requirements pertinent to the DoD, DHS, and other Intelligence Agencies. This is accomplished through two components: the Life Sciences Branch and the Physical Sciences Branch.

Recent work (figure above) by Stopa and collaborators (presented most recently during a visit to Sandia National Labroatories in September 2013 and at the APS March Meeting, March 2013) focused on the emissive properties of collections of coherently-coupled two-level systems. The effect of that coupling on Dicke-superradiance for an ensemble of those systems was examined (using numerical methods and finitie system size). 4.7.2 Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Sandia National Laboratory Project Title: Multiscale Calculation of the Strained, Multi-band Electronic Structure of Semiconductor Nanowires: Hetero-interfaces Investigators: Michael Stopa (Harvard University) in collaboration with N. Modine (CINT)

The purpose of this work is to apply the computational tools developed in previous stages of this collaboration to calculate the effects of the inhomogeneous strain at hetero-interfaces on the electronic structure in an epitaxially grown quantum wire. Specifically, within a multi-band k·p model, we calculate the variation of the band edges as well as the coupling between different angular momentum components of a band as a function of position. The calculation is unique in that we calculate the strain field via molecular dynamics simulations on all the atoms that comprise the wire. We then emply that strain in the k·p calculation to obtain the effect of the strain on the electronic band structure. A manuscript summarizing the results is currently in preparation.

Figure 38


4.7.3 Thermal Transport in Crystalline and Disordered Materials Project Title: Collaborative Research: Ab-Initio Computation of Thermal Transport in Crystalline and Disordered Materials: Investigators: Derek Stewart (Cornell University) and Prof. David Broido (Boston College)

In 2011, Dr. Derek Stewart received a National Science Foundation research grant “Collaborative Research: Ab Initio Computation of Phonon Thermal Transport in Crystalline and Disordered Material” (CBET-1066406). This grant funds a collaborative effort between Dr. Stewart at Cornell and Prof. David Broido at Boston College on first principles thermal transport in low thermal conductivity materials, such as thermoelectrics. Accurate theoretical modeling of the lattice thermal conductivity is essential to numerous fields including microelectronics cooling, thermoelectrics, and even planetary science. The Cornell site focuses on calculating harmonic and, where required, anharmonic interatomic force constants (IFCs) of materials from first principles. The IFCs are required inputs for phonon dispersions, phonon density of states, and phonon thermal transport calculations from which the lattice thermal conductivity is obtained. The project focuses on lower thermal conductivity materials with applications in next generation thermoelectrics and thermal barrier coatings. A post-doc, Saikat Mukhopadhyay was hired as part of this grant in September. In 2012, the collaboration published work on the thermal transport of Mg2SixSn1-x alloys and nanowires which could be used as a non-toxic, cheap alternative to current thermoelectrics on the market. The predicted thermal conductivity was found to be in good agreement with experimental measurements for the bulk alloys. As a further check to the method, this work also used two different density functional approaches (plane waves (Quantum Espresso) and numerically truncated orbitals (Siesta)) to calculate the interatomic force constants. The thermal conductivity calculated in both cases gave nearly identical results.

The thermal conductivity of a potential nanoscale heat conduit (diamond nanowires) was also investigated using first principle approaches (Phys. Rev. B, 85, 195436 (2012)). The thermal conductivity was found to vary significantly with the crystal orientation of the nanowire. These effects are significant even at room temperature and could be verified experimentally.

4.8 Workshops and Training Activities The education activities of the NNIN/C in 2012 included numerous workshops, webinars, and training classes organized at various sites. These events are designed to help eliminate the learning curve associated with simulation approaches and also encourage greater interaction between experimental and simulation groups.

4.8.1 NNIN/C Role in Training and Courses at NNIN sites Stanford: Training classes with weekly discussions meetings at Stanford were geared toward the education of novice users on the applications of various modeling tools., These classes with approximately 10 participants were specially designed to engage the local and external experimental community to use simulation in conjunction with lab work. Basic and advance topics to study novel material properties were adressed to help them improve device performance and fabrication.

Figure 39: Phonon dispersion for Mg2Si along different symmetry lines. The dispersion calculated using density functional perturbation theory (plane waves, Quantum Espresso) is given by the solid blue lines. The orange lines denote the phonon dispersion calculated


4.8.2 Hands-on Workshops NNIN/C site at Michigan has provided a series hands-on workshops on the modeling and simulation of MEMS/NEMS and Micro/Nanofluidic devices. The workshops have been used to keep the NNIN users informed of micro/nanosystems simulation tools and provided a platform for networking amongst academics, researchers and private sectors interested in micro/nanosystem development. Table 12 shows the list of hands-on workshop which are held at Michigan.

Table 12: List of NNIN/C workshops at Michigan

Hands-on Workshops Date

Attendees Internal External

1 COMSOl’s Hands-on Workshop on MEMS Simulation October 2013 23 7

2 One Day MEMS Simulation Workshop May 2013 15 9

4.8.3 Webinar Series on Modeling and Simulation of MEMS/NEMS and Micro/Nanofluidic Devices and Their Fabrication Processes

Over this past year, NNIN/C@Michigan has provided a series of workshops and webinars on modeling and simulation at both local and national levels. Topics covered included nano materials, MEMS, microfluidic devices and their fabrication processes. The workshops and webinars have been used to keep research community informed of MEMS modeling activities and provided a platform for networking amongst academic and industrial researchers. The response to the computational workshops was very strong even though the hands-on aspect limited the number of attendees to about 65 in total, and over 160 researchers participated in our webinars. The posted webinars on NNIN/C@Michigan YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/user/NNINComputationUofM) have been viewed over 3500 times in 2013. Table 13 shows the list of webinars provided at Michigan. The total number of attendants is 245.

Table 13: List of NNIN/C webinars at Michigan

Webinar Date Attendees Internal External

1 An Introduction to Materials Studio July 2013 42 11

2 Local Slow Light Engineering: Hold Your Photons July 2013 13 6

3 Atomic-scale Modeling of Nanoelectronic Devices with Atomistix Toolkit May 2013 24 32

Figure 40: A few examples of the NNIN/C@Michigan webina

http://www.youtube.com/user/NNINComputationUofM


4 Semiconductor Process Development and Integration with Semulator3D May 2013 13 6

5 Materials Modeling and Simulation for Nanotechnology April 2013 40 31

6 Solving for Micro/Macro scale Electrostatic Configurations using Robin Hood Solver March 2013 11 3

7 Multiphase CFD for Droplet Based Microfluidics January 2013

34 12


5.0 Society and Ethical Implications of Nanotechnology 5.1 Vision and Goals The Societal and Ethical Issues (SEI) component of NNIN seeks to increase national capacity for exploring the societal and ethical issues associated with nanotechnology. A particularly important part of this effort is to increase the awareness of SEI within the larger NNIN user community. The NNIN SEI effort acts as a resource for education and information for our user community. As the largest single group of nanotechnology researchers in the world, NNIN has both a unique opportunity and a unique obligation to assure that its users have full awareness of the societal implications of their work and their associated ethical obligations.

To accomplish this goal, the SEI component has developed an infrastructure for conducting research and disseminating information about SEI. That infrastructure serves both the NNIN and the broader community interested in nanotechnology.

5.2 SEI Activities 5.2.1 Shift in Leadership After several years at the helm of SEI, Katherine McComas decided that she wanted to spend more time on her own research and to relinquish leadership of the NNIN SEI effort. With her recommendation, the NNIN leadership team invited Jameson Wetmore of Arizona State University to run the SEI program for the last year of the grant. Wetmore has led the SEI projects at ASU for several years, brought the NNIN SEI site coordinators together in November 2011 for a “Congress on Teaching the Social and Ethical Implications of Research” and hosted the 2011 “Train the Trainer” workshop held in conjunction with the Congress.

In July 2013, SEI leadership officially passed from Cornell to Arizona State. Since the summer, Wetmore and his team (including assistant research professor Ira Bennett and NNIN funded postdoc Kiera Reifschneider-Wegner) have been taking steps to wrap up the SEI research being done in the final years of the grant and evaluating the various activities. The bulk of those activities are addressed in further detail below.

5.2.2 Analysis of previous NNIN programs Given that the ASU group had only a few months to review the previous SEI efforts they focused on a major project that had been widely discussed throughout the network – the International Winter Schools for Graduate Students (iWSG). These programs (held four times between 2008 and 2012) were organized by the NNIN and institutions in India and Brazil with an aim to educate graduate students about the emerging directions and applications of nanoscale science and engineering in developing countries and to foster international connections between first and third world students and faculty.

A first round of surveys to former student participants resulted in an overwhelming 38% response rate (of the 48 students who participated). Of the respondents, 39% reported that as a direct result of this experience they had significantly changed their career trajectory, with an additional 33% reporting that their research agendas were significantly informed by their experience. Two of the graduates cited their participation as a major reason why they now work with international non-profit aid groups and one credited their success in obtaining a AAAS Policy Fellowship to the experience. These significant impacts led the ASU group to schedule semi-structured interviews with student participants to be completed in early 2014, as well as to open a shorter survey of the involved faculty to determine if their participation also affected their career or research trajectory, or if it resulted in any publications or collaborations. The aim of the program assessment is to determine how it might be possible to achieve some of these results at a lower cost per student in future programs.


5.2.3 NNIN SEI REU Participation Once again, two NNIN REU students worked on SEI related projects during the summer of 2013. Hannah Oros, from Muhlenberg College, worked with Principal Investigators Dr. Anthony Dudo and Dr. LeeAnn Kahlor in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations at The University of Texas at Austin to examine the role of gender in the public communication of science and technology (PCST). Using a multi-wave online survey, Hannah and NNIN REU Mentor Allison Lazard examined how nanoscientists use new media to engage in PCST, and observed that perceptions and behaviors relating to PCST vary between male and female nanoscientists. Charles Yates, from Pitzer College, worked with Principal Investigator Dr. Jeongsik Lee and mentor Hyun Jung at the Scheller College of Business at the Georgia Institute of Technology studying knowledge transfer practices using the cleanroom as a case study. The team, utilizing observational results, surveys and interviews, found that a significant amount of information flows from staff members and equipment, with little transfer among users and that transfer of codified knowledge dominates that of tacit knowledge.

Given the variety of SEI coverage at the NNIN sites, Wetmore, Bennett, and Reifschneider also gave an SEI presentation at the 2013 REU Convocation in Atlanta, GA in August. The presentation provided an opportunity to ensure that all students were introduced to ethical and societal impact terms and concepts. To further their understanding and build camaraderie with their new colleagues, the second half of the presentation was an interactive, group activity that used the NISE Net/Center for Nanotechnology in Society developed “Nano around the World” card game to help the interns reflect on the relationship between nanotechnology and those who use it.

5.2.4 NNIN Seed Grant Winners The NNIN Seed Grant program assists and stimulates the conduct of research on social and ethical issues (SEI) by faculty at NNIN sites. We were able to award four Seed Grant winners at the end of 2012. In 2013, those researchers reported nine presentations, one public outreach effort, and one peer-reviewed publication, with several more manuscripts in preparation or under review. Several groups have requested no-cost extensions to complete work started with Seed Grant funds. Details for each of the research teams are below.

5.2.4.1 Seed Grant to Georgia Tech Firm-Originated Knowledge Flows as Antecedents of Technological Breakthroughs: Evidence from the U.S. Nanotechnology Principal Investigators: Jeongsik Lee, Assistant Professor and Hyun Jung, Ph.D. Candidate; Georgia Institute of Technology

Investigators used the NNIN research center at Georgia Tech to examine how knowledge flows that carry knowledge components from prior inventions impact new knowledge generation. In this awarding period, the investigators examined how firms generate novel technologies and technological breakthroughs in nanotechnology. They theorized and found evidence of the contrasting effect of the boundary of the technological search of original knowledge components on subsequent nanotechnology developments. A working paper reporting these findings is under review at a top journal in the management field. In addition, presentations and invited lectures on the work were given at five different locations. The group also hosted and mentored a NNIN REU SEI student in the summer of 2013 (see details in Section 6.2.3 above). Future research aims to study knowledge networks in terms of 1) the structure of knowledge and social networks; 2) entry of start-ups; and 3) knowledge flows among actors in NNIN research centers. As the first step, the investigators will build a novel dataset in nanotechnology collected from the USPTO and NNIN research centers.


5.2.4.2. Seed Grant to U. Minnesota How Small is Small Enough?: A Cross-Disciplinary Approach to Defining “Nano” for Research, Society, and Regulation Principal Investigators: Leili Fatehi, J.D. and Jennifer Kuzma, Ph.D. University of Minnesota; North Carolina State University

Investigators used a Delphi approach to: 1) examine the attitudes of the Research and Development (R&D), Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS), and Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) communities toward defining "nano" and 2) facilitate consensus for a definitional framework. In this awarding period, they have completed round 1 of a 3-round Delphi process. They surveyed 65 nano experts about the relevant criteria they believe to be important for defining "nano" in the contexts of R&D, EHS, ELSI, and oversight. Responses from round 1 have been coded and analyzed to inform round 2, to be circulated in December 2013. Both investigators, along with Jonathan Brown and Pouya Najmaie, presented at the Society for Nanoscale and Emerging Technologies Annual Meeting in Boston, MA. The group has been granted a no-cost extension to complete the final rounds of Delphi surveys by February 2014. At the end of the study they will summarize and publish their findings and some policy recommendations for improving communication for future efforts to define "nano".

5.2.4.3 Seed Grant to UCSB From Blueprints to Bricks: Building a Community for DNA Nanotechnology Principal Investigator: W. Patrick McCray, University of California, Santa Barbara

The goal of this project was to produce a more historically and socially contextualized understanding of interdisciplinarity and collaboration in a particular subfield of nanotechnology by looking at researchers in DNA nanotechnology at NNIN universities, The topic of DNA nanotechnology provides an excellent opportunity to appraise the work done at the bio-nano interface. Since work began on the project, the investigator has conducted a thorough literature review and conducted two oral history interviews with scientists (at NYU and Caltech). The investigator will be submitting abstracts for two papers to the Society for Social Studies of Science annual meeting in 2014, provisionally titled “Finding the Contours of the DNA Nanotechnology Community” and “Publication and Pedagogy in DNA Nanotechnology”. An informal public outreach talk was given at UCSB and is detailed as ‘Outreach’ in section 6.2.7. The investigator plans to bring an advanced graduate student into the project so the 2.0 version will have a pedagogical and training component.

5.2.4.4 Seed Grant to U. Texas Austin Talking “Nano”: Nanoscientists as Public Communicators Principal Investigators: LeeAnn Kahlor, Ph.D. and Anthony Dudo, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin

In addition to the principle investigators, Allison Lazard, Ming-Ching Liang, and Niveen AbiGhannam (UT-Austin doctoral students) and Hannah Oros (summer 2013 NNIN REU student) used survey research to provide an empirical snapshot of nanoscientists' perceptions and behaviors concerning public engagement and communication about ethics. The investigators conducted two surveys of NNIN members across the 14 facilities. The first survey, which focused on nanoscientists' perceptions and behaviors regarding public engagement, was completed in October 2013. The second survey focuses on nanoethics and is currently being fielded. The earlier work resulted in one publication and three presentations (see Section 6.2.7 for details). Another research manuscript, which will be presented in February 2014 at the annual meeting of AAAS, is being prepared for submission to the journal, Nature Nanotechnology. Several other research manuscripts are being prepared for communications journals.

5.2.5 Work by NNIN SEI Research Faculty NNIN SEI provided some salary (summer or otherwise) to five faculty members: Suzanne Brainard


(University of Washington), Katherine McComas (Cornell), Robert McGinn (Stanford), Marie Thursby (Georgia Institute of Technology), and Jameson Wetmore (Arizona State University).

Faculty reported three presentations and three publications, with several more in preparation or under review. The published articles are noted in section 6.2.7 below. In addition to these deliverables, some faculty spearheaded and participated in other SEI-related activities. These are listed directly below.

As a follow up to the NNIN REU program, Katherine McComas and NNIN SEI funded research assistants Meghnaa Tallapragada and Gina Eosco facilitated an additional group discussion with the Cornell REU participants to discuss the societal or ethical implications of their REU research and how these issues may contribute both positively or negatively to their careers in the future.

McComas also worked with four different researchers to provide samples of NNIN users from the NNIN user database for various SEI-related research projects. These included projects at the University of Washington, directed by Dr. Suzanne Brainard; the University of Texas-Austin, directed by Dr. Lee Ann Kahlor and Dr. Anthony Dudo; and the University of Minnesota, directed by Dr. Jennifer Kuzma (now at North Carolina State University). They also provided names to Mr. Jim Rose in support of the O*NET Occupation Expert (OE) Data Collection Program. The purpose of this program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, is to collect occupational information about nanotechnologists.

McComas also reports two manuscripts under review or in preparation:

1. Eosco, G., Tallapragada, M., McComas, K, & Brady, M. "Exploring societal and ethical views of nanotechnology REUs." Under review at Nanoethics.

2. McComas, K., Eosco, G., Tallapragada, T., and Brockhage, R. Perceived norms of ethical behavior among researchers in science and engineering. In preparation for submission.

Robert McGinn developed a new 50-question ethics questionnaire that he deployed to new users of the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility starting in late July 2013. Thus far, 86 new users have filled out the new questionnaire. He will begin analyzing the data next summer at the end of the survey period.

McGinn is also in the finishing stages of a new book entitled The Ethically Responsible Engineer: Concepts and Cases for Engineering Students and Practicing Engineers. At present, he is looking for a publisher for the 375 page manuscript. Two of the 16 case studies discussed in the book are derived directly from NNIN-related nanoethics research.

McGinn also taught E131 (Ethical Issues in Engineering) this fall in the Stanford Engineering School. One of the major units of the course was on ethical issues related to nanotechnology and drew heavily on NNIN-supported research on nanoethics. In spring quarter 2014, he will be teaching both E204 (Research Ethics for Engineers and Scientists) — initially taught with Dr. Mary Tang, Lab Manager of SNL and now a regular part of his teaching package – and a reprise of E130. Both courses draw heavily on NNIN-supported research and scholarship.

5.2.6 SEI Publications and Presentations from all NNIN SEI Researchers

5.2.6.1 Publications • Downey, G.L., Lucena, J.C., Riley, D. and Wetmore, J. (2013) “They’re Here to Help: Social

Scientists Enable Engineers to See the Gaps in their own Expertise,” Last Word, ASEE Prism, December, p. 60.

• Liang, M., Dudo, A., Kahlor, L., Ghannam, N., and Lazard, A. (in press). “Nano-scientists as consumers and sources of information about nanoethics.” Proceedings of the Iowa State University Symposium on Science Communication (Vol. 3), Ames, IA: Iowa State University Press.


• McGinn, R. (2013) “Discernment and Denial: Nanotechnology Researchers’ Recognition of Ethical Responsibilities Related to Their Work.”Nanoethics, Vol. 7, No. 2, 93-105.

• Savath, V. & S.G. Brainard (2013) “Managing Nanotechnology Risks in Vulnerable Populations: A Case for Gender Diversity.” Review of Policy Research. Vol. 30, No. 5, 549-565.

5.2.6.2 Presentations • Dudo, A., Kahlor, L., Lazard, A., Liang, M-C., and AbiGhannam, N. (February, 2014). “Talking

‘nano’: Nanoscientists as public communicators”. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Chicago, IL.

• Dudo, A., Kahlor, L., Liang, M-C., AbiGhannam, N., and Lazard, A. (May, 2013). “Nano ethics: How nanoscientists evaluate and communicate the ethical dimensions of their research”. Paper presented at the Third Iowa State University Summer Symposium on Science Communication in Ames, IA.

• Fatehi, L., Kuzma, J., Brown, J. and Najmaie, P. (October, 2013). “A Delphi Approach to Finding a Cross-Disciplinary Definition of ‘Nano’ for Research, Society, and Regulation”. Society for Nanoscale and Emerging Technologies Annual Meeting, Boston, MA.

• Lee, J. “Firm-Originated Knowledge Flows as Antecedents of Technological Breakthroughs: Evidence from the U.S. Nanotechnology”. The University of Missouri (November, 2013), Temple University (November, 2013), Drexel University (November, 2013), Hanyang University (December, 2013, Seoul, Korea), and the 4th Asia Pacific Innovation Conference (December, 2013, Taipei, Taiwan).

• McGinn, R. (February, 2013). “MisMatch.com: Ethics Education and Engineering Practice”. To the Information Science and Engineering Program at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA.

• Oros, H. (October, 2013). Sustainable development, gender, and nanotechnology. Paper presented at the Annual Sustainability Conference at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA.

• Wetmore, J.M. (July, 2013) Education and Training Panel. Sixth International Meeting on Synthetic Biology (SB 6.0), Imperial College, London.

• Wetmore, J.M. (July, 2013) Nano around the World. 1st Common Summer school of ERASynBio and ST-Flow: Synthetic Biology in Action. Madrid, Spain.

5.2.6.3 Outreach Activities McCray, W.P. (July, 2013). Visioneering from Space Colonies to Nanotechnologies. Public seminar presented at the University of California, Santa Barbara.


6.0 Site Reports 6.1 Arizona State University Site Report 6.1.1 Site Overview The ASU NanoFab maintains ~20,000 sq. ft. of laboratory and office space, including a 4,000 sq. ft., class-100 cleanroom. The technical focus of the ASU NanoFab within the NNIN is the interface between organic and inorganic materials. The facility also manages a general purpose semiconductor and MEMS processing capability. The NanoFab has a full time staff of six process and equipment engineers, and a part-time education and outreach coordinator, as well as a part-time societal and ethical implications (SEI) coordinator.

During 2013 the ASU NanoFab acquired two surface profilometer tools to meet the growing need of our users to measure thin films. A new Dektak XT was purchased from Bruker Corporation and is located in the photolithography bay of the cleanroom allowing for the measurement of photoresist layers under yellow light conditions to minimize unwanted exposure. The Dektak tool also allows for measurements of wafer curvature to extract the stress in deposited thin films. The other tool, a reconditioned Alphastep 500, provides additional capability for general purpose profilometry in the white light region of the cleanroom. A reconditioned Nikon Optiphot 66 has also been commissioned in the cleanroom for wafer inspection.

The ASU site continues to participate in the NNIN Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) and Research Experience for Teachers (RET) programs. Six REU students spent the summer at ASU including one international student. Five RET faculty spent the summer at ASU. As a direct result of the NNIN RET program Central Arizona College will be offering a two year Associates degree in nanotechnology starting in the Fall of 2014 and will partner with ASU for the Capstone laboratory component of the course. ASU also hosted a Laboratory Experience for Faculty participant from Norfolk State College.

6.1.2 External User Projects External users of the ASU NanoFab included the following:

• Northern Arizona University Constantin Ciocanel: “Microfabricated Electro-Osmotic Pumps”

• University of Arizona Stanley Pau: “Electrical Brakdon in Thin Films”

• University of Arizona Omid Mahdavi: “PECVD Coating of Fibre Optics”

• University of Nevada, Las Vegas Mei Yang: “Packaging of Electro-optic Components”

• Engineering Arts Peter Kahn: “Silicon Microwells”

• iNanoBio Bharath Takulapalli: “Bionano Sensor Develpoment”

• Laser Components DG Inc. Dragan Grubisic:”High Efficiency Avalanche Photodiodes”

• NanoTEM RogerGraham: “Fabrication of Silicon Templates”

Figure 41: A new Dektak XT is located in the yellow light photo-lithography cleanroom bay.

Figure 42: A refurbished Alphastep 500 provides a general purpose capability for profiling thin films.


• NthDegree Technologies Tricia Youngblood: “Printed Photovoltaics”

• SJT Micropower Inc. Seth Wilk: “Enhanced Voltage Silicon RF Power Amplifiers”

• Soitec Phoenix Research Laboratory Steve Young: “Patterning Epitaxial Films”

6.1.3 Education & Outreach During 2013 the ASU site has been involved in numerous local outreach activities using hands-on demonstrations from the NISE Network ‘Nanodays Kit’. The larger activities targeting the broader public community included the City of Tempe’s “Geeks Night Out” and Festival of the Arts, as well as at the Arizona Science Center and ASU Homecoming.

The ASU NanoFab partners with the Center for Nanotechnology in Society (CNS) to prepare graduate students to meet with the public and present the results of their research. Graduate students that have completed ‘train-the-trainer’ sessions then volunteer for public demonstrations of their work at the AZ Science Center. The demonstrations taking place during the spring are especially well attended with large numbers of schools bussing their students to the Science Center after the end of the State’s standardized testing is complete.

The ASU site continues to offer SEI training to all of our users as an additional 30 minute segment to the H&S training, and is implemented by a part-time SEI coordinator, Brenda Trinidad. The short time span is used to convey a few basic lessons and to let lab users know about a wide array of resources available through CNS and other venues that can help them to wrestle with the ethical implications of their work.

Figure 43: Outreach coordinator Jody Jackson presents hands-on NISET Network activities during the April 2013 Tempe Festival of the Arts


6.1.4 ASU-Selected Site Statistics (2011) a) Historical Annual Users

b) Lab Hours by Institution Type C) User Distribution by Institution Type

d) Average Hours per User ( in 10 months) e) New Users

Figure 44: ASU Site Statistics

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6.1.5 ASU User Institutions (2013) Academic Small Company Large Company

Northern Arizona University Engineering Arts Intel University of Arizona INanoBio Purdue Laser Components DG Inc. Norfolk State University NanoTEM Culver-Stockton College NthDegree Worldwide Technologies Lock Haven University Soitec Phoenix Research Laboratory Oklahoma State University SJT Micropower Tokyo University Vitriflex Hunan University University of Nevada Las Vegas Central Arizona College Glendale Community College Metropolitan Arts Institute


6.2 Cornell University NNIN Site Report 6.2.1 Overview CNF serves as an open resource to scientists and engineers from a broad range of nanotechnology areas, with emphasis on providing complex integration capabilities as well as support of the SEI initiative, Computation, and other specific thrust areas within NNIN. CNF has operated as a dedicated user facility since 1977 and so 2013 marked CNF’s 36th year of operation. In addition to technical management and administrative staff, it currently has a technical staff of 21 who maintain the equipment and baseline processes, while assisting users at all levels - particularly focusing on the needs of our external user community. CNF maintains a full spectrum of processing and characterization equipment, with emphasis on electron beam lithography at the smallest dimensions, and a wide array of deposition and etching resources necessary to handle the needs of a wide spectrum of materials. CNF continues to be an interdisciplinary facility with activities spread across the physical sciences, engineering, and life sciences. The active replacement of old tools and the addition of new capabilities keep CNF at the technology forefront.

6.2.2 Users and User Base CNF served 510 clean room users in the 10 month period (March – December) of reporting year 10, with a large fraction of outside users and an additional 56 computation users. Our users clocked over 43,000 hours in the clean room for the year. Among the outside user base, there were 40 academic institutions represented along with 35 companies, 6 international institutions and 2 government labs during this period. Users came from 28 states and 5 foreign countries. CNF has a refined process for integration of new users in the laboratory with an emphasis on best safety practices, and social and ethical awareness. New users are accepted into the CNF each Monday. Basic orientation is accomplished within two training days to allow rapid initiation of projects. 147 new users were trained in CNF during the 10 month period (March-December 2013).

6.2.3 Technical Highlights Research reports are provided annually for many projects and are published as the CNF Research Accomplishments and online at http://www.cnf.cornell.edu/cnf5_research.html . This year CNF users compiled 550 publications, conference presentations, and patents. Here we highlight some of the most significant examples of research enabled by CNF in the past year.

• In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the Soloway and Craighead groups at Cornell University reported the use of devices made at the Cornell NanoScale Facility to implement rapid, direct, simultaneous detection of multiple epigenetic markers in single DNA molecules bound to chromatin. Epigenetic markers consist of chemical changes to DNA (e.g., methylation) or the DNA support structure (e.g., histone modification in chromatin) that cause heritable changes in gene activity without altering the DNA sequence itself. Multiple epigenetic markers on single DNA molecules can act cooperatively with either positive or negative feedback to change gene expression and cell function. The Soloway and Craighead groups are using their new technique to study how such epigenetic interactions may be fundamental to the formation of some cancers.

• In Applied Physics Letters, the McDermott group at the University of Wisconsin used the Cornell NanoScale Facility to develop a significant improvement in superconducting qubits that under development for quantum computation. Instead of the usual approach of using disordered, amorphous materials to make capacitors in the qubit circuits, the Wisconsin group formed them from single-crystal silicon, by using etching techniques to form thin suspended single-crystal silicon layers and then metalizing both sides. The superior dielectric loss of the crystalline silicon yielded a factor of two improvement in the energy relaxation times of the qubits.

http://www.cnf.cornell.edu/cnf5_research.html


• In Nature Communications, the Malliaras group from the Ecole des Mines de Saint Etienne in France used Cornell NanoScale Facility to demonstrate a new class of devices for recording brain activity, with superior signal-to-noise ratio compared to conventional surface probes. The devices consist of an organic electrochemical transistor embedded in an ultrathin organic film, which provides both mechanical flexibility and biocompatibility. In vivo tests show that these structures give superior performance for recording brain activity because the organic transistors can provide local amplification.

• In Nature Scientific Reports, the Erickson group at Cornell reported a new design developed at the Cornell NanoScale Facility for glucose-based fuel cells for use in implantable medical devices. Such devices could replace lithium-based batteries, which often have a life cycle shorter than the implant so that they have to be replaced surgically. The Erickson-group design represents the first glucose-based fuel cell with both low volume and high power density, thereby greatly increasing the range of applications.

• In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the McEuen, Muller, and Park groups at Cornell described the use of devices made in the Cornell NanoScale Facility to study strain solitons -- topological defects that occur in bilayer graphene. These are regions in which one of the layers in a graphene bilayer undergoes a shift by an atomic spacing relative to the other without ripping either layer. Novel electronic states are predicted to exist at these boundaries, but very little is known about their structural properties. Using electron microscopy studies with atomic resolution, the researchers found that each soliton consists of a registry shift occurring over 6-11 nm and that the solitons move when the samples are heated above 1,000 °C. These defects are observed in abundance across a variety of bilayer graphene samples studied, suggesting that they may have substantial effects on the electronic and mechanical properties of bilayer graphene.

• In Nano Letters, the Hone group at Columbia University in collaboration with researchers at Cornell, reported a successful strategy for achieving electrical integration of silicon-nitride resonators without adding dissipation that compromises their performance. High stress silicon nitride resonators have shown promise for applications in sensing, signal processing, and optomechanics because they can have quality factors exceeding one million. However, depositing even a thin layer of metal degrades the quality factor significantly, making it challenging to integrate the resonators in circuits for electrical read-out. The Hone group solved this problem by using graphene as a conductive coating for the membranes, finding that this reduced the quality factor by less than 30% on average, which is minimal when compared to the effect of conventional metallization layers.

• In Applied Physics Letters, the Bhat group at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute reported progress on a new approach for making large-area solid-state neutron detectors that might serve as an alternative to helium-3 tube-based technology. They used the Cornell NanoScale Facility to make boron-infused silicon honeycomb structures that achieve simultaneously long interaction length for neutrons, a short escape distance for interaction products, and a low leakage current for electrical detection. The neutron detection efficiency neutrons incident on the face of the detector was measured to be ∼26%.

• In Nature Protocols, the Stroock and Fischbach groups at Cornell described how they use the Cornell NanoScale Facility to produce 3D cell cultures in which living cells form fully-enclosed blood vessels. The protocol uses microfabrication to enable user-defined geometries of the vascular network, with multiweek cultures of endothelial cells forming the vessel walls. The experimental platform enables real-time fluorescence imaging of the living engineered tissues, in


situ confocal fluorescence of fixed cultures, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging of histological sections. This protocol is being used to model processes such as blood clotting and tumor growth, and can serve as a starting point for constructing tissues for regenerative medicine.

• In the New Journal of Physics, the Robinson group at Cornell reported the use of the Cornell NanoScale Facility to develop monochromatic, tunable phonon sources and detectors to investigate the microscopic processes of heat transport in materials. They employ microfabricated superconducting tunnel junctions as transducers for phonon emission and detection, with frequencies ranging from 100 to 870 GHz. The spectral resolution is 15-20 GHz, which is about 20 times better than traditional thermal conductance measurements. The group is utilizing these devices to study processes such as ballistic phonon propogation in silicon crystals and diffuse phonon scattering from surfaces.

• In Physical Review Letters, the Fuchs and Bhave groups at Cornell used the Cornell NanoScale Facility to fabricate devices which allow mechanical control of the dynamics of individual spins at defect sites in diamond, with no applied magnetic field. The researchers use time-dependent strain modulation to controllably drive transitions between different quantum spin states of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers, a type of localized defect in the diamond. These spin-phonon interactions offer a offer a strategy for quantum spin control of magnetically forbidden transitions, which would enhance NV-based quantum metrology, grant access to direct transitions between all of the spin-1 quantum states of the NV center, and provide a platform to study spin-phonon interactions at the level of a few interacting spins.

6.2.4 Focus Areas/Assigned Responsibilities As one of the large nodes in NNIN, CNF has been assigned special leadership responsibilities in the network for: Electronics, Optics, and MEMs; for Computation; for SEI activities; and for Education, as well as broad responsibility to support all NNIN technical areas. CNF actively supports users and provides specialized and generalized resources as discussed below.

Lead Responsibilities: Electronics, Optics, MEMS: CNF has extensive facilities and processes to support the traditional areas of Electronics, Optics, and MEMS. CNF has the most advanced e-beam lithography facilities in the network and is positioned to maintain that leadership for several years with upgrades and system acquisitions that ocurred this year. In January 2013 we received delivery of a new flagship tool, the JEOL JBX 9500FSZ, that replaced CNF’s JBX 9300FS. The new instrument will complement our recently acquired JBX 6300FS by bringing a new level of speed and precision to the NNIN arsenal of patterning capabilities. These systems along with other advanced photolithography capabilities (described below), support fabrication of advanced electronics, optics, and MEMS structures and a growing number of life sciences projects. For example, the combination of lithographic precision and plasma etching expertise have enabled CNF users to achieve record-breaking low-loss optical resonators. CNF also has a broad silicon CVD/oxidation capability with up to 20 process tubes. We continue to acquire and develop processeses for leading edge tools such as a Graphene/ Carbon Nanotube Furnace from FirstNano, and we replaced an aging open load PECVD system with a new Oxford 100 PECVD made available to users in May 2013. The new system delivers capabilities for rapid oxide and nitride deposition as well as amorphous silicon and n and p doping. We have added several targets for our AJA Orion 8 RF/DC Sputter Deposition System to expand our ability to provide stress controlled metal deposition and have developed several reactive sputtering processes. We also had dedicated electroplating station custom-built and installed this year. We now have individual stations for copper, gold, and nickel.

Our ASML DUV stepper provides commercialization-level lithography to the MEMs effort for researchers


and industrial users. The 3D Align (backside alignment capability) on the ASML stepper is especially useful for MEMS processes that involve thick films. Our two Deep Silicon Etchers (DSE) provide MEMs projects with deep trench, backside release, and through wafer via capability. We also invested considerably in a major upgrade to our Oxford 100 ICP Dielectric Etcher to expand the gas handling. This was done to foster a collaborative effort with Oxford instruments to find new source gases that will improve on aspect ratio achievable in nanoscale features while retaining good resist selectivity. We continued to work with leading vendors such as Suss MicroTec on both advanced spray coating techniques and substrate conforming imprint lithography (SCIL) as a nanoscale replication technology. Students and Post Docs from nearby centers such as the Cornell Center for Materials Research (CCMR), and the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS), help provide a critical mass of research and technology in advanced materials and device structures. CNF staff are particularly skilled in complete process integration issues involving deposition, etching, and lithography.

Computation: CNF is one of four NNIN nodes with major nanotechnology computation capabilities. CNF expnded its computational resources and employs a nanotechnology computation technical liaison (Dr. Derek Stewart) to support and expand facilities for users. Details of the expanded hardware, software, and outreach for the CNF computational program are described in a separate section below.

Social and Ethical Issues in Nanotechnology: CNF is a major site for NNIN SEI activity. Both the NNIN SEI Coordinator for the network and research associates have been based at Cornell and paid from Cornell site funds. Mid year, leadership for SEI was transferred to Jameson Wetmore at ASU. CNF continues to retain graduate students whose thesis work concentrates in this area to lead training and discussion sessions to all new users as part of their orientation experience.

Education: CNF has extensive education activities, primarily directed to the university level and above but with significant outreach among younger students as well. These are reviewed in the Education section below.

Other Assigned Areas:

Life Sciences: CNF actively supports projects involving biological applications of nanotechnology. To provide discipline specific support for life sciences users, CNF has a technical liaison (Dr. Elizabeth Rhoades) who instructs a short course offering on PDMS casting (co-instructed with the Nanobiotechnology Center staff). The Cornell Nanobiotechnology Center (NBTC), a parallel user facility, helps provide a critical mass of nanobiology users who contribute to the technology base available to users. Current CNF bio-related projects include considerable work in bio-sensors and microfluidics. CNF maintains a number of processes which significantly or exclusively support nanobiotechnology (e.g., molecular vapor coating, parylene deposition, embossing, PMDS casting, microcontact printing, a microfluidic probe station, and now 3-D printing). CNF has implemented an extensive process and sample compatibility study with input from NBTC staff. A lab demonstration on soft materials was added to our TCN course and a quarterly short course on PDMS stamping is jointly conducted with the NBTC staff. We also entered into a partnership with CorSolutions LLC, to continue to develop and adapt a fluidic probe station. The system is provides high precision pumps and a unique probe manipulator that can make rapid temporary seals to fluidic chips for testing or fluidic based experiments. The 3-D printer is finding use as a rapid prototyping fabrication method where only features larger than 100 um are needed.

Materials and Materials Analysis: CNF supports a broad range of materials and materials related research both in-house and through facilitated access to electron microscopy facilities within the Cornell Center for Materials Research (CCMR). STEM, TEM and Dual Beam FIB facilities can be accessed by our users via CCMR. Within CNF are housed excellent SEM facilities in the form of two Zeiss Gemini


series digital field emission microscopes that were just upgraded to provide enhanced and more robust graphical user interfaces. To assist users in true nanoscale probing of materials and device structures, CNF has a Zyvex nanomanipulator system, allowing probing within an SEM with 1 nm motion resolution. CNF’s Dimatix materials ink jet printer supports novel fabrication processes with organic and inorganic materials “inks” on rigid and flexible substrates. This system was modified this year to allow in situ UV curing. Along with the Reynolds Tech cluster tool for deposition of organic conductive coatings, we have made significant strides in establishing an organic electronics capability. The Oxford ALD continues to serve materials research with highly conformal metal nitrides, hafnia and, aluminum oxide and silicon dioxide film deposition with monolayer control. We have purchased and will soon install a second ALD to meet the high demand for new materials and substrates that our users are requesting. Our Woolam spectroscopic ellipsometer, recently acquired Zygo optical profiler, and Filmetrics thin film mapper all support film characterization for both organic and inorganic thin and thick film materials.

Remote Processing: Remote usage serves as a way to engage future users, achieve higher tool utilization, and enhance the NNIN network value to users. Remote processing is generally limited to single steps or short process sequences that have a high probability of success. In this reporting period, over 30 remote jobs were completed. While mask making, lithography, and thin film deposition are the most common remote requests, more complex structures are also being accomplished. We also make use of inter-site capabilities. For example, shipping a user’s wafers to U. Michigan or UCSB for etching or to Stanford, Georgia Tech, and Harvard when a CNF system is down for repairs. We have gotten excellent cooperation from the other NNIN sites when users require this backup support.


6.2.5 Equipment and Facilities CNF operates in a suite of labs in Duffield Hall, a state of the art research building on Cornell’s Engineering College part of campus. CNF user facilities include a 16,000 sq. ft. clean room, but also include wet and dry non-cleanroom labs for additional chemistry and biology support facilities. There is also a characterization lab, a CAD room, and an ion implantation laboratory. In addition, CNF has nanoscale computation facilities (hardware, software, and support) that specialize in assisting users in interfacing with the various modeling programs. CNF maintains a broad set of processing and characterization tools with emphasis on patterning at the smallest dimensions. Our two 100keV ebeam lithography tools are the cornerstone of our materials patterning capabilities; they are supported by contact lithography (3), steppers (3), mask makers (2), 17 dry etch tools of various types, and extensive thin film deposition and inspection capabilities. In total, over 100 major processing tools are available.

• In 2013 CNF received a next generation electron beam lithography system from JEOL, the JBX 9500 FSZ. The system was made available to users in April and is a major advance in EBL that will likely set the standard for the next decade. (fig 45)

• The CNF completed a major infrastructure construction project to improve the quality of the building-supplied cooling water. This required staff to work even over the holidays to clean or replace all the cooling lines in the entire laboratory. We expect better service owing to fewer pump and rf failures due to cooling line clogs.

• To improve the availability of sputter deposition targets we added multiple target materials to our list for the AJA Orion 8 sputter deposition system. (Fig 46)

• Three new dedicated electroplating stations were custom built by Reynolds Tech. We have migrated our previouly-shared set up for Gold, Copper, and Nickel to these separate benches. (fig 47)

• Our VersaLaser cutting tool has demonstrated great flexibility in patterning thin materials including paper, plastics, metals, and even leaves (see our newsletter cover below) etc. from CAD layouts.

• We purchased the SUSS MicroTec SCIL imprint module for our MA6 mask aligner that had been under evaluation with the vendor, Suss MicroTec. The system allows automated separation of imprint mask from wafer after a UV cure step.

Figure 45: JEOL JBX 9500 FSZ

Figure 46: AJA Orion 8 Sputtering System

Figure 47: two of the three custom electroplating stations fabricated by reynoldsTech


• We have acquired with significant support from local faculty an advanced Oxford ICP (Cobra) etcher that will focus on nanophotonics and magnetic materials. The new system will add HBr and Methanol plasma etch to the broad array of plasma chemistries available in the lab. (fig. 48)

• Lastly, CNF has installed an Object 3 d printer (Fig 49). While not a nanofabrication tool itself, it fills an important milli-fabrication niche in the fabrication spectrum, for example, for the fabrication of adapters and mounting jigs for microfluidic devices.

• In addition, we are in the process of installing an Anatech plasma stripper, an Arradiance ALD which will coat powdered materials, and an AJA ion mill. The Anatech and the AJA will replace existing tools which are well over 20 years old.

6.2.6 Site Usage and Promotion Activities CNF updated its set of eight professionally designed color brochures covering each of the primary technical areas. These brochures are widely distributed as a marketing tool to potential users both in NYS and around the country. We also distribute a professionally produced tri-fold brochure as a “light” alternative for wide mailings and trade show distribution and completed an updated version. CNF staff manned the Promotional Booths at AVS, Fall and Spring MRS, and EIPBN.

CNF annually published its annual CNF Research Accomplishments consisting of research reports from many of its users (Fig.50). This more than 250 page publication includes one hundred and twenty five reports, over 500 references to publications, patent and conference presentations of our users and is available on the CNF web site at http://www.cnf.cornell.edu/cnf_2013ra.html.

“The Nanometer”, the CNF glossy newsletter was also published and distributed to 1400 users, former users, corporate supporters, and visitors. (Fig. 51). Recent issues of the NanoMeter are available at http://www.cnf.cornell.edu/cnf5_nanometer.html

The visibility of CNF is enhanced by Cornell’s use of Duffield Hall as a venue for campus events. Numerous visits by company executives and government leaders to campus have been accompanied by visit and tour requests. In 2012 alone, CNF hosted over 1500 visitors in 20 corporate visits and over 175 academic, educational and government visits and events. This is over and above our users and external outreach activities that engaged an additional 1200 participants.

Figure 50; CNF Research Accomplishments Book

Figure 51: CNF Nanometer Newsletter

Figure 48: Oxford COBRA ICP etcher for HBr and Methanol etching

Figure 49: Object 3D printer

http://www.cnf.cornell.edu/cnf_2013ra.html

http://www.cnf.cornell.edu/cnf5_nanometer.html


6.2.7 Commercialization Activities CNF has worked with staff at the Smart Technology and Commercialization Center (STC) in Canandaigua, NY and issued a press release announcing our tool mapping document completed with the cooperation of engineering and business development people there. STC specialized in ramping MEMS products to pilot production levels. CNF and now other NNIN sites can become part of the pipeline process for scale up of products from small companies.

6.2.8 Education Contributions CNF supports a broad range of educational activities, primarily at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels.

Research Experience for Undergraduates: Research Experience for Undergraduates: CNF plays a leadership role and participates actively in the NNIN REU program. In summer 2013, CNF hosted ten students including five women (Fig 52) CNF staff provide most of the administrative support for the entire network REU program including advertising, processing of over 1000 applications, initial interaction with participants, and preparation and printing of the REU research accomplishments for the 14 sites. CNF also underwrites the laboratory charges for all the cleanroom and tool charges incurred by the Cornell faculty-hosted REU participants.

Nanooze: As part of its national educational outreach CNF has committed to producing and distributing Nanooze, a children’s science magazine relating to physical sciences and particularly nanotechnology. (Fig. 53)Nanooze (http://www.nanooze.org/) is a both web-based and printed magazine, with kid-friendly text, topics, and navigation.

Nanooze is predominantly the work of Prof. Carl Batt with support from CNF. Nanooze is available in English, Spanish and Portuguese. This year a new issue (our eleventh) was printed and distributed highlighting the sizes and shapes of molecules and Nanotech applications. The issues also features Q&A with nanotechnologist Seth Darling from Argonne National Lab. Circulation has grown to 100,000 copies per issue as requests from classroom teachers continue to grow. CNF employs an undergraduate who works every week to keep up with the requests for classroom kits.

TCN – Technology and Characterization at the Nanoscale: TCN is CNF's introductory course to Nanotechnology. The course is open to the public and aims to educate students, industrial personnel, technology managers and entrepreneurs with an interest in Nanotechnology. (Fig 54). CNF offered the TCN in June 2013, during the recess period, so that interested students from universities and industry can easily participate. Combined, about thirty students and scientists participate in the two courses offered per year, representing Biomedical Engineering, Optics, Physics and Applied Physics, Material Science, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Health and

Figure 52: 2013 CNF REU Participants in the Clean Room

Figure 53: Recent issue of Nanooze

Figure 54: TCN Short Course at CNF

http://www.nanooze.org/


Safety, and Electrical Engineering. On average, about one third of the participants are Cornell graduate students, one third are graduate students from universities other than Cornell, and one third are undergraduate students, teachers, and industrial participants. The content of the TCN is designed to encompass a wide range of nanotechnology techniques relevant to current research in the field. While traditional topics in nanotechnology - thin films, lithography, pattern transfer (etching), process integration, and characterization - provide the basic structure of the course, we include emerging technologies and new approaches in nanotechnology. Nano-imprint lithography, bottom-up nanofabrication, carbon nanotubes, soft lithography, and surface preparation for biology applications are among the topics addressed. The printed notes for the TCN course have been developed over 19 years and are updated before each course and are a highly valued resource. The course includes lectures and laboratory demonstrations as well as hands-on photolithography sessions. The TCN course will next be offered in January 2013.

Clarkson Workshop: CNF hosted a hands on workshop for 10 graduate students from Clarkson University in April 2013. Prof. Cetin Cetinkaya at Clarkson conducts a one semester Nanotechnology course that prepares students for the CNF lab experience.

Microfluidics and Surface Modification Mini-Courses: A hands on lab course in microfluidics was offered twice in 2013 as a joint effort between the CNF and the Nanobiotechnology Center (NBTC). The 3-day course covered the fabrication, assembly and uses of microfluidic devices. It was taught by Beth Rhoades, the Life Sciences Liaison of the CNF, and two staff members from the NBTC. CNF acquisition of a CorSolutions microfluidic probe station has now been incorporated into the course. A second mini-course was also offered for surface modification for biotechnology.

NNIN Plasma Etch Workshop: In May 2013 CNF hosted a two day intra NNIN workshop in which 25 etch engineers from the network gave overview talks and shared their results on plasma etch hardware and processes.

Plasma Etch and ALD Workshop: In collaboration with Oxford Instruments, CNF staff hosted and helped conduct a tutorial and workshop provided advanced training for CNF staff and users in the area of plasma processing. Many users took the opportunity to “ask the experts” about specific issues they are seeing in their work, The one-day workshop drew 60 participants from industry, academia, and staff .

Gas Abatement Technology Workshop: CNF hosted an advanced training workshop led by Ebara Vacuum on principles of gas abatement technology that was attended by 16 CNF and local EH&S staff.

BEAMER Beginner and Advanced Training Workshops: In September 2103, CNF hosted software developers and application engineers from GenISys to present the various user based lectures and complete with hands on workstation exercises. Both users and staff attended and were able to bring their own CAD work and specific problems in for real time examples and discussions with the experts.

Junior FIRST LEGO® League: The CNF sponsored a Junior FIRST LEGO League (Jr.FLL) Expo for 119 kids ages 6 - 9 from 21 teams (Fig.55). The teams came in from a wide area covering Rochester to Ithaca, NY. The theme of this year's expo was Super Senior Simple Machines, a challenge to have the teams improve the life of senior by employing simple machines to surmount obstacles that some seniors face. Beginning in the fall, the teams had to take a "hands on" approach to the topic of helping seniors

Figure 55: FIRST Lego League Event


to get around, keep in touch, and stay active and fit. Teams learned about simple machines as they built a model made of LEGO® elements with a motorized moving part, and created a team Show-Me Poster to represent their findings. Teams from around the area presented their LEGO model and poster and received an award for their work. Staff from CNF organized the event and served as project reviewers. This event was also partially underwritten by a grant from the Shell Oil Company.

CNF Annual Meeting: In September 2013, CNF hosted a one day symposium that featured talks from both internal and external users, a poster session with 60 posters, a vendor show with 26 vendor/ sponsors, and vendor sponsored prizes for best student talks and posters, and the Nellie Whetten Award for Outstanding Women Researcher.

Ithaca Loves Teachers: For the 2nd year, Joyce Palmer Allen and Nancy Healy of Georgia Tech came to Ithaca to present a workshop for teachers on integration of nanotechnology activities into existing curriculum. This was conducted as part of the Ithaca Loves Teachers event. Activities for families were offered in addition to the teachers workshop.

Nanodays: CNF staff participated in Nanodays 2013, held at the Ithaca Sciencenter, with demonstrations of various nanoscale activities. Nanodays is sponsored by NISENet.

6.2.9 Computation Contributions (CNF/C) During 2013, the computational effort at the Cornell Nanoscale Facility continued to help foster nanoscale research and education through direct consultation and access to a wide array of simulation tools on the CNF cluster.

Publications 2013: Work on the CNF cluster resulted in 10 research articles in 2013, bringing the total number of publications to 94 since the cluster came online in February 2005. The full collection of papers according to Thomas-Reuters has been cited 1756 times (avg. 18.68 citations/paper) and has an h-index of 21. The 2013 papers include articles published in Physical Review Letters, Nano Letters, and Advanced Materials. Recent research topics include work characterizing phonon-surface scattering at the nanoscale using a microscale phonon spectrometer and Monte Carlo simulations, CdSe nanosheets, lithium nitride compounds, and first principles thermal transport in thermoelectrics.

CNF Simulation User Statistics for 2013: The NNIN/C counting metric takes into account both cluster users and consultation with users on projects (code distribution, simulation expertise, collaboration, etc). In 2013, the CNF had a total of 49 users with 19 Cornell users and 30 external users. This count does not include approximately1500 researchers who accessed the Virtual Vault (see below for full statistics for this site). The outside users for 2013 included researchers from Tuskegee University, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, SUNY Albany, University of Texas at Austin, University of Kansas, and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Virtual Vault for Pseudopotentials: The CNF hosts the Virtual Vault for Pseudopotentials for the NNIN/C. The NNIN database provides the international scientific community with access to pseudopotentials used in a wide range of electronic structure codes (see http://www.nnin.org/nnin_comp_psp_vault.html). The clearinghouse contains a PHP-SQL database of over 1000 pseudopotential and PAW files from density functional codes including Quantum Espresso, Siesta, Abinit, and Qbox. This database provides the first centralized resource for pseudopotentials that spans multiple electronic codes and numerous websites in the electronic structure community now provides links to the Vault as a valuable resource.

http://www.nnin.org/nnin_comp_psp_vault.html


Google Analytics is used to track usage and the impact of the Virtual Vault database. For 2013, there were 2333 visits to the Virtual Vault with the average visitor spending more than two minutes perusing the site. Robust webpages should show both a high rate of returning users who value the content as well as an expanding user base. The Virtual Vault shows a healthy mix with 60% of the visits coming from new visitors and 40% from returning users accessing additional pseudopotential resources. Visitors have come from 36 states in the U.S. and from 71 different countries. Top ten countries in order of access are United States, China, Japan, India, Italy, Singapore, Brazil, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

Software Distribution:

Cluster Simulation Options: Three new software packages were added to the CNF computational resources available for users in 2013. In addition, several simulation codes were updated to their most recent version. Currently, CNF users have access to over 38 different computational packages for topics including nanophotonics, fluidics, molecular dynamics, and electronic transport in nanostructures. The CNF computational branch continues to provide the only public access point for the UT Quant code which is used to calculate C-V characteristics for MOS structures.

New software added in 2013

SKEAF – This program extracts the de Haas-van Alphen frequencies and effective masses from bands calculated using density functional theory. This code is useful in comparing with experimentally measured de Haas-van Alphen frequencies and resolving the Fermi surface structure of complex materials.

Boltztrap – Using electronic structure information from density functional calculations, this code determines the semi-classical transport coefficients such as Seebeck coefficient, Hall coefficient, electrical conductivity, etc. This code is useful in estimating the figure of merit (ZT) of candidate thermoelectric materials.

Inelastica – First principles electronic transport approach that takes into account inelastic scattering in molecular junctions and nanostructures.

Software updated to Newer Versions: VASP, DL-Poly, Quantum Espresso, Siesta, ELK, QuantumWise ATK/VNL, LAMMPS, LM Suite

Figure 56:,Global Distribution of Visitors to the NNIN Virtual Vault for Pseudopotentials


6.2.10 Social and Ethical Issues in Nanotechnology Social and Ethical Issues (SEI) activities form an integral part of NNIN training at its 14 sites where we aim to develop social and ethical consciousness both within user community and the broader nanotechnology community.

• SEI Orientation at CNF: CNF continues to conduct a weekly 45-minute face-to-face SEI Orientation for all new lab users. The SEI orientation consists of an interactive power point adapted from previous SEI trainers and lively discussions with new user groups. The discussion leaders are two Phd. candidates, Gina Eosco and Meghnaa Tallapragada working with Prof. Katherine McComas in the Cornell Communications Dept. The orientation covers various topics, including: nanotechnology products already in the public; various ethical concepts and issues that arise in and out of the laboratory; a historical look at past technologies, their benefits and risks, and similarities and differences with nanotechnology; and, survey data on the public’s opinion about nanotechnology. The entire orientation weaves in questions regarding responsibility and who takes action on societal and ethical issues. The training ends with showing users the “Responsible Research in Action” posters developed by Dr. McComas and previous CNF REU intern, Chloe Lake.

• REU Activity: The NNIN REU program commenced in June with these new young scholars partaking in the SEI orientation. As a follow-up, Meghnaa Tallapragada and Gina Eosco hosted an additional group discussion with the REUers at CNF in early August. For this activity, they broke into groups of 3-4 to discuss the societal or ethical implications of their REU research. As a large group, they then discussed their findings and discussed how societal and ethical issues may contribute both positively or negatively to their careers in the future. It was a fun and productive discussion with the students walking away with a deeper understanding of SEI.

• The CNF SEI team rolled out a video version of their power point presentation in 2013. On the occasions where the SEI trainers cannot make an orientation, CNF will always have coverage through our newly developed SEI video orientation. The 30 minute video is available to all sites and the public on the NNIN SEI web site.

We want to acknowledge the outstanding creativity and service performed by Professor Katherine McComas as SEI coordinator for NNIN. She led a major effort to bring SEI awareness to the network and created materials that communicated the themes and encouraged discussions and training among the users and staff at all 14 NNIN sites. We wish her well in her new role as Associate Chair within the department of communications at Cornell. Prof. Jamie Wetmore at Arizona State University will assume the role of NNIN SEI coordinator.

6.2.11 Staffing CNF has a staff of 29 technical and administrative professionals, all dedicated to CNF/NNIN user functions. All staff members are supported entirely by CNF core funding and user facility funds. We were fortunate to hire Daniel McCollister on a temporary basis to stand in after the departure of one of our experienced engineers. (photo on right). Dan is assisting with Suss Gamma, photolithography, and SCIL nanoimprint work. And Mandy Esch one of our biology experts who coordinates our TCN course became a US citizen this year!

Figure 57: a) Mandy Esch, b) Dan McCollister


6.2.12 Selected Cornell Site Statistics a)Historical Annual Users

b) Lab Hours by Institution Type c) User Distribution by Institution Type

d) Average Hours per User e)New Users

Figure 58: Selected CNF Site Statistics

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6.2.13 Cornell User Institutions Outside US Academic Small Companies Large Companies

Case Western Avogy Inc. ASML Clarkson University BinOptics Corp Google, Inc. Columbia University Bluestone Global Tech. Ltd.

Dartmouth College Calient Optical Components State/Federal Harvard University Crystal IS, Inc. Brookhaven National Laboratory Howard University Custom Nanotech, LLC Lawrence Berkeley Nat. Lab. Lehigh University CyOptics Inc.

MIT Daniel P. Kowalik Mount Holyoke College Deltronic Crystal Ind.Inc. New Jersey Institute of Tech. Environetix Technologies Corp. International

New York University Ferric Semiconductor Ecole des Mines de Saint Etienne North Carolina State Univ. Illuminaria, LLC Max-Planck-Institute Northeastern University Johanson Manufacturing Corp. National University of Singapore Princeton University Kionix, Inc. Peking University Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Lumiode, Inc. Politecnico di Milano Rochester Institute of Tech. Mitegen LLC Excelitas Rockefeller University Monolith Semiconductor

Stanford University NanoMason, Inc. SUNY Albany nBn Technologies SUNY Binghamton Optofluidics, Inc. SUNY Buffalo Ortho Clinical Diagnostics SUNY Stony Brook Orthogonal Inc. Syracuse University Pacific Biosciences Tuskegee University PC Mirage LLC Univ. California Berkeley Phoebus Optoelectronics, LLC University of Arkansas Plasmonics, Inc. University of Connecticut Resource Management Tech. Sys.

University of Illinois RTS Inc University of Illinois @ Chicago Suss MicroTec University of Mass., Amherst Tornado Medical Systems US, INC University of Nebraska Lincoln Transonic Systems University of Pennsylvania Wavefront Research, Inc. University of Rochester Widetronix Semiconductor Inc University of Washington Advanced Diamond Tech. University of Wisconsin

Univ.of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Vanderbilt University

Western New England University Yale University


6.3 Georgia Tech Site Report 6.3.1 Research Highlights Research output during NNIN Year 10 resulted from the efforts of nearly 150 Georgia Tech research groups as well as external user projects from more than 100 academic, industry, and government institutions.

The Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology (IEN) held its first annual IEN USER (User Science and Engineering Review) Day on May 16, 2013. This program highlighted the technical, academic, and cultural diversity of IEN cleanroom and lab users with more than 100 in attendance. They represented a wide array of academic disciplines including MEMS, electronics, materials, optics and photonics, chemistry, physics, life sciences, and medicine. Participants included faculty and students from Georgia Tech and 7 other academic institutions. Other participants included industry and government partners, as well as prospective cleanroom users, lab users, and partners. Research highlights from the oral/poster presentations include:

“Development of a Conformable Microelectrode Array (cMEA)”, Ricardo Aguilar, Chandana Karnati, Swaminathan Rajaraman (Axion Biosystems, Inc.) and Gareth Guvanasen, Richard Nichols, Stephen DeWeerth (Georgia Tech)

A conformable microelectrode array has been developed for use in implantable applications. Conductive PDMS is utilized to fabricate the device, and it is prepared by mixing traditional PDMS with silver flakes. Microneedles for penetration during implant are laser micromachined out of a 100 µm thick stainless steel sheet. The device is designed and fabricated through the use of an etched silicon wafer micromold in which the conductive PDMS, microneedles, and PDMS are cast and cured. The device is then packaged by laminating a Kapton flex connector to the conductive PDMS, microneedles, and PDMS piece. The functionality of the cMEA is observed by conducting an implantation on a cat model and recording successful EMG activity. Prior to the implantation, an average impedance of ~3.9 kΩ at 1kHz was measured on the device.

“Transparent Triboelectric Nanogenerator and Self-powered Pressure Sensor Based on Micro-Patterned Plastic Film”, Fengru Fan, Long Lin, Guang Zhu, Wenzhuo Wu, Rui Zhang, Zhong Lin Wang (Georgia Tech)

In this work, based on the principle of the triboelectric effect and contact electrification, a novel high-output, flexible and transparent nanogenerator is demonstrated by using transparent polymer materials. The power generation of the micro-structured device far surpassed that exhibited by the unstructured films, and gave an output voltage of up to 18 V at a current density of ~0.13 mA/cm2. Furthermore, the as-prepared nanogenerator can be applied as a self-powered pressure sensor for sensing a water droplet and a falling feather.

Figure 59: Conformable microelectrode array

Figure 60: SEM images and photograph of micro-patterned PDMS


“RF Pressure Sensors Made of Completely Biodegradable Materials”, Mengdi Luo, Chao Song, Florian Herrault, Mark G. Allen (Georgia Tech)

The purpose of this work is developing a fabrication process to build a RF pressure sensor made of completely biodegradable materials. Such biodegradable implants may be appropriate for short-term, acute medical applications as they potentially eliminate the need for implant extraction when sensing is no longer required. To avoid contact of the biodegradable materials with the strong chemicals or solvents that are typically used in conventional MEMS fabrication, embossing the electroplated zinc conductors into biodegradable polymer poly-L-lactide (PLLA), multilayer folding, and lamination were combined with traditional techniques (photolithography and electroplating) during fabrication.

“High-throughput Individual Platelet Contraction Measurements”, David Myers & Wilbur Lam, (Emory University and Georgia Tech)

By measuring the force exerted by individual platelets, it is possible to better understand unhealthy clotting which can lead to stroke or myocardial infarction. Using the IEN cleanroom facility, silicon wafers are patterned with an array of 1µm holes. These molds selectively remove proteins from a PDMS surface, leaving small protein patches in which platelets may adhere and contract. The protein patches are transferred onto a polyacrylamide hydrogel with known mechanical properties. The deflection of the protein patch from it’s initial location directly correlates with the force applied by the platelet.

“Novel Electrical and Fluidic Microbumps for 2.5D and 3D ICs”, Li Zheng and Muhannad S. Bakir (Georgia Tech)

The purpose of the novel electrical and fluidic microbumps is to enable low-power high-bandwidth signaling, microfluidic cooling and power delivery for 2.5D (silicon interposer based) and 3D ICs. Silicon chips with the electrical microbumps (25 μm diameter, 50 μm pitch), the annular-shaped fluidic microbumps (150 μm inner diameter, 210 μm outer diameter), and a back-side micropin-fin heat sink were fabricated. Following fabrication, the silicon chips were flip-chip bonded to a silicon interposer and tested. The average measured resistance of a single electrical microbump was 13.50 mΩ. The bonded fluidic microbumps have been successfully tested up to 100 kPa during a 4-hour testing without any leakage.

In 2013, the IEN also instituted a new Seed Grant program. The Seed Grant’s primary purpose is to give new graduate students working on original and un-funded research in micro- and nano-scale projects the opportunity to access IEN facilities and consult with the research staff of the IEN Advanced Technology Team. This program will also allow faculty with novel research topics the ability to develop preliminary data in order to pursue follow-up funding sources. In the first round of competition, 4 projects were selected from 15 submissions. The students, from various Georgia Tech schools, were awarded 6-months no-cost blocks of IEN cleanroom and lab access time. In keeping with the interdisciplinary mission of IEN, the projects that will be enabled by the grants include micro- and nano-scale sensing research, biomedical research, optoelectronic research, and packaging applications research.

Figure 61: An RF pressure sensor made of completely biodegradable materials

Figure 62: Platelet (red) landing and contracting at 0, 6, 14, and 20 min. Fibrinogen dots (green) have been pulled inwards by the platelet.

Figure 63: Electrical and fluidic microbumps, fluidic vias and fine wires


6.3.2 Growth of the Georgia Tech Facilities, Equipment and Capabilities Expansion of the IEN’s Marcus Nanotechnology Building (MNB) continued this year with major milestones reached in the $12.7M build-out of research and shared user laboratory space. These milestones include varying stages of constuction, including user programming, design, and construction, each in accordance with the funded plan’s proposed execution strategy and timeline.

The project’s achieved milestones include:

1. Construction completion and occupancy of two BSL-2 laboratory bays in the organic cleanroom area for dedicated use as the Translational Microneedle Technology Laboratory to be used for pre-clinical trials of vaccine delivery.

2. Construction completion for Floors 3 and 4 of the non-cleanroom research wing of the MNB. These floors have been dedicated to research activities of micro/nanotechnology-enabled physical devices/systems and for micro/nanotechnology-enabled bio-devices/systems. Occupancy of these spaces will begin in January 2014. Once occupied, this space will expand and consolidate MEMS and bio-related activities and provide laboratory space for faculty who are heavy users of the MNB cleanroom facility. In addition, this area will provide office space for visiting external users.

3. Construction of the laboratory technical staff support office area.

4. Programming of the research wing Floor 2 as a nanomaterials research laboratory complementing the new 3rd and 4th floor device labs.

5. Completion of design and initiation of construction for the new microscopy and imaging facility in the specially-designed, heavily shielded, and seismically-isolated MNB basement. This lab will consolidate the existing electron microscopy tools in one location while allowing the installation of TEM and unique EM and ion fabrication tools in conjunction with industrial partnerships. This facility will be part of the overall NNIN user-accessible toolset in the MNB.

Tool installation in the Marcus Nanotechnology Building’s inorganic cleanroom is essentially complete with less than five percent outstanding, however retaining significant shelled out space (13,000 sq. ft) for future acquisitions. During the past year, the IEN’s materials growth and characterization areas have installed and upgraded a number of new characterization and fabrication tools. Both a new Hitachi 7700 120kV TEM and a Thermo Scientific Nicolet iS50 FTIR with ATR were installed in the MNB organic cleanroom. New CVD growth systems (carbon nanotubes (CNT), graphene, & molybdenum disulfide) have been installed to accommodate the rapid growth in single-atom thick materials. The Surrey Nanotech CNT & graphene system provides new fabrication opportunities to explore low temperature CNT variation and to try a wide variety of graphene growth that is not epitaxial. Both the CNT/graphene and the MoS2 growth system (which is a retrofit of a CVD FirstNano tool that was done entirely in-house) were installed in the MNB inorganic cleanroom. These systems enhance the IEN’s existing carbon-based growth capabilities and allow expansion into fabricating cutting-edge, single atomic layer materials via CVD.

The metallization area was improved by upgrading and reconfiguring a Denton Infinity metal evaporator for simultaneous RF sputtering; this was done entirely in-house and included new control systems. The upgrades were necessitated by the difficulty of continuing to support legacy manual control systems with obsolete parts and extremely outdated software. Additional laminar flow fume hoods have also been installed in both the MNB organic and inorganic cleanrooms which allow more users to process samples concurrently.

The IEN expansion has included absorbing Georgia Tech’s Packaging Research Center (PRC), which


creates synergies for expanding production development from device to fully integrated prototype and possible pilot production. The PRC houses a suite of assembly, inspection/characterization, flip-chip bonders and reliability tools and the ability to process 300-mm substrates.

6.3.3 Diversity Activities Activities to increase the participation of minorities, women, and faculty at minority-serving institutions continued during the past year. The Education and Outreach office employed a female/minority post-doc, assisting with education and outreach events.

A new endeavor for our outreach activitites has been a collaborative effort with the Southeast Consortium for Minorities in Enginerring (SECME). SECME links K-12 students, engineering universities, school systems, and corporate/government investors to increase the pool of historically under-represented groups in STEM. We presented a workshop at their national institute and are continuing to support their efforts with the Alabama Black Belt. We also supported Moorehouse College’s Upward Bound program by providing activities for participants.

External users were actively sought from regional academic institutions, such as the Atlanta University Center Consortium (AUC Consortium), which is composed of four historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in southwest Atlanta. These institutions comprise the greatest number of African-Americans in higher education in the United States. Georgia Tech external users have come from all of the institutions included in this consortium, which are Clark Atlanta University, Spelman College, Morehouse College and the Morehouse School of Medicine.

6.3.4 Special Focus/Leadership: Education: The NNIN’s Education and Outreach Office is housed at Georgia Tech. The staff consist of the NNIN education coordinator who oversees network, national and local efforts, a full-time assistant education coordinator whose primary focus is GT initiatives, a full-time education assistant, and half time post-doctoral fellow who finished with the program in June 2013.

Georgia Tech’s education program is a very active outreach program with 57 events directly reaching nearly 6,700 individuals during 2013. Our focus encompasses a variety of K-12 student programs, including on and off-site school programs; teacher professional development workshops; and presentations at local and regional science teacher meetings. We continue to work with the Georgia Department of Education by serving on its STEM Advisory Panel. We also received statewide recognition by being named a finalist for the Technincal Association of Georgia’s Post-Secondary Outreach Program.

Georgia Tech is the lead on an NSF-awarded RET program which received its third award in Spring 2012. This NNIN RET program includes Arizona State University, University of Minneosta and UCSB. During summer 2013, six participants (community college faculty and secondary science teachers) undertook research during their seven-week experience at Georgia Tech and have designed classroom instructional units for use in secondary and post-secondary classes. These materials will be presented at the NNIN RET Nanotechnology in the Classroom workshop (February 28-March 1, 2014) at ASU. These lessons will be posted on the IEN and NNIN websites.

Each spring the Nanoscale Informal Science Educaton Network (NISENet) sponsors NanoDays, a two-week period when museusm, science centers, and universities are encouraged to host a public event on nanotechnology. GT does its event in collaboration with the Fernbank Science Center of DeKalb County Schools. We have co-sponsored this event for the past four years and this also led us to support Fernbank’s Chemistry Day on nanotechnology. In turn, we have trained Fernbank staff to use NNIN education materials in DeKalb County’s middle schools. We established a new relationship with the Tellus Science Museum, which is a world-class, 120,000 square foot museum located in Cartersville, GA. In November we participated in the museum’s Family Science Night Sand Fest by bringing demonstrations


and our Hitachi TM3000 tabletop SEM.

Georgia Tech supported six REU interns during summer 2013. As part of our program, the students had field trips to the CDC, Coca-Cola World Headquarters, and a pharmaceutical manufacturer to see the applications of science and engineering. One of our 2012 interns participated in the NNIN International REU in Japan during summer 2013.

In October 2008 GT joined MCREL and Stanford’s NNIN site on a new NSF-funded (DRK-12) project titled NanoTeach. This 5-year, professional development program is designed to develop a combination of face-to-face and online professional development experiences for high school science teachers. During the final year of the project, Georgia Tech evaluated pre and post-survey answers and provided content support for the instructional model. We had McREL staff present a two-day workshop on the model to our RETs in June.

We offer professional workshops and have developed a program titled NanoFANS Forum (Focusing on Advanced NanoBio Systems). The goal of this forum is to connect the medical/life sciences/biology and nanotechnology communities. NanoFans seeks to reach out to researchers in the biomedical/life sciences areas to inform them about what nanotechnology can offer them in the advancement of their research. During 2013 the series offered one event: “Nano Immuno Engineering” (October 18, 2013). Approximately 100 attendees from both Georgia Tech and external institutions participated in the event.

Nano@Tech is a joint IEN-NNIN seminar series, which was initiated in 2006 by the E&O office. It has since received support from the institute for refreshments. The featured speakers for the twice-a-month seminars come from all of the disciplines involved in nanotechnology research (including the social sciences), and the seminars represent an excellent opportunity for cross-pollination and collaboration forming. Attendees include faculty, graduate students, post docs, and undergraduates from Georgia Tech and other local campuses, and professionals from the corresponding scientific community. Nano@Tech members (more than 500 on the mailing list) have also supported the NNIN Education and Outreach Office at Georgia Tech by providing volunteers for K-12 outreach activities. During 2013, 17 seminars were presented by faculty and students representing 7 different Georgia Tech units in engineering and science, as well as 4 external academic and industry organizations. In particular, a seminar and workshop highlighting the educational and research resources at nanoHUB.org (Purdue University) were held as part of Open Access Week in collaboration with the GT Library. Most of these seminars have been captured on video and archived on the SMARTech website (http://smartech.gatech.edu/handle/1853/14205) where they have been viewed or downloaded hundreds of times.

6.3.5 Special Focus/Leadership: Bio and Life Sciences: Outreach: Georgia Tech biomedical engineering domain experts attended, exhibited, and/or presented at life science focused events in 2013 including the Southeast Medical Devices Association (SEMDA) Conference, the American Physical Society Annual Meeting, the Georgia Life Sciences Summit , IEEE Sensors, and the Southeastern Regional Meeting of the ACS (SERMACS). In particular, a session at the Georgia Life Sciences Summit titled “MEMS Applications in Life Sciences” featured IEN external user companies and an IEN-NNIN domain expert.

Users: Georgia Tech internal and external users perform research in areas as diverse as medical devices and diagnostics, drug delivery and therapeutics, biomaterials and surface modification, biosensors, and biometrology. A proposal titled, “Bio-fluid Sampling Device Fabrication,” was submitted to UHL II LLC as a collaboration between an IEN domain expert and a Georgia Tech ECE faculty member and was funded. In addition, Georgia Tech supports biomedical nanofabrication and characterization research of five NIH-supported centers in drug delivery, cardiovascular nanomedicine, nucleoprotein machines, pediatric nanomedicine, and neuroengineering. New users in life sciences and medicine for

http://smartech.gatech.edu/handle/1853/14205


2013 included Emory Medical School, Albany State University, UCLA, Clearside Biomedical, Clopay Plastics Product Company, Immucor, and Solvay Specialty Polymers.

Facilities: The Marcus Nanotechnology Building has one-third of its cleanroom space (5,000 sq. ft.) designated as an organic (bio) cleanroom. The 8 research bays comprise 6 BSL-1 and 2 BSL-2 areas designed for research at the interface between life sciences and nanotechnology immediately adjacent to traditional inorganic cleanroom space, and these areas are physically connected to allow for research samples to be transferred between them. Even though less than 10% of IEN tools are contained in the organic cleanroom, more than half of all users take advantage of this facility.

---End of Georgia Tech text report


6.3.6 Georgia Tech Selected Site Statistics a)Historical Annual Users



Figure 64: Georgia Tech Selected Site Statistics

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6.3.7 Georgia Tech Institutions Site Name: Georgia Institute of Technology Active User Institutions March 1, 2013-Dec 31,2013

Outside US Academic Small Companies Large Companies Albany State Univ. Axion Biosystems Cibavision Auburn Univ. CardioMEMS Expatial Performance Alloys Clark Atlanta Univ. Class One Equipment Immucor Clemson University Clearside Biomedical Kemira, Inc Covenant College Clopay Plastics Kimberly Clark Emory University CNT TIMs Solvay Advanced Polymers Georgia Southern Univ. CorMatrix Cardiovascular Suniva Inc Georgia State Univ. Cybernetic Industrial Corp. Web Industries Kennesaw State Univ. EnGeniusMicro MIT Enumeral Biomedical Morehouse College Eotron North Carolina State University FAI Materials Testing Laboratory State/Federal Rice University Harper Labs NASA-JPL Southern Polytechnic State Univ. H2scan Univ. of South Carolina ICON Interventional Systems University of Alabama Integrated Device Technology International University of Central Florida Johnson Battery Technologies CNRS/LNCMI (France) UCLA L-3 Communications Univ. of Delaware Lumense Univ. of Florida Medshape Univ. of Kentucky Modern Microsystems Univ. of Miami Nextinput Univ. of Michigan Novelis Global Research Univ. of North Carolina at Charlotte Phase Sensitive Innovations Univ. of Rochester Ross Controls Univ. of Texas-Dallas Sila Nanotechnologies Univ. of Virginia Sinoora


6.4 Harvard University Site Report 6.4.1 Facility Overview Year 10 (2013-2014) was another year of continuing growth in users and capabilities for the Harvard University site operated by Harvard’s Center for Nanoscale Systems (CNS). Highlights include a record number of users overall, record number of industrial users, and our all-time highest percentage of external users. Popular research themes included photonics, microfluidic diagnostics, engineered (often superhydrophobic) surfaces, energy storage and conversion, and graphene and diamond physics and devices. During this review period several new instruments including a new i-line stepper, RIE system for diamond, and optical profilometer were added to our laboratories, and two new technical specialists joined the staff. As in past years the Harvard node provided a rich calendar of learning opportunities for its large population of experimentalists, and over 50 seminars or other events were held at the Harvard site.

6.4.2 Research Highlights Harvard-node-based startup MC10 was the subject of considerable reporting this period including being listed as one of Time magazine’s “10 Big Ideas: Wear Your Doctor” for their work on a flexible electronics platform, and their release of the “Checklight” concussion-detection product.

In the area of engineered surfaces, a group of CNS users were awarded a R&D Magazine 100 award for a patterned-surface chemical identification technology called “WINK”, a device that can instantly identify unknown liquids based on their surface tension. The “Watermark Ink” (W-INK) device offers a cheap, fast, and portable way to perform quality control tests and detect liquid contaminants.

The W-INK concept relies on a precisely fabricated material called an inverse opal, a layered glass structure with an internal network of ordered, interconnected air pores.

Figure 66(A) In this W-INK prototype, the chip appears blank in the air. When dipped in varying concentrations of ethanol, however, it reveals new markings. (B) Because all liquids exhibit a surface tension, this indicator has the potential to be used to differentiate between liquids of any type.

Figure 65: Product released by MC10 with technology developed at Harvard CNS node.


6.4.3 Equipment Highlights During this review period several new instruments were added to the CNS portfolio, including the following:

i-line Stepper: CNS’ lithography capabilities was expanded in summer 2013 with the arrival of a new GCA AS200 i-line optical stepper. This system complements the numerous direct write and contact optical exposure systems and the four e-beam lithography systems, and provides high throughput for samples 10 mm to 6” with resolution~ 0.5 um.

Work function module for XPS: Our Thermo Scientific K-Alpha XPS system was augmented this year with the addition of a work function module. The work function is measured by extrapolation of the low kinetic energy spectrum cut-off, but this can be convoluted with the cut-off of the spectrometer. To separate the sample cut-off from the spectrometer cut-off, a negative bias voltage needs to be applied to offset the spectrum to higher kinetic energy (which will shift the sample's Fermi level). Sample surface needs to be conductive in order to get a good biasing.

Spectrum One FT-IR System: A Bruker Lumos FTIR microscope was added to the optical spectroscopy and imaging portfolio. The system has an integrated polarized optical microscope and FTIR mapping capabilities, so chemical maps can be overlaid on optical image of samples. Several users have also used the system for characterizing the optical properties of meta-materials.

AM-FM module for AFM systems: CNS currently runs four AFM platforms with numerous experimental modes, and this year we added AM-FM capability for nano-mechanical property measurement through the purchase of a module for our Asylum AFMs.

Proximity correction software for e-beam lithography: CNS currently operates four e-beam lithography systems including two with >= 100 keV beams. In order to provide higher fidelity patterning we have acquired the GenISys BEAMER / LAB software package to compensate for proximity-produced image blurring. This proximity effect correction software supports dense and fine feature eBL writing which is required particularly for photonics and optoelectronics device fabrication.

Hydrophilic Treatment System: Gas plasma technology is commonly used to precision clean and activate, decontaminate surfaces, promote adhesion of functional bio-molecules and in conjunction with specific chemical vapors sterilize the surface. The JEOL HDT-400 hydrophilic treatment device prepares

Figure 67: i-line stepper in CNS cleanroom

Figure 68; Chemical bond information for ink on paper superposed on visual image via new FTIR system.

Figure 69: Taylor Hobson CCI HD Optical Profilometer.


a surface, microscope slide or TEM grid for receiving biological sections or polar materials. It is especially useful for preparing glass surfaces for the adhesion of biological materials for many different applications.

Taylor Hobson Optical Profilometer: Model CCI HD system acquired for high resolution optical profilometry and thin film thickness measurement.

Reactive Ion Etch system for Diamond: Harvard is one of the world’s most active clusters for study of diamond, and in response to increased demand for dry diamond etching CNS has acquired a new Plasma-Therm Versaline RIE system which will be dedicated to this purpose.

Other equipment investments this period: Replacement Thinky ARE-250 mixer for PDMS, updated critical point dryer for imaging sample preparation; plate reader for cell culture facility, new work station for analysis of Atom Probe tomography data; replacement plasma etcher for imaging sample preparation; …

6.4.4 Staff Highlights During this review period CNS staffing will grow by three additional technical staff members to support the increasing user population in addition to one replacement staff member to operate our biomaterials facility.

Senior Scientist Brittany Gelfand brings significant industrial experience, most recently from the Massachusetts Intel fab where she worked as a Lithography Process Engineer.

Equipment Engineer David LaFleur joined our team this period also with considerable industrial experience most recently the Massachusetts Skyworks fab. Prior to Skyworks, David worked for Vitesse Semiconductor.

A search for a third hire, a new equipment technician, will open in early 2014.

Brittany Gelfand

M.S. Materials Science Senior Scientist

David LaFleur Equipment Engineer

Figure 70: New CNS Staff

6.4.5 Nanocomputation (NNIN/C) Site Activities Harvard University is the lead node for the computation project of NNIN. Dr. Michael Stopa directs the computation efforts, which include high performance computing for advanced nanotechnology applications as well as support for experimental and theoretical studies, at the computation nodes in the network. This year, the Harvard node of NNIN/C continued to fulfill its remit of providing computational hardware, software tools and, most importantly, domain expertise to users internal to and external to Harvard University.

The Graphical Processing Unit, highly parallel computing initiative of NNIN/C which began in 2009 with


the installation of the “Orgoglio” cluster, has continued with an increasing user base and several research accomplishments (see “Research Highlight” below). The Orgoglio cluster is one of only about ten such machines in the United States. It consists of quad-core Xeon ‘Harpertown’ processors running at 3 GHz and Tesla C1060 GPUs (a total of 96 cores and 48 GPU cards). The interconnects are QLogic 24-Port 9024 DDR InfiniBand.

In addition, in the Spring of 2013, NNIN/C at Harvard University installed a new computational cluster for the general use of NNIN/C members, both locally and nationwide.

The suite of machines chosen by NNIN/C in conjunction with the Research Computing Group at Harvard University’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences is described as follows: AMD-based, 2.2 GHz processors, 640 cores (4Mb RAM/core), 2 chassis each holding up to 8 blades (one blade hold 64 cores), including FDR infiniband connections (56 Gbps). The new cluster replaces the previous twin 112 node AMD Opteron clusters, which have now been taken out of service.

6.4.6 Education and Outreach Beyond training and technically supporting our very large population of NNIN users and other technical professionals, CNS staff members continued to support both broad educational activities and public outreach during the past year. In 2012-2013, CNS hosted or participated in activities that reached over 1200 K-12 students, teachers, families, members of the general public, and technical professionals. In many cases, we have partnered with school districts and organizations with large populations of students who are traditionally underrepresented in science and engineering. Below are highlights from the 2013 education and diversity program.

K-12 and Public Programs Cambridge 8th Grade Science & Engineering Showcase. In May 2013, CNS and the Harvard School of Engineering & Applied Sciences hosted the fourth annual Cambridge 8th Grade Science & Engineering Showcase at Harvard. Close to 400 8th grade students from Cambridge Public Schools presented their science and engineering fair projects at Harvard, and participated in presentations and tours of Harvard research facilities. CNS staff hosted tours of the CNS facilities, led demonstrations, and also served as “questioners” during student poster presentations.

Boston STEP-Up Program: CNS is currently collaborating with Boston Public Schools to host the science portion of a series of visits by elementary schools in the Boston Public School District. Targeting 4th-6th grade students in underperforming schools, the STEP-Up program is an early intervention program designed to increase college and career awareness in at-risk populations. CNS staff and scientists worked with two schools this year, with an impact on over 300 students. CNS staff and graduate student volunteers worked closely with science teacher Vicki Kent at Hennigan Elementary to mentor students on engineering design projects in a six-week in-class project (http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2013/06/a-pragmatic-

Figure 71 Cambridge 8th grade students learn about nanotechnology through interactive demonstrations.

Figure 72 REU students lead demonstrations on graphene, hydrophobic surfaces, and other nanoscale materials and phenomena during a STEP Up college and science career awareness day.

http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2013/06/a-pragmatic-way-to-teach-science/


way-to-teach-science/). Staff also served as science fair judges for the Elihu Greenwood Leadership Academy. As a follow-up, students and parents from these 2 schools were invited to return to Harvard for a Saturday event that focused on career and college awareness, with nanoscience demonstrations led by REU students.

Tech Savvy: In Summer 2013, CNS and SEAS hosted 25 middle school girls from the greater Boston area as one of the sites in a week-long summer camp, Tech Savvy. Throughout the week, girls spend one day at each of the partner universities. At Harvard, CNS staff led an interactive tour of CNS facilities followed by demonstrations led by NNIN and other REU students.

Holiday Lecture for Families: CNS collaborates with SEAS, and MRSEC to host an annual science-themed holiday lecture for families each December. The theme of the December 2013 lecture was “Faster than the Blink of an Eye!” The highly interactive lecture was targeted to ages 7 and up, with the goal of inspiring family discussions of science to continue after the lecture. Children received t-shirts that illustrate a scientific concept, and helped demonstrate that concept during the lecture. After the lecture, students and staff associated with CNS led demonstrations outside the lecture hall on nanostructures and light, diffraction, and thin films. Over 830 people attended this year’s lecture.

Nanodays: As in past years, this May CNS staff participated in Nanodays events at the Museum of Science in Boston, leading demonstrations and activities. This event is attended by thousands of museum patrons (not counted in our above-mentioned 1200 estimate). NISE-Net Nanodays kits employed at Nanodays were also used in other outreach activities throughout the year.

Undergraduate training and outreach As in years past, this June CNS staff conducted orientations and presentations for the 75 visiting undergraduate interns who were on campus. These students were largely beyond the five supported directly by the NNIN program and included those supported by our NSF MRSEC. The majority of these students conducted research activities in the CNS laboratories as part of their REU projects.

Education specialist Jorge Pozo and Director of Educational Programs Kathryn Hollar have publicized the NNIN REU program at several diversity conferences, including the annual conferences of the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science; the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students; the Mexican American Engineering Society; and the Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers.

Workshops for technical professionals Beyond the technical events that are offered specifically for the CNS user community and employees, CNS conducts an on-going series of technical events open to the public and advertised generally in the Boston area. During the past 12 months CNS organized approximately 50 public events which attracted >1400 attendees. CNS hosted workshops each attended by >40 people in the areas of: "Nano-Engineering with DNA," "Dip Pen Nanolithography," Nanoparticle Characterization Workshop, “Introduction to Confocal and TIRF Microscopy," “Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy Seminar,” “Microfluidics Overview Seminar,” “SU-8/PDMS Micromolding Forum, “ “XPS Symposium,” and a CNS Seminar on “Plasmonic Metasurfaces for Light Focusing.”

As in previous years, again during the summer of 2012 CNS staff conducted a free and public series of

Figure 73 Children illustrate that the concept of shutter speed and film exposure by acting as photons during the 2013 Holiday Lecture.

http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2013/06/a-pragmatic-way-to-teach-science/


instructional classes in cleanroom technology. This “Nanofabrication Summer School” included 12 instructional sessions on cleanroom facilities, photolithography, mask design, e-beam lithography, RIE, CVD, PVD, ALD, metrology, scanning probe microscopy, and packaging process. This summer that program was complimented by a eleven-week series on Nanomaterials Characterization with topics including nanoparticles, AFM, XPS, FIB, and X-ray tomography.

Several formal courses for non-Harvard students were conducted in CNS laboratories and were instructed by CNS staff members. Offered through the Harvard Extension School, these courses are typically held in the evenings as continuing education for the local community and do not require an application. During summer 2012, CNS Materials Facilities manager Dr. Fettah Kosar again taught his 7-week-long summer course titled, “Introduction to Fabrication of Microfluidic and Lab-on-a-Chip Devices,” which was fully enrolled at 15 students. The course covered the field of miniaturization of pharmaceutical, biological, chemical, and biomedical assays. It served as an introduction to the facilities, tools and techniques used for the fabrication of microfluidic and lab-on-a-chip devices and reviewed some of the latest advances in this field. During the 2012 fall semester, CNS managers Dr. Jiangdong Deng and Dr. David Bell taught the course, “Nanofabrication and Nanoanalysis,” also through the Harvard’s Extension School. This laboratory course explores the concepts of nanotechnology through nanofabrication and nano-analysis. Through fabricating real devices in the cleanroom students learned the complete nanofabrication processes from CAD design to fabricated structure. Several analysis techniques were applied to the devices and structures which were fabricated in class.

For the third year, Dr. Fettah Kosar went to the University of Notre Dame in order to teach an invited 3-day course in microfluidics and soft-lithography techniques. This course had classroom and laboratory components, and was hosted by Prof. Bilgicer.

In January 2013, CNS staff member Dr. David Bell ran a two day workshop on “Nanotechnology and Medicine” with several invited talks during the mornings and hands-on laboratory sessions in the afternoon.

--End of Harvard Text Report---


6.4.7 Harvard University Selected Site Statistics a)Historical Annual Users



Figure 74: Selected Harvard Site Statistics

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6.4.8 Harvard User Institions Outside US Academic Small Companies Large Companies Boston College 1366 Technologies Analog Devices, Inc. Boston University Acumentrics Corporation Applied Materials Brandeis University Agiltron Beth Israel Deaconess Med Cntr Brown University Ambri, Inc. Bose Corporation Bunker Hill Comm Coll. Applied NanoFemto Technologies Brigham and Womens Hospital Case Western Boston Micromachines Corp. Carl Zeiss Microscopy, LLC. Cornell University Cambridge Electronics, Inc. Children's Hospital Boston Dartmouth College Cambridge Polymer Group, Inc. Dana Farber Cancer Institute Georgia Tech Chemicro Engineering Dow Chemical Company Gordon College Clean Membranes, Inc. EMD Chemicals, Inc. Holy Cross Custom Nanotech, LLC. FLIR Radiation, Inc. Louisiana State Univ. DNA Medicine Institute Massachusetts General Hospital MIT E Ink Corporation PALL Corporation Middlebury College EOS Photonics, Inc. Rohm and Haas Company Morehouse College FastCAP Systems Corporation Schlumberger-Doll Research New York University GVD Corporation Skyworks Solutions Northeastern Univ. Harvard Apparatus Technic, Inc. Princeton University Hybrid Silica Technologies, Inc. Rowan University Hyperion Catalysis International State/Federal South Dakota State U. KAZ, Inc. Lincoln Laboratory Tufts University Lariat Biosciences, Inc. University of Arkansas LightSpin Technologies, Inc. U Cal. - San Diego Lilliputian Systems, Inc. Small Companies (continued) U.Connecticut LiquiGlide, Inc. Ramgoss, Inc. U.Maryland -College Pk Living Proof, Inc. RayVio Corporation U.Mass. - Amherst Luminus Devices, Inc. QMagiq, LLC. U. Mass. - Boston MC10, Inc. Sand 9, Inc. U. Mass. - Dartmouth Microscale, Inc. Sanhero Corporation U. Mass. - Lowell MicroVision Laboratories, Inc. SED Physics U. of Minnesota N12 Technologies, Inc. Semprus Biosciences U Wisconsin - Madison Nano Terra, LLC. Seventh Sense Biosystems Worcester Poly Novarials Corporation SiEnergy Systems, LLC. Nyacol Nano Technologies, Inc. Sionyx, Inc. OptoGration, Inc. Solid State Scientific Corporation Optron Systems, Inc. Sun Catalytix Oxford Nanopore Tech. Inc. The Forsyth Institute Pendar Medical TIAX, LLC. Pixtronix Transient Electronics, Inc. Plasmability, LLC. Windgap Medical, Inc. Quantum-Si Zena Technologies, Inc. Radiation Monitoring Devices, Inc. ZS Genetics, Inc.


6.5 Howard University Site Report 6.5.1 Overview The National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN) has set the standard for user-based research facilities in the U.S. and at Howard University. The Howard Nanoscale Science and Engineering Facility (HNF) has been the catalyst that led to the Howard University Program for the Expansion of Research and Education in Nanotechnology (HUPEREN) and the new Interdisciplinary Research Building (IRB). Howard University and Turner Construction Company, along with the project team of Brailsford & Dunlavey (Owner’s Representative/Program Manager), HDR Architecture (Architect of Record), and Lance Bailey & Associates (Consulting Architect), broke ground on a new Interdisciplinary Research Building (IRB) on April 18, 2013. The IRB, being constructed at the address of 2201 Georgia Ave., NW, Washington, is a cornerstone of the University’s academic renewal initiative, and its prominent gateway location on the Georgia Avenue corridor is a public expression of Howard’s commitment to 21st century research.

The new 81,000 square-foot mixed-use academic building will support and promote interdisciplinary research and educational collaboration. The IRB, an energy-efficient (LEED) facility, will incorporate cutting-edge technology and the latest educational, environmental and research standards.The floors’ themes are divided into: Nanotechnology/Bio Nano (a NanoFabrication and Bio-Nano cleanrooms and major characterization facilities), Natural products research (drug synthesis, delivery & testing), Microbial Ecology (diversity and immunology), Atmospheric Sciences (sensor development, climate robots, etc.) and Developmental Biology (STEM cell differentiation). The Nanotechnology/BioNano area laboratory space is over 10,000 sq/ft with over 4000 sq/ft of space for characterization. A class 100 cleanroom of over 5000 sq/ft will be the cornerstone of this major expansion. The total gross square feet is over 81,000 with 3000 sq/ft allocated for community activity and retail space. The total projected budget is over $81M. Located on Georgia Avenue and W Street, shown below is a rendering of the building and a photo of the present construction. The planned completion date is early February 2015 and the District of Columbia recently declared this section of Northwest Washington as a “high tech” corridor, which is supported by the National Science Foundation Report for Washington, DC/Maryland/Northern Virginia (http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind12/).

Figure 75: Interdisciplinary Research Building under construction at Howard University


6.5.2 Progress in Attracting New Users The HNF staff is quite aware of their mission to bring in outside users. As of January 2014 of this year, they have serviced over 214 users. In February, there are typically 15-20 new users. This places HNF very close to its projected number of 250. With the additional equipment and resources from HUPEREN, HNF will more than likely add to the number of users. Four additional programs in the area of nanotechnology/materials have been funded including the Center for Environment Implications of Nanotechnology with Duke University, Carnegie Mellon University, Howard University, and Virginia Tech University. Howard has been awarded an NSF-Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Program (IGERT) in the area of Environmental Nanotechnology. Howard University, Prince George’s Community College (PGCC), Gallaudet University and the Cornell Center for Materials Research (CCMR) joined to propose a Partnership for Reduced Dimensional Materials (PRDM). Army Research Lab awarded a new major grant on Impact Testing of advanced materials like graphene etc. In conjunction with Harvard and MIT, HNF has been awarded an NSF Science Technology Center, Center for Integrated Quantum Materials (CIQM).

CIQM supports integrative partnerships that require large-scale, long-term funding to produce research and education of the highest quality. Existing STCs study a wide range of complex scientific topics, such as multiscale atmospheric modeling, life beneath the sea floor, energy-efficient electronics, and biophotonics. Drawing on expertise in materials synthesis, nanofabrication, characterization, and device physics, the CIQM will integrate three areas of research. The first will involve synthesizing new materials based on graphene, the one-atom-thick carbon material that has proven to be extremely well suited for carrying electrons coherently and rapidly. The researchers hope to use these materials to fabricate new types of ultra-high-speed, atomic-scale devices, including stacked atomic layers that use hexagonal boron nitride as an insulator between sheets of graphene. The second area of research will explore a class of materials called topological insulators—materials that conduct only at their surface. Topological insulators preserve the direction of an electron spin as it travels along the surface, allowing a spin to carry bits of information in a future quantum network. The third area of research involves the use of a single atom to store a bit of information. A nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center is created in diamond when a nitrogen atom replaces a carbon in the crystal structure. The electron spin on an NV center can store a bit of information for over one millisecond at room temperature, written and read out using light. The Center aims to integrate NV center diamond storage sites with atomic-layer devices and topological insulator data channels to create transformative new devices and systems for storing, manipulating, and transmitting information.

CIQM’s new initiative will also be a center for collaboration across diverse disciplines and institutions. Harvard will partner with Howard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the Museum of Science, Boston. The Center will also encourage young students to pursue careers in science and engineering through an affiliated college network including Bunker Hill Community College, Gallaudet University, Mount Holyoke College, Olin College, Prince George's Community College, and Wellesley College.

HNF is working actively to advertise and market to outside users from various populations and regions, working with the Washington DC Small Business Development Center at Howard University and New Figure 76: Howard User Distribution


Howard Innovation Lab. Forbes named the Washington metro area as the number one new “hot tech spot.” This designation was due in part to the 21.1% growth in science, technology, engineering and math fields from 2001 – 2012.

NNIN at Howard offers a strategic location in the southeast. Howard is easily accessible to several HBCUs, government laboratories and agencies. HNF is also working witth the PREM Schools (this is a program in DMR-NSF). The objective of PREM is to broaden participation and enhance diversity in materials research and education by involving minority-serving colleges/universities in DMR research. Several presentations will be made to these school to enhance their involvement in using the NNIN network. Shown below is a group of new users that have been added to the total user base.

• Bluewave Semiconductor • MITRE Corporation • iNanoBio • Georgetown University Medical Center • Ostendo (GaN) Lab • Harvard University • RPI • MIT • Northrop-Grumman Corporation • VPI • Duke University

6.5.3 Staff The staff support by HNF during 2013 include the following:

Name Title % NNIN support

James Griffin Lab Manager 30% Tony Gomez Support Technician 100% Crawford Taylor Research Associate 100% Nefertiti Patrick-Boadley, PhD Admin/Research Associate 100% Tina Brower, Ph.D. Asst. Director for research and

education CEACS/Lecturer/Senior Research Associate

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Michael G. Spencer, PhD. Visiting Professor-Cornell 0 % William Rose, PhD. Senior Research Associate 100% Lewis, Kim Visiting Professor -RPI 0 % Andy Hai Tang Associate Lab Manager 0 % Jude Abanulo, Ph.D. Post-Doc/Lecturer 0 % Chavis, Michele, Ph.D. Post Doc 50% The staff of HNF are very proud and pleased with the support from the University in regards to Dr. M. Spencer and Dr. K. Lewis, both visiting faculty during the year of 2013. Their additional expertise added to the user experience at HNF. It is expected that they will be users of HNF when they return to their institutions.

6.5.4 Education

6.5.4.1 Nanoexpress HNF has an impressive portfolio of educational activities across K-Grey, both formal and informal. The


NanoExpress presents the complex and fascinating world of nanotechnology to the general public from K-Grey. The campaign was designed to provide information on the current state of research and development potential in nanotechnology. It also aims to promote the dialogue between the world of science and the general public. The NanoExpress is a trailer with a lithography area, 208 square feet of lab space and manned by undergraduate and graduate lab assistants who help supervise hands-on experiments. The NanoExpress touched over 2,862 visitors and experimenters this year. Experimental areas include: Introduction to Passive Nanoparticles, Introduction to Self Assembly, Introduction to Micro and Nanofabrication, “Chips are for Kids”, Instruments for NanoScience and Technology and Shape Memory Alloys.The university purchased a new truck for the NanoExpress and its radio station, WHUR, provided a more contemporary look to the vehicle.

The NanoExpress was on the road for more that 38 days this year. The lectures and laboratory format has been very well-received at elementary, junior and high schools, two year college and universities, adult groups, national conferences, museums, etc. The highlight of the 2013 Nanoexpress program was the Indian Cultural Center Stem Program with over 120 visitors. Below is a list of some of the places the NanoExpress visited in 2013.

Event Location Date Time # of

participant Black Engineer of the Year Washington, DC Feb 2013 14 hours 1,225

Howard Research Day Washington, DC Apr 1, 2013 8 hours 250

Intro Girl to Engineering Washington, DC Feb 22, 2013 6 hours 72

Dunbar High School Washington, DC Feb 22,2013 3 hours 40

Nat’l Society of Black Engineers Washington, DC Sept. 12 2013 18 hours 25

ASM/HNF -Teachers Camp Washington, DC July 15-19 25 hours 36

Wheaton High School Wheaton, MD Apr 12, 2013 1 .5 hours 112

Nano Days Baltimore, MD Apr 1, 2013 7 hours 350

Morgan State University STEM Pro Washington, DC Nov 9, 2013 6 hours 150

Indian Cultural Center STEM Pro Arlington, VA Nov 16, 2013 4 hours 121

Howard Middle School Washington, DC May 14 , 2013 4 hours 76

Howard U (Freshman Week) Washington, DC 8/27-29/2013 10 hours 120

Howard U Homecoming Washington, DC Oct 24,2012 3 hours 120

STEM Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Washington, DC Mar 9, 2013 6 hours 125

HU Graduate Students -Lecture Washington DC Oct. 27,2013 2 hours 60

TOTAL 2,882

6.5.4.2 NanoTalk- (HUR Radio Channel 141 Sirius –XM) December 1, 2011, Gary L Harris launched his new radio show, Nano Talk, a technical news talk show that examines topics related to science, engineering and technology.

NanoTalk can be heard:

• ON-AIR: Wednesday 9am-10am


• RE-AIR: Saturday 4pm-5pm / Monday 12pm-1pm

Host Gary Harris provides technical information that is timely and relevant to the everyday listener. NanoTalk introduces the HURVOICES listener to the world of technology that is not discussed on a daily basis. This year’s season of new topics begins in March and will continue throughout the year.

6.5.4.3 ASM/HNF Camp American Society of Materials (ASM) International and Howard Nanoscale Science and Engineering Facility (HNF) have and will host a week long camp for teachers in junior and senior high school during the summer at Howard. The program is based on past experiences in the areas of curriculum development, teacher training and student programs in materials science. During this one-week workshop, teacher participants will learn the basics of materials science and nanotechnology as taught at the high school level. They will work hands-on with metals, ceramics, polymers and composites, and will develop a greater appreciation for the importance of these materials for everyday living. At HNF, there is a special day designed for nanotechnology only and involves hands-on experiments in the cleanroom. For example, the teachers fabricate Schottky diodes and test them. They also have a opportunity to work with the AFM, Scanning Electron Microscopy and actually grow graphene on a copper substrate. Whether teachers use the information and concepts as a basis for teaching their own course or merely infuse the concepts into an existing science course to increase relevancy, they will finish the week prepared to make some important instructional changes as a result of their participation. Shown below is a photo of the graduation exercise for last year’s class of 29 students.

6.5.5 New Equipment The NNIN mission is to “enable rapid advancements in science, engineering and technology at the nanoscale by efficient access to nanotechnology infrastructure”. This year, two new major tools are added. The first is a inVia Raman Microscope from Reinshaw with a 514nm laser source. The Renishaw has selected Leica microscopes for incorporation within inVia Raman systems, ensuring inVia Raman microscopes have the high optical efficiency and high stability necessary for rapid, reliable operation. Renishaw’s RenCam CCD detector, with its ultra-low noise, high sensitivity detector chip options, and low noise level electronics, is ideal for the most demanding atomic layer Raman spectroscopy applications.

The second major tool, a Surface Technology Systems (STS) Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) Reactive Ion Etcher (RIE), provides high chemical sensitivities with high etch rate. This STS ICP System uses fluorine-based and chlorine-based gases for anisotropic deep silicon and III-V based trench etching. The 13.56 MHz RF system produces a high-density, low- pressure, low-energy inductively coupled plasma. This type of plasma allows high selectivity and aspect ratio etching for depths greater than 250 microns. The system control is via a standard PC, which automatically loads a wafer into the

Figure 77: ASM Camp Participants

Figure 78: Renishaw Raman Microscope


process chamber. The system is designed for batch and single etching of a 100 mm (4 in.) wafers.

6.5.6 Nanotechnology Seminar Series The Howard Nanoscale Science and Engineering Facility sponsors a monthly Nanotechnology Seminar Series. The seminar schedule is submitted to the ScienceNet local internet newsletter with distribution to the Washington area science and engineering community. The series is sometimes co-sponsored with other organizations on campus. The following is a list of seminars in 2013:

• “Heteroepitaxial Growth of Diamond by Hot Filament Chemical Vapor Deposition”, Bokani Mtengi, Howard Nanoscale Science and Engineering Facility, (Co-sponsored with CIQM-Bacon+)

• “Induced Superconductivity in the Quantum Spin Hall Edge”, Sean Hart, Harvard University, Applied Physics (Co-sponsored with CIQM-Bacon+)

• “Magnetic Resonance Imaging using a Nitrogen-Vacancy Center in Diamond Sensor with Sub-Nanometer Resolution and Single-Spin Sensitivity”, Michael Grinolds, Harvard University, Applied Physics (Co-sponsored with CIQM-Bacon+)

• “Engineering Interaction Effects in Graphene Superlattices”, Justin Song, MIT, (Co-sponsored with CIQM-Bacon+)

• “Transport and Optoelectronics in Transition Metal Dichalcogenides” Hugh Churchill, EE Department, MIT, (Co-sponsored with CIQM-Bacon+)

• “Spin-filtered Edge States with an Electrically Tunable Gap in a Two-Dimensional Topological Crystalline Insulator”, Tim Hsieh, Physics, MIT, (Co-sponsored with CIQM-Bacon+)

• "Self-Organization - Nature’s Intelligent Design", Professor Clint Sprott,Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI

• "Eighth Annual Edward Bouchet Forum”, Freeman A. Hrabowski, Ph.D., president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)

• "Anti-aging Behaviour of Polypropylene (PP) with Surface Modified Nanosilica Particles and Titanium Dioxide Nanorods", Mingshu Yang, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, P.R. China

• “AFM Examination of STEM Cells: Part 2”, Kim Michelle Lewis, PhD., Associate Professor of Physics, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

• “Using Microfluidics and Nanotechnology in Search of Biophysical Clues for Cancer Progression”, (with Cancer Center), Masoud Agah, Associate Professor at the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, Virginia Tech

• “Thermoelectric Nanowire Junction Photoresponse”, Howard University, Tito Huber, Howard University

• ”Optoelectronics with Graphene and Topological insulators”, Howard University, Tito Huber, Howard University

• “GaN Nanowire Devices Fabrication and Characterization”, Renu Scott, Department of Chemistry, Howard University

6.5.7 Renovations of HNF The entire LK Downing Hall has undergone a face lift which includes painting, new bathrooms, new high tech lobby, new alarm system, etc. with the renovations totaling approximately three million dollars. New carpet, lab chairs, two new hoods, and furniture were added to HNF. Shown below is the outside of the building. The construction was completed in June of 2013.

Figure 79: LK Downing Hall Renovations


6.5.8 Research Highlights The main research thrusts for HNF are: Electronics and Materials - wide band gap devices and applications to nanotechnology. Characterization Science - the universally required tool for advancing research and technology across the physical, biological, materials and medical sciences and engineering disciplines. Nanofiltration membranes and technology - membrane processes such as reverse osmosis (RO), nanofiltration (NF), ultrafiltration (UF) and microfiltration (MF), which have applications in the fields of biotechnology, food science, chemical engineering, medical applications like artificial kidneys and more recently, environmental and geosciences engineering

• Protein Nanospheres: Synergistic Nanoplatform-Based Probes for Multimodality Imaging, McDonald MA, Wang PC, Siegel EL. No single clinical imaging modality has the ability to provide both high resolution and high sensitivity at the anatomical, functional and molecular level. Synergistically integrated detection techniques overcome these barriers by combining the advantages of different imaging modalities while reducing their disadvantages. We report the development of protein nanospheres optimized for enhancing MRI, CT and US contrast while also providing high sensitivity optical detection. Transferrin protein nanospheres (TfpNS), silicon coated, doped rare earth oxide and rhodamine B isothiocyanate nanoparticles, SiGd2O3:Eu,RBITC, (NP) and transferrin protein nanospheres encapsulating SiGd2O3:Eu,RBITC nanoparticles (TfpNS-NP) were prepared in tissue-mimicking phantoms and imaged utilizing multiple cross-sectional imaging modalities. Preliminary results indicate a 1:1 NP to TfpNS ratio in TfpNS-NP and improved sensitivity of detection for MRI, CT, US and fluorescence imaging relative to its component parts and/or many commercially available contrast agents.

• Nuclear spin Hall and Klein tunneling effects during oxidation with electric and magnetic field inductions in graphene, Phys. Chem. Chem. Physics, issue 46, 2012, R.B. Little, F.McClary, B. Rice, C. Jackson, And J.W. Mitchell The recent observation of the explosive oxidation of graphene with enhancement for decreasing temperature and the requirements for synchronizing oxidants for collective oxidation-reduction (redox) reactions presented a chemical scenario for the thermal harvesting by the magnetic spin Hall Effect. More experimental data are presented to demonstrate such spin Hall Effect by determining the influence of spins of so-called spectator fermionic cations. Furthermore, the so-called spectator bosonic cations are discovered to cause a Klein tunneling effect during the redox reaction of graphene. The Na+ and K+, fermionic cations and the Mg2+ and Ca2+, bosonic cations were observed and compared under a variety of experimental conditions: adiabatic reactions with initial temperatures (18–22 °C); reactions toward infinite dilution; isothermal reactions under nonadiabatic conditions at low temperature of 18 °C; reactions under paramagnetic O2 or diamagnetic N2 atmospheres of different permeabilities; reactions in applied and no applied external magnetic field; and reactions toward excess concentrations of common and uncommon Na+ and Mg2+ cations. The observed reaction kinetics and dynamics under these various, diverse conditions are consistent with the spin Hall mechanism, energy harvesting and short time violation of Second Law of Thermodynamics for redox reactions of graphene by the Na+K+ mixture and are consistent with the Klein tunnel mechanism for the redox reactions of graphene by the Mg2+Ca2+ mixture. Mixed spin Hall and Klein tunnel mechanisms are discovered to slow and modulate explosive redox reactions. Such spin Hall Effect also gives explanation of recent tunneling of electrons through boron nitride.

• Superconductivity of Bi Confined in an Opal Host , Journal of Low Temperature Physics, 2012,11p, , Superconductivity is observed in a composite of rhombohedral crystalline bismuth nanoparticles imbedded in an insulating porous opal host via electrical transport and AC magnetic


susceptibility. The onset of superconductivity in this system occurs in two steps, with upper critical of a magnetic field, and has upper critical field extrapolated respectively. We suggest that because of the lack of bulk-like states in the Bi nanoparticles due to confinement effects, superconductivity originates from surface states arising from Rashba spin-orbit scattering at the interface. This prospect suggests that nanostructured Bi may be an interesting system to search for Majorana fermions. (T c,U =4.1K, T c,L =0.7K)

• Nanodiamond Foil Product for H- Stripping to Support Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) and Related Applications, RD Vispute, Henry K. Ermer, Phillip Sinsky, Andrew Seiser, Robert W. Shaw, Gary Harris, and Fabrice Piazza, MRS Fall Proceeding 2013, Thin diamond foils are needed in many particle accelerator experiments on nuclear and atomic physics as well as in some interdisciplinary research. Particularly, nanodiamond form is attractive for this purpose as it possesses a unique combination of diamond properties such as high thermal conductivity, mechanical strength and high radiation hardness, therefore, it is considered as a potential material for ion beam stripper foils. The foil must be able to survive the typically 6 month operation period of the SNS, without the need for costly shutdowns and repairs. Thus, a single nanodiamond foil about the size of a postage stamp is critical to the entire operation of SNS and similar sources in US laboratories and around the World. We are investigating nanocrystalline, polycrystalline and their admixture films fabricated using a hot filament chemical vapor deposition system for H- Stripping to Support Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Here we discuss optimization of process variables such as substrate temperature, process gas ratio of H2/Ar/CH4, substrate to filament distance, filament temperature, carburization conditions, and filament geometry to achieve high purity diamond foils on corrugated silicon substrate with manageable intrinsic and thermal stresses so that they can be released as a free standing foil without curling. In-situ laser reflectance interferometry tool (LRI) is used for monitoring growth characteristics of diamond thin film materials. Optimization process yields free standing foils with pinholes to lowest possible density. The sp3/sp2 bounds are controlled to optimize electrical resistivity to reduce the possibility of surface charging damaging the foils. The integrated LRI with HFCVD process provides real time information on the growth of films and can quickly illustrate growth features and control over film thickness. The results are discussed in the light of development of nanodiamond foil product that will be able to withstand a few MW beam and be able to still be used when the SNS upgrades to greater than 3MW beam in the future.

6.5.9 Publications HNF 2013 External User Peer-Reviewed Archival Journal Publications

• Temperature dependence of magnetic and magnetotransport properties in BiFeO3 thin films by pulsed laser deposition, P. Tiberto, G. Barrera, F. Celegato, M. Coïsson, P. Rizzi, F. Vinai, A.C. Garcia Castro, L. Salamanca-Ribaa4, R.D. Vispute, F.J. Espinoza Beltrana and J. Muñoz Sandaña, MRS Proceedings / Volume 1636 / 2014

• Surface modification of porous alumina membranes by collagen layers: Performance and characterization. Separation and Purification Technology, Available online 7 May 2013. Ramamoorthy Malaisamy, Lori Lepak, Michael Spencer, Kimberly L. Jones.

• Nanodiamond Foil Product for H- Stripping to Support Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) and Related Applications, RD Vispute, Henry K. Ermer, Phillip Sinsky, Andrew Seiser, Robert W. Shaw, Gary Harris, and Fabrice Piazza, MRS Fall Proceeding 2013,

• H. Yoon, H.J. Kim, E. Song, K.D. Song, U. Lee, L.D. Sanford, S.H. Choi, “A Hat-Type Wireless Power Transmission for a Nano-Neural Sensing System, Smart Nanosys. Eng. Med. vol.1, 88, 2012.

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=OPL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2013.04.051

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2013.04.051


• R. Zhu, G.L. Huang, H. Yoon, C.S. Smith, V.K. Varadan, “Biomechanical strain analysis at the interface of brain and nanowire electrodes on a neural probe, J. Nanotech. Eng. Med., vol.2, 031001, 2011.

• Current compliance circuit to improve variation in ON State characteristics and to minimize RESET. ECS Trans., Vol.50, No.34 (2013): 11-17. Pragya R Shrestha, Adaku Ochia, Kin P. Cheung, Jason P. Campbell, Canute Vaz, Ji-Hong Kima, Helmut Baumgart and Gary Harris.Department of Electrical Engineering, CEACS.

• Accumulation of Background Impurities in Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy Grown GaN Layers, A. Usikov, V. Soukhoveev, O. Kovalenkov, A. Syrkin, L. Shapovalov, A. Volkova, and V. Ivantsov, Japanese Journal of Applied Physics 52 (2013) 08JB22

• Superconductivity of Bi Confined in an Opal Host, R.C. Johnson, M.D. Niekoski, S.M.Disseler, T.E. Huber and M.J. Graf, Journal of Low Temperature Physics, Volume 170, Issue 3-4, pp. 205-215 2012,11p,

Internal User Peer-Reviewed Archival Journal Publications • 'CdSe nanorods -methylcyclohexane: a model for quick order dry assembly'-Kimani A. Stancil, to

be submitted to the Journal of American Chemical Society ASAP June 2013

• Kimani A. Stancil “Soft Matter: Using Polymer Gels as Building Blocks for Photonic Crystals and Metamaterials”, 84th Annual National Technical Association Conference Journal "Connecting to Technology-A Must for the Future" (1 of 3 papers accepted for publication after peer review),

• September 19 - 21, 2012

• “Simulations of adsorption of CO2 and CH4 in MOFs: effect of the size and charge distribution on the selectivity”, Sidi Maiga, Mayra Medina Oluwaseyitan Durodola and Silvina M. Gatica; J. of Low Temperature Physics,10.1007/s10909-013-0864-z,

• ”Hot Filament Chemical Vapor Deposition as a Method of Growth of Uniform Thin Films of Graphene”, T. L. Brower, G. L. Harris, C. Taylor, R.D. Vispute, and C. M. Hosten, ChinaNano2013. Beijing,China.

• “Cyclic Voltammetry of Self-Assembled Hg(II) Generated 4¨4’-Dimercaptobiphenyl”, Multilayers T.L. Brower, Briana James (2013). Pittsburg Conference. Philadelphia, PA

• “Enhanced localized surface plasmon resonance dependence of silver nanoparticles on the stoichiometric ratio of citrate stabilizers”, Felicia A McClary, Shauna Gaye-Campbell, Andy Yuen Hai Ting, James W Mitchell (2013)., Journal of nanoparticle research. 15 (2), 2013

• “Controlled Growth of 4,4’-Dimercaptobiphenyl Using Group (II) B Elements”, Tina L. Brower, Langmuir (submitted)

• “Photoresponse in thermoelectric bismuth nanowire arrays, Photoresponse in arrays of thermoelectric nanowire junctions”, T. E. Huber, R. Scott, S. Johnson1, T. L. Brower , J. H. Belk, and J. H. Hunt (2013), Applied Physics Letters. 103 (4),

• “SPR Studies of the Adsorption of Silver/Bovine Serum Albumin Nanoparticles ( Ag/BSA NPs) onto the Model Biological Substrates”, C. Bhan, T. L. Brower, and D. Raghavan, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science. 402 40. (2013)

• “Raman Band Assignments for 4,5-Diazafluoren-9-one Using DFT”, Rhonda P. McCoy, Alberto Vivonib, Soni Mishra, Poonam Tandon, Charles M. Hosten, Vibrational Spectroscopy (under

http://dx.doi.org/10.1149/05034.0011ecst

http://dx.doi.org/10.1149/05034.0011ecst


review)

• “Methanol Electrocatalytic Oxidation Mediated by a [Ni/Al-carbonate]-based Hydrotalcite in Alkaline Medium”, R. N. Egekenze; U. C. Udeochu, N. K. KariKari J. C. Ganleyc, D. Raghavan, C. M. Hosten, The Journal of Power Sources (under review)

• “TERS, DFT and PED calculations of 4’-trimethylsilylethylsulfanyl-4,4’ di(phenyleneethynylene) benzene thiol adsorbed on silver”, Melissa C. Fletcher, Dimitri M. Alexson, Martin M. Moore, S. M. Prokes, Orest Glembocki, Alberto Vivoni, Rhonda McCoy, Soni Mishra, Poonam Tandon, Charles M. Hosten, Surface Science, (under review)

• “Hot Filament Chemical Vapor Deposition as a Method of Growth of Uniform Thin Films of Graphene¨. New Directions in Materials for Nanoelectronics, Spintronics and Photonics”, T. L. Brower, G. L. Harris, C. Taylor, R.D. Vispute, and C. M. Hosten. 10th RIEC International Workshop on Spintronics.

• “Mixed Multilayers of Aromatic and Aliphatic Dithiols”, NOBCChE,. Washington, District of Columbia, 2012,

• “Synthesis, characterization and crystal structure of thiadiazoles derived from aroylthiourea”, Journal of Chemical Crystallography,” Jan 2014. Durga P. Singh, Seema Pratap, Raymond J. Butcher, Sushil K. Gupta.

• 2-Methyl-aspartic acid monohydrate. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online, Vol.69, Pt.12 (Nov 2013): o1856-7. G. Brewer, A.S. Burton, J.P. Dworkin , Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Ethyl 6-(4-chloro-phen-yl)-4-(4-fluoro-phen-yl)-2-oxo-cyclo-hex-3-ene-1-carboxyl-ate. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online, Vol.69, Pt.12 (Nov 2013): o1839-40. M. Sapnakumari, B. Narayana, H.S. Yathirajan, J.P. Jasinski, Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• 3-[1-(4-Bromo-phen-yl)eth-oxy]-2,2,5-trimethyl-4-phenyl-3-aza-hexa-ne. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online, Vol.69, Pt.12 (Nov 2013): o1792-3. P. Pitliya, Raymond J. Butcher, A. Karim, Paul F. Hudrlik, Ann M. Hudrlik, Dharmaraj Raghavan.Department of Chemistry, CoAS2-(Phenyl-selenon-yl)pyridine. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online, Vol.69, Pt.12 (Nov 2013): o1791. S. Gulati, K.K. Bhasin, V.A. Potapov, E. Arora, Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• [meso-5,10,15,20-Tetra-kis(3-methyl-thio-phen-2-yl)porphyrinato-κ(4) N,N',N'',N''']nickel(II) benzene hemisolvate. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online, Vol.69, Pt.12 (Nov 2013): m652-3. R. Prasath, P. Bhavana, S.K. Gupta, Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• p-tert-Butylcalix[8]arene catalysed synthesis of 3,5-dinitrothiophene scaffolds: antiproliferative effect of some representative compounds on selective anticancer cell lines. Tetrahedron Letters, 2014. P. Sarkar, S. Maiti, K. Ghosh, S.S. (Bandyopadhyay), Raymond J. Butcher, C. Mukhopadhyay.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Poly[tetrakis([mu]-1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoropropan-2-olato)iron(II)dipotassium]. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online, Vol.70, Pt.2 (Feb 2014): m32-m33. A. P. Purdy, Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Synthesis, X-ray structure, electrochemical behaviour and fluorescence studies of mononuclear

http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10870-013-0488-9

http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S1600536813032170

http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S1600536813031851

http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S1600536813029966

http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S1600536813029978

http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S1600536813030468

http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S1600536813030468

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tetlet.2013.12.068


http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S1600536813034946

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.poly.2014.01.009


dioxouranium complexes with oxygen donor ligands. Polyhedron, 13 Jan 2014. Sushil K. Gupta, Neha Sen, Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS

• Electronic transport in heavily doped Ag/n-Si composite films. AIP Advances, Vol.3, No.10 (2013): art. no. 102111. Clayton W. Bates Jr., Chichang Zhang.Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and CREST Center for Nanoscale Analytical Sciences Research and Education, CEACS.

• Cu(ii) conjugation along the transformation of a vitamin K3 derivative to a dinaphthoquinone methide radical. New Journal of Chemistry, Vol.38, No.1 (2014): 277-284. Badave, K.D., Patil, S.S., Khan, A.A., Srinivas, D., Raymond J. Butcher, Gonnade, R.G., Puranik, V.G., Pinjari, R.V., Gejji, S.P., Rane, S.Y.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• +DFT investigation of the mechanism and chemical kinetics for the gelation of colloidal silica. Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings, 1547 (2013): 173-182. Steven S. Burnett1, James W. Mitchell2.

• Thermal effects associated with the raman spectroscopy of WO3 gas-sensor materials. Journal of Physical Chemistry A, Vol.117, No.50 (2013): 13825-13831. Raul F. Garcia-Sanchez, Tariq Ahmido, Daniel Casimir, Shankar Baliga, Prabhakar Misra.Department of Physics and Astronomy, CoAS.

• Di-aqua-bis-(2-ethyl-5-methyl-imidazole-4-sulfonato-[kappa]2N3,O)nickel(II) dihydrate. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online, Vol.70, Pt.1 (Jan 2014): E70, m18-m19. A. P. Purdy, Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• 2-(Naphthalen-1-yl)-1-phenyl-1H-benzimid-azole benzene hemisolvate. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online, Vol.70, Pt.1 (Jan 2014): E70, o55-o56. N. Srinivasan, A. Thiruvalluvar, S. Rosepriya, S. M. Prakash Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Isovaline monohydrate. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online, Vol.69, No.12 (2013 ): o1829-o1830. Raymond J. Butcher, Brewer, G., Burton, A.S., Dworkin, J.P.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• 2-Methylaspartic acid monohydrate. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online, Vol.69, No.12 (2013): o1856-o1857. Brewer, G., Burton, A.S., Dworkin, J.P., Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• [meso-5,10,15,20-Tetra-kis(3-methyl-thio-phen-2-yl)porphyrinato-4N,N',N'',N''']nickel(II) benzene hemisolvate. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online, Vol.69, No.12 (2013): m652-m653. Prasath, R., Bhavana, P., Gupta, S.K., Raymond J. Butcher.,Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Ethyl 6-(4-chlorophenyl)-4-(4-fluorophenyl)-2-oxocyclohex-3-ene-1- carboxylate. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online, Vol.69, No.12 (2013): o1839-o1840. Sapnakumari, M., Narayana, B., Yathirajan, H.S., Jasinski, J.P., Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• 2-(Phenylselenonyl)pyridine. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online, Vol.69, No.12 (2013). Gulati, S., Bhasin, K.K., Potapov, V.A., Arora, E., Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.


http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4824854

http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C3NJ00783A

http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C3NJ00783A

http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jp408303p

http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S1600536813032169

http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S160053681303331X

http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S1600536813031620

http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S1600536813032170

http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S1600536813030468

http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S1600536813030468

http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S1600536813031851

http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S1600536813029978


• p-tert-Butylcalix[8]arene catalyzed synthesis of 3,5-dinitrothiophene scaffolds: Antiproliferative effect of some representative compounds on selective anticancer cell lines. Tetrahedron Letters, 25 Dec 2013. Piyali Sarkar, Samares Maiti, Krishnendu Ghosh, Sumita Sengupta (Bandyopadhyay), Raymond J. Butcher, Chhanda Mukhopadhyay.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• 3-[1-(4-Bromophenyl)ethoxy]-2,2,5-trimethyl-4-phenyl-3-azahexane. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online, Vol.69, No.12 (2013): o1792o1793. P. Pitliya, Raymond J. Butcher, A. Karim, Paul F. Hudrlik, Ann M. Hudrlik, Dharamraj Raghavan.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Validation of satellite sounder environmental data records: Application to the Cross-track Infrared Microwave Sounder Suite (CrIMSS). Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 2013. Nicholas R. Nalli1, Christopher D. Barnet, Anthony Reale, David Tobin, Antonia Gambacorta1, Eric S. Maddy, Everette Joseph, Bomin Sun, Lori Borg, Andrew K. Mollner, Vernon R. Morris*, Xu Liu, Murty Divakarla, Peter J. Minnett, Robert O. Knuteson, Thomas S. King, Walter W. Wolf.Department of Physics, CoAS.

• 2-Methyl-aspartic acid monohydrate. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online, Vol.69, Pt.12 (Dec 2013): o1856-1857. G. Brewer, A. S. Burton, J. P. Dworkin, Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Ethyl 6-(4-chloro-phen-yl)-4-(4-fluoro-phen-yl)-2-oxo-cyclo-hex-3-ene-1-carboxyl-ate. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online, Vol.69, Pt.12 (Dec 2013): o1839-1840. M. Sapnakumari, B. Narayana, H. S. Yathirajan, J. P. Jasinski, Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• 2-(2,4-Dichlorophenyl)-N-(1,3-thiazol-2-yl)acetamide. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online, Vol.69 (2013): o656–o657. Prakash S. Nayak, B. Narayana, H. S. Yathirajan, Jerry P. Jasinski, Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Synthesis of Selenenium Ions: Isolation of Highly Conjugated, pH-Sensitive 4,4′-Bis(methylimino)-1,1′-binaphthylene-5-diselenenium(II) Triflate. Organometallics, 3 Dec 2013. Prakul Rakesh, Harkesh B. Singh, Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Synthesis, structure and supramolecular features of cobalt(III) and cobalt(II) complexes, [CoHxL](ClO4)y (x=y=3, 2, 1.50, 1.45, 1 and 0 and x=3, y=2) of a triprotic imidazole containing Schiff base ligand. Effect of protonation state on supramolecular structure. Inorganica Chimica Acta, Vol.410 (2014): 94-105. Brewer, G., Raymond J. Butcher, Lear, S., Noll, B., Zavalij, P.Y. Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Nanoscale drug delivery platforms overcome platinum-based resistance in cancer cells due to abnormal membrane protein trafficking. ACS Nano, 12 Nov 2013. Xue Xue , Matthew D. Hall , Qiang Zhang , Paul C Wang , Michael M. Gottesman , and Xing-Jie Liang.Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Department of Radiology Oncology, College of Medicine.

• Techniques for physicochemical characterization of nanomaterials. Biotechnology Advances, Available online 16 November 2013. Ping-Chang Lin, Stephen Lin, Paul C. Wang, Rajagopalan Sridhar.Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Department of Radiology Oncology, College of Medicine.

• Synthesis, structure and supramolecular features of cobalt(III) and cobalt(II) complexes,



http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S1600536813029966

http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2013JD020436

http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2013JD020436

http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S1600536813032170

http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S1600536813031851

http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S1600536813008532

http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/om400460z

http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/om400460z

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ica.2013.10.017



http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/nn405004f

http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/nn405004f

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biotechadv.2013.11.006



[CoHxL](ClO4)y (x=y= 3, 2, 1.50, 1.45, 1 and 0 and x=3, y=2) of a triprotic imidazole containing Schiff base ligand. Effect of protonation state on supramolecular structure. Inorganica Chimica Acta, Available online 30 Oct 2013. Greg Brewer, Raymond J. Butcher, Stephanie Lear, Bruce Noll, Peter Y. Zavalij.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Correlation of nitrogen chirality, R or S, with metal chelate chirality, Δ or Λ, in a series of reduced tripodal Schiff base complexes: A route to total spontaneous resolution. Inorganica Chimica Acta, Available online 5 Nov 2013. Greg Brewer, Cynthia Brewer, Raymond J. Butcher, Gene Thomas Robichaux, C. Viragh.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Binary conjugate Brønsted-Lewis acid supported on mesoporous silica nanoparticles for the domino addition/elimination/addition and addition/elimination/addition/cyclization cascade. Catalysis Communications, 2014: 173-178. Article not published yet, but available online. Ray, S., Bhaumik, A., Pramanik, M., Raymond J. Butcher, Yildirim, S.O., Mukhopadhyay, C.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Synthesis, structure and supramolecular features of cobalt(III) and cobalt(II) complexes, [CoHxL](ClO4)y (x=y= 3, 2, 1.50, 1.45, 1 and 0 and x=3, y=2) of a triprotic imidazole containing Schiff base ligand. Effect of protonation state on supramolecular structure. Inorganica Chimica Acta, Available online 30 Oct 2013. Greg Brewer, Raymond J. Butcher, Stephanie Lear, Bruce Noll, Peter Y. Zavalij.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Binary conjugate Bronsted–Lewis acid supported on mesoporous silica nanoparticles for the domino addition/elimination/addition and addition/elimination/addition/cyclization cascade. Catalysis Communications, Available online 17 Oct 2013. Suman Ray, Asim Bhaumik, Malay Pramanik, Raymond J. Butcher, Sema Ozturk Yildirim, Chhanda Mukhopadhyay.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Synthesis, characterization, X-ray crystallography and antimicrobial activities of new Co(III) and Cu(II) complexes with a pyrazole based Schiff base ligand. Polyhedron, Available online 23 Oct 2013. Nitis Chandra Saha, Susmita Mandal, Mousumi Das, Nasima Khatun, Debmalya Mitra, Amalesh Samanta, Alexandra M.Z. Slawin, Raymond J. Butcher, Rajat Saha.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Binary conjugate Bronsted–Lewis acid supported on mesoporous silica nanoparticles for the domino addition/elimination/addition and addition/elimination/addition/cyclization cascade. Catalysis Communications, Available online 17 Oct 2013. Suman Ray, Asim Bhaumik, Malay Pramanik, Raymond J. Butcher, Sema Ozturk Yildirim, Chhanda Mukhopadhyay.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Mixed-ligand 1, 3-diaryltriazenide complexes of ruthenium: Synthesis, structure and catalytic properties. Inorganica Chimica Acta, Vol.406 (2013): 20-26. Chowdhury, N.S., Guharoy, C., Raymond J. Butcher, Bhattacharya, S.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Structural and spectral speciation on methyl 2-(3-(furan-2-carbonyl) thioureido)benzoate: A comparative experimental and theoretical study. Journal of Molecular Structure, Vol.1048 (2013): 500-509. Singh, D.P., Pratap, S., Gupta, S.K., Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Thermal effects associated with the Raman spectroscopy of WO3 gas sensor materials. J. Phys. Chem. A, 2 Oct 2013, Accepted Manuscript. Raul F Garcia-Sanchez*, Tariq Ahmido* , Daniel Casimir*, Shankar Baliga, Prabhakar Misra.Department of Physics & Astronomy, CoAS.





http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.catcom.2013.10.012













http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.molstruc.2013.05.059


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• Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.. Acta Crystallogr Sect E: Struct Rep Online, Vol.69, Pt.8 (10 Jul 2013): o1230. Raymond J. Butcher, Solomon Berhe, Alan J. Anderson, Oladapo Bakare.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• ‘Reactions of calix[4]arenes with 1,3-dibromopropane and 1,5-dibromopentane. Identification of products using 1D and 2D NMR techniques, and X-ray crystallography. Journal of Molecular Structure, Available online 1 Oct 2013. Paul F. Hudrlik, Shimelis T. Hailu, Anne M. Hudrlik, Ray J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• 1D coordination polymers formed by tetranuclear lead(II) building blocks with carboxylate ligands: In situ isomerization of itaconic acid. Journal of Solid State Chemistry, Available online 21 Sep 2013. Abhinandan Rana, Swapan Kumar Jana, Sayanti Datta, Raymond J. Butcher, Ennio Zangrando, Sudipta Dalai.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Desvenlafaxinium chloranilate ethyl acetate solvate. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online, Vol.69, Pt.10 (Oct 2013): o1556–o1557. Manpreet Kaur, Jerry P. Jasinski, Raymond J. Butcher, H. S. Yathirajan, K. Byrapp.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Redox reaction between main-group elements (Te, Sn, Bi) and N-heterocyclic-carbene-derived selenium halides: A facile method for the oreparation of monomeric halides. European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry, Vol.2013, No.26 (Sep 2013). Sudesh T. Manjare, Sangeeta Yadav, Harkesh B. Singh and Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Synthesis and crystal structures of four new dihydropyridine derivatives. Journal of Chemical Crystallography, Vol.43, No.8 (2013): 429-442. Jasinski, J.P., Guild, C.J., Pek, A.E., Samshuddin, S., Narayana, B., Yathirajan, H.S., Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Reversible switching of the electronic ground state in a pentacoordinated Cu(ii) complex. Chemical Communications, Vol.49, No.71 (2013): 7806-7808.. Sasmal, A., Saha, S., Gómez-García, C.J., Desplanches, C., Garribba, E., Bauzá, A., Frontera, A., Scott, R., Raymond J. Butcher, Mitra, S. Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Heterocyclic-2-thione derivatives of silver(I): Synthesis, spectroscopy and structures of mono-and di-nuclear silver(I) halide complexes. Journal of Organometallic Chemistry, Available online 23 August 2013. Tarlok S. Lobana, Razia Sultana, Raymond J. Butcher, Jerry P. Jasinski, James A. Golen, Alfonso Castineiras, Kevin Pröpper, Francisco J. Fernandez, M. Cristina Vega.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Photoresponse in arrays of thermoelectric nanowire junctions. Applied Physics Letters, Vol.103, No.4 (2013). 4p. Tito E. Huber, R. Scott, S. Johnson, Tina Brower, J. H. Belk and J. H. Hunt.Department of Physics & Astronomy, CoAS.

• Chemistry of heterocyclic 2-thiones: In situ generation of 3-(2-thiazolin-2-yl)thiazolidine-2-thione and 1,1′-dimethyl-2,2′-diimidazolyl sulfide and their coordination to CuI and CuII. European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry, Vol. 2013, No.24 (Aug 2013). Tarlok S. Lobana, Razia Sultana, Raymond J. Butcher, Alfonso Castineiras, Takashiro Akitsu, Francisco J. Fernandez and M. Cristina Vega.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Square planar Ni(II) complexes of pyridine-4-carbonyl-hydrazine carbodithioate, 1-phenyl-3-pyridin-2-yl-isothiourea and 4-(2-methoxyphenyl)piperazine-1-carbodithioate involving N-S bonding: An approach to DFT calculation and thermal studies. Polyhedron, Vol.63 (Oct 2013): 156-166. Article in Press. Bharati, P., Bharti, A., Bharty, M.K., Maiti, B., Raymond J. Butcher,



http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jssc.2013.09.022

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Singh, N.K.

• Calixarene-based molecular capsule from olefin metathesis. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online, Vol.69, No.7 (2013): o1001-o1002. Shimelis T. Hailu, Raymond J. Butcher, Paul F. Hudrlik, Anne M. Hudrlik.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Square planar Ni (II) complexes of pyridine-4-carbonyl-hydrazine carbodithioate, 1-phenyl-3-pyridin-2-yl-isothiourea and 4-(2-methoxyphenyl)piperazine-1-carbodithioate involving N-S bonding: An approach to DFT calculation and thermal studies. Polyhedron, Available online 19 July 2013. P. Bharati, A. Bharti, M.K. Bharty, B. Maiti, Raymond J. Butcher, N.K. Singh.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Synthesis and crystal structures of four new dihydropyridine derivatives. Journal of Chemical Crystallography, 2013, 14p. Article not published yet, but available online. Jasinski, J.P., Guild, C.J., Pek, A.E., Samshuddin, S., Narayana, B., Yathirajan, H.S., Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• N-Butanoyl-N-(3-chloro-1,4-dioxonaphthalen-2-yl)butanamide. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online, Vol.69, Pt.8 (Aug 2013): o1230. Raymond J. Butcher, Solomon Berhe, Alan J. Anderson and Oladapo Bakare.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Simulations of adsorption of CO2 and CH4 in MOFs: Effect of the size and charge distribution on the selectivity. Journal of Low Temperature Physics, Vol.172, No.3-4 (2013): 274-288. Sidi M. Maiga, Mayra A. Medina, Oluwaseyitan J. Durodola, Silvina Gatica.Department of Physics & Astronomy, CoAS.

• Synthesis and structural aspects of 1-naphthyltellurium(IV) trichloride (1), Bis(mesityl)tellurium(IV) dichloride (2) and Bis(chlorobis(2-thiophenyl)tellurium)oxide (3). Polyhedron, Available online 6 Jul 2013. Poornima Singh, Ashok K.S. Chauhan, Raymond J. Butcher and Andrew Duthie.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• DNA binding/cleavage, antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of water soluble cobalt(II) and copper(II) antipyrine complexes. Inorganica Chimica Acta, Available online 10 July 2013. Subbaiyan Sathiyaraj, Krishnan Sampath, Gunasekaran Raja, Raymond J. Butcher, Sushil K. Gupta and Chinnasamy Jayabalakrishnan.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Mixed-ligand 1,3-diaryltriazenide complexes of ruthenium: Synthesis, structure and catalytic properties. Inorganica Chimica Acta, Available online 3 July 2013. Nabanita Saha Chowdhury, Chhandasi GuhaRoy, Raymond J. Butcher, Samaresh Bhattacharya.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Microwave-assisted synthesis and spasmolytic activity of 4-indolylhexahydroquinoline derivatives. Arzneimittel-Forschung/Drug Research, 2013, Article in Press. El-Khouly, A., Gündüz, M.G., Çengelli, Ç., Şimşek, R., Erol, K., Şafak, C., Yildirim, S., Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Mechanism of silver nanoparticles action on insect pigmentation reveals intervention of copper homeostasis. PLoS One, Vol.8, No.1 (2013): e53186. Najealicka Armstrong1, Malaisamy Ramamoorthy2, Delina Lyon2, Kimberly Jones2, Alanu Duttaroy1.1Department of Biology, CoAS; 2Department of Civil Engineering, CEACS.

• Mechanism of silver nanoparticles action on insect pigmentation reveals intervention of copper homeostasis. PLoS One, Vol.8, No.1 (2013): e53186. Najealicka Armstrong1, Malaisamy

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Ramamoorthy2, Delina Lyon2, Kimberly Jones2, Alanu Duttaroy1.1Department of Biology, CoAS; 2Department of Civil Engineering, CEACS.

• Structural and spectral speciation on methyl 2-(3-(furan-2-carbonyl)thioureido)benzoate: A comparative experimental and theoretical study. Journal of Molecular Structure, Available online 12 June 2013.Durga P. Singh, Seema Pratap, Sushil K. Gupta, Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Structural and spectral speciation on methyl 2-(3-(furan-2-carbonyl)thioureido)benzoate: A Comparative experimental and theoretical study. Journal of Molecular Structure, Available online 12 June 2013, In Press. Durga P. Singh, Seema Pratap, Sushil K. Gupta, Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS

• The effect of C-2 substituents of salicylaldehyde-based thiosemicarbazones on the synthesis, spectroscopy, structures, and fluorescence of Nickel(II) complexes. European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry, 2013, Article first published online. Tarlok S. Lobana, Poonam Kumari, Alfonso Castineiras, Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• A hexaicosametallic copper(ii) phosphonate. Dalton Transactions, Vol.42, No.23 (2013): 8192-8196. Vadapalli Chandrasekhar, D. Sahoo, R.S. Narayanan, Raymond J. Butcher, F. Lloret, E. Pardo.Department of Chemistry, CoAS

• 4-Hydroxy-N-methylbenzamide. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online, Vol.69, No.5 (2013): o738. Jasinski, J.P., St. John, J.P., Raymond J. Butcher, Narayana, B., Yathirajan, H.S., Sarojini, B.K.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Methyl 2-{2-[(2-methylphenoxy)methyl]phenyl}-2-oxoacetate. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online, Vol.69, Pt. 5 (2013): o671. Kaur, M., Raymond J. Butcher, Jasinski, J.P., Yathirajan, H.S., Siddaraju, B.P.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Synthesis, X-ray crystal structures, and spectroscopic, electrochemical, and theoretical studies of MnIII complexes of Pyridoxal Schiff bases with two diamines. European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry, 2013, Early View. Sumita Naskar, Subhendu Naskar, Raymond J. Butcher, Montserrat Corbella, Arturo Espinosa Ferao, Shyamal Kumar Chattopadhyay.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• 2-(3,4-Dichlorophenyl)-N-(1,3-thiazol-2-yl)acetamide. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online, Vol.69, Pt.5 (2013): o645-o646. Nayak, P.S., Narayana, B., Yathirajan, H.S., Jasinski, J.P., Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Thermoelectric phenomena in Bi1-x Sbx nanowires in semimetal and gapless region. Journal of Nanoelectronics and Optoelectronics, Vol.7, No.7 (2012): 671-677. Nikolaeva, A.A., Konopko, L.A., Tito E. Huber, Ansermet, J.-Ph., Popov, I.A. Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Synthesis, X-ray crystal structures, and spectroscopic, electrochemical, and theoretical studies of MnIII complexes of Pyridoxal Schiff bases with two diamines. European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry, No.15 (May 2013). Sumita Naskar, Subhendu Naskar, Raymond J. Butcher, Montserrat Corbella, Arturo Espinosa Ferao and Shyamal Kumar Chattopadhyay.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• 10-Methyl-2-oxo-4-phenyl-2,11-dihydropyrano[2,3-a]carbazole-3-carbonitrile. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online, Vol.69, Pt.6 (Jun 2013): o831. A. Thiruvalluvar, E. Yamuna,b R. Archana, K. J. Rajendra Prasad and Raymond J. Butcher.







http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C3DT00103B

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Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• 7-Methyl-1-phenyl-1,10-dihydropyrazolo[3,4-a]carbazole. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online, Vol.69, Pt.5 (May 2013): o801. R. Archana, E. Yamuna, A. Thiruvalluvar, K. J. Rajendra Prasad, Raymond J. Butcher, S. K. Gupta and S. Öztürk Yildirim

Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Oxidation of carbene-derived selenium diiodide with silver tetrafluoroborate - Isolation of iodonium ion complexes with selones. European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry, Vol.12 (2013): 2161-2166. Manjare, S.T., Singh, H.B., Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• (Z)-4-[2-(2,4-Dimethylphenyl)hydrazinylidene]-3-methylpyrazol-5(1H)-one. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online, Vol.69, Pt.4 (2013): o532. Sarojini, B.K., Mohan, B.J., Narayana, B., Yathirajan, H.S., Jasinski, J.P., Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• A new application of rhodanine as a green sulfur transferring agent for a clean functional group interconversion of amide to thioamide using reusable MCM-41 mesoporous silica, Tetrahedron Letters 54 (2013) 2164-2170, S. Ray, A. Bhaumik, A. Ditta, R.J. Butcher, C. Mukhopadhyay

• Synthesis, spectral and single crystal X-ray diffraction studies on Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes with o-amino acetophenone benzoyl hydrazone , Polyhedron 56 (2013) 71–81 ,V.P.Singh, S. Singh, PSingh, K. Tiwari, M. Mishra, R.J. Butcher

• Enaminones 11. An examination of some ethyl ester enaminone derivatives as anticonvulsant agents, Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry 21 (2013) 3272–3279, M. S. Alexander, K.R. Scott, J. Harkless, R.J. Butcher, and P.Jackson-Ayotunder

• 2-(3,4-Dichlorophenyl)-N-(1,5-dimethyl-3-oxo-2-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)acetamide, Acta Cryst. (2013), E69, 0402-0403, A. Mahan, R.J. Butcher, P.S. Nayak, B. Narayana, and H.S. Yathirajan

• 3,3’-(1-Oxopropane-1,3-diyl) bis(1,3-thiazolidine-2-thione) chlorobenzene hemisolvate, Acta Cryst. (2013), E69, o375,C. Franzel, A. Purdy and R.J. Butcher

• Measurement of the deformation of aluminum alloys under high strain rates using high speed digital cameras. World Journal of Mechanics, Vol.3 (2013): 112-121. Gbadebo Owolabi, Daniel Odoh1, Alex Peterson, Akindele Odeshi, Horace Whitworth.Department of Mechanical Engineering, CEACS.SPR studies

• Cinnarizinium bis(p-toluenesulfonate) dihydrate. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online, Vol.69, Pt.4 (Apr 2013): o485-o486. C. N. Kavitha, Raymond J. Butcher, J. P. Jasinski, H. S. Yathirajan and A. S. Dayananda.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• 2-(2,6-Dichlorophenyl)-N-(1,3-thiazol-2-yl)acetamide. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online, Vol.69, Pt.4 (Apr 2013): o523. P. S. Nayak, B. Narayana, H. S. Yathirajan, J. P. Jasinski, Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• A new application of rhodanine as a green sulphur transferring agent for a clean functional group interconversion of amide to thioamide using reusable MCM-41 mesoporous silica. Tetrahedron Letters, Available online 22 February 2013. Suman Ray, Asim Bhaumik, Arghya Dutta, Raymond J. Butcher, Chhanda Mukhopadhyay.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• 1-(2-Furoyl)-3-(2-methoxy-4-nitrophenyl)thiourea. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S1600536813006661

http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/wjm.2013.32009

http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/wjm.2013.32009

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S1600536813002894


Reports Online, Vol.69, Pt.3 (Mar 2013): o330-o331. S. Pratap, D. P. Singh, S. K. Gupta, S. Ö. Yildirim, Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• 3,3'-(1-Oxopropane-1,3-diyl)bis(1,3-thiazolidine-2-thione) chlorobenzene hemisolvate. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online, Vol.69, Pt.3 (Mar 2013): o375. C. Franzel, A. Purdy, Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS. 2-(3,4-Dichlorophenyl)-N-(1,5-dimethyl-3-oxo-2-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)acetamide. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online, Vol.69, Pt.3 (Mar 2013). E69, o402-o403. A. Mahan, Raymond J. Butcher, P. S. Nayak, B. Narayana, H. S. Yathirajan.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Carbonate-templated self-assembly of an alkylthiolate-bridged cadmium macrocycle. Inorg. Chem., 13 Feb 2013. Wei Lai, Steven M. Berry, William P. Kaplan, Malia S. Hain, John C. Poutsma, Raymond J. Butcher, Robert D. Pike, Deborah C. Bebout.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Light uncages a copper complex to induce nonapoptotic cell death. Chem. Commun., 2013, First published on the web 15 Feb 2013. Anupa A. Kumbhar, Andrew T. Franks, Raymond J. Butcher, Katherine J. Franz.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• + Methyl 2-bromo-3-(4-chloro-benzene-sulfonamido)-benzoate. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports Online, Vol.69, Pt2 (1 Feb 2013): o311. Ahmad Z. Ghafoor1, Brian Chang1, Christopher L. King2, Raymond J. Butcher2, Amol A. Kulkarni1.1College of Pharmacy; 2Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Oxidation of carbene-derived selenium diiodide with silver tetrafluoroborate – Isolation of iodonium ion complexes with selones. European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry, Vol.2013, No.7 (Mar 2013). Sudesh T. Manjare, Harkesh B. Singh. Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Enhanced localized surface plasmon resonance dependence of silver nanoparticles on the stoichiometric ratio of citrate stabilizers. Journal of Nanoparticle Research, Vol.15, No.2 (2013): 13p. Felicia A. McClary1, Shauna Gaye-Campbell2, Andy Yuen Hai Ting2, James W. Mitchell2. 1Department of Chemistry, CoAS; 2Department of Chemical Engineering, CEACS.

• Microwave-assisted facile and expeditive syntheses of phosphorescent cyclometallated iridium(III) complexes. Polyhedron, In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 8 February 2013. Parvej Alam, Inamur Rahaman Laskar, Clàudia Climent, David Casanova, Pere Alemany, Maheswararao Karanam, Angshuman Roy Choudhury, Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Khosro A. Shirvani.Department of Mechanical Engineering, CEACS.

• Synthesis and characterization of novel unsymmetrical and symmetrical 3-halo- or 3-methoxy-substituted 2-dibenzoylamino-1,4-naphthoquinone derivatives. Molecules, Vol.18, No.2 (4 Feb 2013): 1973-84. Yakini Brandy, Nailah Brandy, Emmanuel Akinboye, Malik Lewis, Claudia Mouamba, Seshat Mack, Raymond J. Butcher, Alan Anderson, Oladapo Bakare.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Pseudohalide-controlled assemblies of Copper-Schiff base complexes with an encapsulated sodium ion: Synthesis, crystal structure, and computational studies. European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry, No.4 (2013): 527-536. Maiti, M., Sadhukhan, D., Thakurta, S., Sen, S.,

http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S1600536813003292

http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S1600536813002341

http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S1600536813002341

http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ic302740j

http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C3CC38927H

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11051-013-1442-7

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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/molecules18021973

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Zangrando, E., Raymond J. Butcher, Deka, R.C., Mitra, S.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Synthesis, DNA binding, antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of ruthenium(II) complexes of a Schiff base ligand. Transition Metal Chemistry, 2013: 8p. Articles not published yet, but available online. Sathiyaraj, S., Sampath, K., Raymond J. Butcher, Jayabalakrishnan, C.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Synthesis, spectral characterization and Ligation of N-[2-(Phenylseleno)ethyl]phthalimide. Journal of Crystallization Process and Technology, Vol.3 (2013): 31-34. Rupali Rastogi1, S. K. Srivastava, Shikha Asolia, Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

• Characterization of HgCl2 tridentate amine complexes by X-ray crystallography, NMR and ESI-MS. Journal of Chemical Crystallography, 2013, article not published yet, but available online, 8p. Bebout, D.C., Bowers, E.V., Freer, R.E., Kastner, M.E., Parrish, D.A., Raymond J. Butcher.Department of Chemistry, CoAS.

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6.5.10 Howard University Selected Site Statistics a)Historical Annual Users



Figure 80: Selected Howard University Statistics

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15,571 total hours (10 months)

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6.x5.11 Howard user institions Outside US Academic Small Companies Large Companies

Univ. of MD-Baltimore Epitaxial Technologies Northrop Grumman Cornell University Bluewave Semiconductors The Boeing Company MIT Global Sustainability

Alternatives MITRE Corporation

Harvard University Harris Aesthetics Galluadet University Carnegie Institution of Washington Prince Geroge CC INanoBio State/Federal VPI Ostendo (GaN) Lab Naval Research Lab Duke University NIST University of South Florida Draper Lab Georgetown University Medical Center

Brookhaven National Lab

Lincoln University Night Vision Lab GW University Norfolk State University RPI Rice University University of North Texas Texas A&M University Delaware State University University of Michigan Catholitic University Montgomery CC Univ of District Columbia Georgetown University


6.6 Penn State University Site Report 6.6.1 Site Description and Technical Capabilities The Penn State NNIN site provides users with access to facilities that enable fabrication of a wide range of electrical, optical, and microelectromechanical devices to support fundamental and applied research in diverse fields spanning electronics to medicine. The primary focus of the Penn State Nanofabrication Laboratory within the NNIN is to provide specialized instruments and technical support in the areas of chemical and molecular-scale nanotechnology and complex ferroelectric oxide device micro- and nanofabrication. To support chemical and molecular-scale nanotechnology, we provide self assembled monolayer-based chemical patterning methods and directed self-assembly techniques from Penn State Materials Research Science and Engineering Center. The strong coupling between traditional top-down nanofabrication and bottom-up molecular self assembly provides a unique capability within the NNIN that can be used in applications where it may be necessary to flexibly derivatize surfaces with specific chemical and biological functionality. In addition, our site continues to build on Penn State’s strength in complex ferroelectric oxide material thin film deposition and device processing. We have established a comprehensive and integrated set of instruments to support the more stringent fabrication requirements associated with these material systems, which include Pb-based oxides. We work closely with Penn State faculty in the Smart Materials Integration Laboratory to develop and document robust baseline processes for complex oxide microelectromechanical system (MEMS) devices. The Penn State site has also invested in developing several deposition and processing capabilties that are new to the network, including infrared chalcogenide glasses, nanolithography on curved surfaces, and large area graphene. The specialized technical capabilities offered by the Penn State site were advertised at workshops, technical meetings, and on the NNIN web site.

6.6.2 External and Internal Research Highlights

Gate Oxides for Next Generation Devices: Rayner, Kurt J. Lesker Company, Pittsburgh, PA. Collaboration with Engel-Herbert, Penn State The Penn State NNIN Site and Kurt J. Lesker company have initiated a collaboration to develop a cluster tool to deposit high-k metal gate stacks for high mobility channel transistors. The dual-chamber system enables preparation of pristine semiconductor surfaces and their passivation, while the Plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PE-ALD) system provides state-of-the-art high-k deposition capabilities. Real-time spectroscopic ellipsometry

(SE) was used to determine the effectiveness of the passivation layer in various oxidative environments and the nucleation behavior of subsequent high-k dielectrics (Fig. 81). Low temperature oxidation kinetics of targeted semiconductors is determined at the nanometer level and short time scales.

Figure 81: Real-time SE measurements during deposition of passivation layer and exposure to oxidative environments


Piezoelectric Transistors: Martyna, Newns, Shaw, Copel, Haensch, and Theis, IBM, Yorktown Heights, NY. Collaboration with Trolier-McKinstry, Penn State

IBM is investigating a new, low power switch technology with the potential to augment or replace Si CMOS transistors. The approach uses a piezoelectric actuator to apply a pressure to a piezoresistor to drive an insulator-to-metal phase transformation. Analysis predicts this technology will enable an order of magnitude increase in clock frequency, coupled with a 10 – 100

times decrease in the power. Work at the Penn State NNIN Site has concentrated on development of piezoelectric film growth and patterning procedures (Fig.82). Deposition of the piezoelectric layer 0.7PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3 – 0.3PbTiO3 was scaled to 8”, and was shown to produce the required output strains. Switch performance was confirmed using SmSe piezoresistors.

Tailoring Dispersion for Broadband Low-Loss Optical Metamaterials using Deep-Subwavelength Inclusions : Jiang, Yun, Lin, Werner, Mayer, Penn State, University Park, PA Metamaterials have the potential to create optical devices with new and diverse functionalities based on novel wave phenomena such as negative refraction and cloaking. Most practical optical systems require that the device properties must be tightly controlled over a broad wavelength range. However, optical metamaterials are inherently dispersive, which limits operational bandwidths and leads to high absorption losses. At the Penn State NNIN Site, we fabricated a metallodielectric fishnet structures with deep-subwavelength nano-notch inclusions to controllably tailor the dispersive effective medium parameters over a broad optical band, while also maintaining a matched impedance and high transmission as the index varied from n = -1 to +1 (Fig. 83). This principle was applied to create an optically thin mid-wave infrared filter with a broad transmissive pass-band and nearly constant group delay. Scientific Reports 3, 1571 (2013)

Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory: Schwartz, McMuldroch, and Reid. Collaboration with Trolier-McKinstry and Jackson, Penn State Next generation X-ray space telescopes are being developted to study the origins of the universe. To increase the X-ray collection area without degrading angular resolution, piezoelectric cells are patterned on the back side of the slumped glass substrates to permit post-fabrication adjustment of figure errors. The Penn State NNIN Site sputter deposited a stack of Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)0.99Nb0.01O3/ Pt/Ti on Corning Eagle

Figure 82: Left: Illustration of X-ray space telescope and photograph of piezoelectric cells. Right: Comparison of measured and modeled deflection versus position for one piezoelectric cell.

Figure 83: Left: FESEM image of broadband dispersion-engineered metamaterial filter with deep-subwavelength inclusions. Right: Measured and modeled transmission/reflection along with corresponding effective medium dispersion

Figure 84: Left: Schematic of piezoelectric transistor. Right: FESEM image of patterned piezoelectric structure that confirms improvements in properties with lateral scaling


glass substrates slumped to a 220 mm radius of curvature (Fig 84 ). A top electrode array was patterned by flood exposure through a flexible mask. Performance that meets all of the requirements for future telescopes has been demonstrated.

6.6.3 Facilities, Acquisitions, and Operations Facilities: The Nanofabrication Laboratory is housed within the newly constructed 275,600 gross sq. ft. Millennium Science Complex (MSC) located on the University Park central campus (Fig. 85). This building has brought together the core user instrument laboratories and the faculty/center research laboratories that support our NNIN focus areas. The move into the Nanofabrication Laboratory Cleanroom was completed in July 2012. The Laboratory comprises a 10,000 sq. ft. class 100/1000 cleanroom with an additional 6500 sq. ft. of non-clean support space beneath the cleanroom. The cleanroom includes areas of Class E vibration and less than 0.1 millgauass EMI to accommodate the Vistec 5200 electron-beam

lithography system. Ultraclean water (ASTM E1.1) and clean CDA (-80 F dewpoint) are provided throughout the laboratory. One bay in the cleanroom is maintained at low humidity and single path air flow to accommodate piezoelectric materials deposition. System exhausts are routed, based on chemistry, to three waste treatment systems. A Honeywell system monitiors process gas flow throughout the facility.

The MSC building also houses the Penn State Materials Characterization Laboratory. This laboratory provides user access to nanocharacterization instruments, including a state-of-the-art Titan TEM, FESEM, XPS, XRD, and other analytical and spectroscopy tools. Individual investigator and center focused labs make up the rest of the MSC. These labs provide further capabilities for materials fabrication, integration, and characterization.

Acquisitions: Several new instruments have been added to the Penn State NNIN site over the last year, and funding has been secured for instruments that will be installed in 2014. The new instruments bring significant improvements in deposition. The tools and capabilities are described below:

• Kurt J. Lesker ALD-150LX Atomic Layer Deposition system: A fully automated, single wafer plasma assisted atomic layer deposition (PEALD) system configured for use with substrates up to 150mm in diameter was installed in September 2013. Key features of this load locked tool include remote plasma capability, fast cycle times, analytical ports for in situ real-time analysis, and a high vacuum sample preparation chamber. The plasma capability has expanded the materials base available at Penn State Site to include metals and nitrides. Processes are currently being developed to support plasma surface modification and dielectric/metal deposition.

• Kurt J. Lesker ALD-150LX Atomic Layer Deposition system and sample preparation chamber: DURIP funds were used to purchase a second fully automated PEALD system with 150 mm substrate diameter capabilities. This system is configured with an integrated high-vacuum sample preparation chamber with an atomic H2 cracking source, a Si sublimation source, and REED characterization capabilites. This system will be installed Jan 2014.

• Kurt J. Lesker ALD-150LE system: DURIP funding was used to purchase this computer controlled,

Figure 85 Photographs of the Millennium Science Complex Building (left), sub-fab support space (middle), and deposition bay in the cleanroom (right).


stand-alone thermal ALD system that accommodates substrates up to 150 mm in diameter. Traditional high-κ films such as HfO2 and Al2O3 are being deposited in this system. The system was installed in July 2013, and is currently producing high quality high-κ films of Al2O3 and HfO2.

• Kurt J. Lesker PVD 75: State funding was used to purchase a multi-source thermal evaporation system to deposit chalcogenide thin films, including phase change materials. This load locked system with four independently controlled thermal sources is capable of accommodating wafers up to 150mm. The substrate stage has rotation, water cooling, and biasing capabilities. This system was installed in December 2013 and processes are currently being developed.

• Ultra Sonic Systems Incorporated Prism 300 High Performance Spray Coater: The Prism is a nozzle-less ultrasonic spray coater that is capable of spray coating resist and other materials on a variety of substrates ranging from small pieces to 8 inch wafers. It is configured with a syringe type precision metering pump that allows for easy switching of spray materials. The system has an X-Y-Z motion with spray head rotation. There are 2 hotplates in the tool allowing for coating at a controlled temperature and soft baking inside the ventilated cabinet. Processes have been developed to coat resists such as SPR3012 and ZEP520A on planar and curved-surface substrates.

• Electron Beam Lithography Fracture Computer: This high-performance system has been optimized for quick and efficient preparation of files for electron beam lithography. This system includes LayoutBeamer by GenISys, L-Edit by Tanner and the job file creation GUI software for the Vistec EBPG5200.

Operations: Oversight of the Penn State NNIN site is provided by the Materials Research Institute, which was established in 1996 to support interdisciplinary materials and device research and outreach to industry. The unit reports directly to the Vice President for Research and brings shared resources including information technology, outreach, and web design personnel as well as professionals who have experience coordinating workshops and industrial outreach events.

6.6.4 Education, Outreach and SEI Education: The Penn State Nanofabrication Laboratory undertook activities to: (1) introduce K-12 students to nanotechnology, nanofabrication, career opportunities, and educational pathways; (2) provide training to teachers about the discipline of experimental sciences and enhance their enthusiasm for having students pursue careers in science; and (3) provide hands-on nanotechnology summer research with state-of-the-art equipment for undergraduate students.

K-12: The NNIN sponsored booths at Kid’s Day Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts 2013. The NNIN staff, IREG and REU students trained Upward Bound High School students to oversee booths that spanned eleven different nanotechnology and material science themes. Over 8000 attendees visited the booth and over 1000 kids participated in the activities. NNIN also participated in Nanodays that was held at the Discovery Space Museum.

Undergraduate: Penn State hosted 6 undergraduate students for the summer NNIN REU program. In addition to training students to operate the equipment necessary to complete their summer projects, the students participated in weekly professional development training, weekly seminars, a Penn State symposium with several REU programs, and the NNIN convocation. The REU program supported 3 women and 2 underrepresented minority students.The NNIN also participated at the Penn State STEM Fall 2013, which hosted 32 undergraduates to encourage them to enroll in graduate school.

Graduate: Penn State hosted two IREG Japanese students for the summer who conducted their research projects in the Nanofabrication and Characterization Laboratories. The IREG students participated in professional development training, weekly seminars, and community outreach events.


Post Graduate: Penn State hosted an LEF professor that completed an 8 week research project in the Nanofabrication and Characterization Laboratories. Penn State staff provided training and guidance on the instruments. The LEF professor also interfaced with faculty working in various research centers on campus to identify potential areas for future collaboration and student exchange.

Workforce Development: The Pennsylvania Nanofabrication Manufacturing Technology (PNMT) program offered an 18 credit capstone semester to associate and baccalaureate students from across PA. The defining feature of the partnership is the sharing of the nanofabrication facilities, staff, and faculty at Penn State with educational partners across the Commonwealth. The Nanotechnology Applications and Career Knowledge network (NACK) held two types of workshops, twice throughout the year. The workshops are for hands-on introduction of nanotechnology for educators and curriculum delivery for faculty.

Outreach: The Penn State NNIN site continues outreach activities to inform potential users in academia, national laboratories, and industry of our general technical capabilities and specific focus areas. Our user outreach activities for 2013 are summarized below:

• Tradeshow/Conference displays: Materials Day was attended by 80 small and large companies. Penn State hosted a Plasma Therm workshop with over 40 in attendance. A PA-industry open house was held to attract new external users to the NNIN facilities. Over 70 were in attendance.

• Facility Tours: The Penn State NNIN provided numerous tours of the Nanofabrication and Materials Characterization Laboratories in the MSC building. Education and community tours were given to Centre County Youth Service Bureau, Alumni, College Advisory Boards, Learning Factory, Foundry Education Foundation,Lion Ambassadors, and Bureau of Alternative Fuel Taxes and Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, Upward Bound, Office of Development, State College Area School District and Tyrone School District. There were over 50 tours given in 2013, with over 850 participants. Organized tours were also provided during the Plasma Therm Workshop, the Industry Open House, and the Materials Day conference.

• Industrial Visits: The Penn State NNIN site was described at nanotechnology-focused industrial and government visits: Volvo, Philips Ultrasound, Actuated Medical, Bedford Materials, Containment Solutions, Cannon Instrument Co, TE Connectivity, 4-Wave, Plasma Therm, Merck, Halliburton, Kurt Lesker, Advantiv, ATI Firth Sterling, Kyocera Corporation, GEMS EMS, Smart Micro Systems, and Government Officials. These visits were attended by scientists, engineers, and executives.

SEI: The Penn State NNIN site provides SEI material during the User Orientation sessions. The material includes a slide show and a reader entitled “Overview of the Etchical Dimensions of Scientific Research,” authored by Dr. Erich Schienke, Assistant Professor of Science, Technology and Society at Penn State. The material is formatted for iPads and other tablet devices for easy viewing. In collaboration with Dr. Richard Doyle, a Professor of Rhetoric and Science Studies in the English Department.

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6.6.5 Penn State Selected Statistics a)Historical Annual Users



Figure 86: Selected Penn State Site Statistics

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6.6.6 Penn State User Institutions Outside US Academics Small US Companies Large US Companies Alfred University Actuated Medical, Inc. Air Products Bucknell University Advanced Cooling Technologies, Inc Alcoa Technology Carnegie Mellon University AdvantechUS, Inc Construction Specialties, Inc. Case Western Reserve Univ. AGR International Inc Corning Inc Clarion University of PA American Piezo GE Energy Drexel University Bridge Semiconductor Corp IBM Lorain County Community College

Ehrenberg Industries Materion Barr Precision Optics & Thin Film Coatings, Inc

Indiana Univ. of Pennsylvania FabEx LLC Northrop Grumman Corp Marshall University Ferric Semiconductor, Inc. Philips Healthcare Penn State Electro Optics Flexible Medical Systems, LLC PPG Industries Inc Rochester Inst. of Technology Kerdea Technologies Inc. Saudi Basic Industries Corp. Univ.of California, Riverside Mount Joy Wire Corporation STERIS Corporation Univ. of Michigan Novasentis, Inc. (Strategic Polymer

Sciences, Inc.) Tyco Electronics

Univ. of Minnesota, Twin Cities Promerus, LLC Northrop Grumman Corp University of Pittsburgh Pyrotek, Inc. Virginia Tech RJ Lee Group International West Virginia Univ. Rogosky Nanotechnology Consulting Ben-Gurion University of the

Negev Semilab USA LLC Institute of Metal Research, CAS SilcoTek Corporation University of Dundee SiO2 Medical Products Spectrum Devices SRI International State of the Art Titan Spine, LLC Tornado Spectral Systems TRS Technologies


6.7 Stanford University Site Report 6.7.1 Overview The Stanford Nanofabrication Facility is a 10,000 sq. ft. cleanroom located in the Paul G. Allen building on the Stanford campus in continuous operation since 1985. We have operated as an open, shared resource through NNUN and NNIN since 1994. SNF’s expertise encompasses a broad range of micro- and nanofabrication tools and techniques as applied to wide range of research areas. Over the years, as research interests evolved, so has our equipment set and processes. In 2013, SNF has expanded with the addition of two satellite labs: the nano Structures Integration Lab (nSiL) which offer flexible resources for surface and nanostructure chemistry, and the Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) Lab offering GaAs films. The first laboratory was constructed by an ARI-R2 grant through NSF in 2012 and is now fully operational. The infrastructure renovation of the main clean room in 2012, largely funded by the ARI-R2 grant, has made the installation of new tools much easier. Stanford has continued to invest in SNF’s safety and security over the past year. Meanwhile, we continued our focus on K-12 and undergraduate students through NNIN’s education and outreach program. Prof. Robert McGinn has continued his research to assess and inform the SNF user community of the ethical implications of nanotechnology.

6.7.2 Research Highlights This year, SNF labmembers have amassed some 600 published papers in archival journals, refereed conference papers, patent applications, and patents. Here are a few highlights.

• Photonic Nanocavities for Studying Cells. The Jelena Vuckovic, James Harris, and Sanjit Gambhir research groups at Stanford published a paper in Nano Letters demonstrating photonic nanocavities operating inside single biological cells. These nanocavities were used as in vitro label-free protein sensors to detect streptavidin without damage to the cells themselves. The semiconductor probes emit photoluminescence from embedded quantum dots. These probes were first fabricated using traditional wafer processing techniques, then removed from their substrates using an epoxy-based technique to enable single cell insertion of a single probe mounted on the tip of an optical fiber. These results show an important intersection between photonic nanocavities with cell biology. The SNF lithography, patterning, and atomic layer

Figure 87: Shambat, et al, Photonic nanocavities inserted in a cancer cell. Nano Letters, 13, 499, Feb. 6, 2013.


deposition capabilities were critical to the creation of the probes.

• Carbon Nanotube Computer. In a paper in Nature, the Philip Wong and Subhasish Mitra groups at Stanford University demonstrated the first working carbon nanotube computer. This demonstration is a critical point on the path to the elusive reality of carbon nanotube electronics. The fabrication of the transistor showcases the exciting directions that research can go when new materials and techniques are integrated into traditional processing steps. In this case, highly aligned CNTs were grown on a quartz wafer from using an iron catalyst and then transferred to the silicon substrate. The process was designed specifically to be compatible with conventional CMOS processing. Key elements to compatibility include being immune to precise placement of the CNTs on the wafer and the chirality of the CNTs. This is done by first transferring CNTs to a CMOS transistor and then pulsing a current to remove the semiconducting CNTs from the circuit. The resulting logic gates were used to successfully perform the basic functions of a programmable arithmetic logic unit.

• DNA Entropy in Nanogaps. While co-advising a student at UC Berkeley, Prof. Chia-Fu Chou, from National Tsing-Hua University in Taiwan, received a CIS seed grant, which funded the fabrication of fluidic devices to study the entropic behavior of DNA. The micro/nanofluidic interface is a tool that is used to study polymer dynamics and the entropy driven molecular tug-of-war of single biopolymers. Microchannels are connected by a nano slit and the biopolymer is evaluated as it is stretched across, while the ends move in each of the microchannels. SNF was used to construct channels with varying slit lengths and channel heights. In the paper published in Nano Letters, Prof. Chou addresses the problem of polymer dynamics, particularly for DNA, which has implications for device design for single molecule analysis as well as other biotechnical and polymer transport studies.

Figure 88: Upper: Electron micrograph of the CNT’s integrated into the transistors. Lower: Schematic of the fabrication process.


6.7.3 Facility and Equipment The core of SNF is the 10,000 sq. ft. cleanroom housing over 100 tools that support silicon and other substrate processing. Building infrastructure projects, partly funded by NSF through an ARI-R2 grant in 2012, have created new labs which are designated as open, shared facilities under the management of SNF. These infrastructure upgrades within the cleanroom have also facilitated installation of new tools.

6.7.3.1 Facility • The Nano Structures Integration Lab (nSiL) was conceived

as a shared user facility that would enable “bottom-up” nanotechnology to be applied to tackle some of the major societal challenges, such as energy generation and storage, cancer treatment, and point-of-care disease detection. The solution to these problems may likely lie at the intersection points between different science and engineering disciplines. The beauty of the shared user facility is that it brings together researchers from diverse backgrounds. Even though we have only been open for one year, we have seen some great beginnings of cross-pollination. We have new groups of researchers from the Departments of Structural Biology (Stanford Medical School) and Chemical Engineering, the Stanford Genome Technology Center, the Laboratory of Stem Cell and Biomaterials Engineering, and the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine. Nearly 50 researchers made use of nSiL last year, with about 40% working on projects in the life or biomedical sciences. In addition to housing several hoods and a glovebox, nSiL has acquired an instrument suite that consists of a Cytoviva Hyperspectral Imaging System, a Jasco UV-Vis-NIR Spectrophotometer, and a Malvern Dynamic Light Scattering system with capability to do zeta potential measurements of particles suspended in liquid as well as solid surfaces.

• The Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) lab was originally established 5 years ago as an individual investigator lab serving only few faculty. Over the last year, it has expanded to serve SNF labmembers, including non-Stanford researchers. Dr. Xiaoqing Xu (right), who is finishing up her post-doctoral appointment under Prof. Philip Wong, will be taking the position as Manager for the MOCVD Lab. This will be an open, shared-use lab operated under the auspices of SNF. Plans are underway to upgrade the MOCVD lab infrastructure to accommodate a new Aixtron MOCVD system capable of depositing gallium nitride on a variety of substrates, including silicon. By the end of 2014, this satellite lab will be offering GaN and GaAs MOCVD deposition capabilities to Stanford and non-Stanford researchers interesting in exploring these films. These advanced systems are rarely found in an academic setting; being managed as a shared resource will make this technology available to researchers everywhere.

Figure 89: Michelle Rincon, Ph.D., manages nSiL, which operates as an SNF satellite.

Figure 90: Xiaoqing Xu, Ph.D., manages MOCVD Lab, which operates as an SNF satellite.


• The Safety & Security Project was sponsored by Stanford EH&S in April of 2012 for $2.1M, Phase I of this safety improvement program has just been completed. This phase included three key projects:

1. New automated process gas cabinets were installed replacing existing manual systems. These new cabinets are compliant with current code requirements and contain up-to-date features, such as autopurge panels, PLC controls and remote monitoring. Not only are these much safer from a maintenance and facility standpoint, but monitoring capability enables better prediction of gas usage so we can better plan ahead for long lead-time items.

2. Video monitoring system. HD cameras were installed throughout the cleanroom and surrounding areas to enable remote monitoring in case of emergencies. With pan/tilt/zoom capability, they will find every day use for remote training and lab tours.

3. Four new wet benches with FM-rated, fire resistant materials were installed this year. We took this opportunity to redesign these benches improve the ergonomics and user safety. This redesign also allowed us to redefine processing standards and protocols that accommodates a broader range of materials, chemistries, and process flexibility.

6.7.3.2 Equipment • New ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) Systems.

The SNF has added Molecular Vapor Deposition (MVD) capability. There are promising areas of research in Self Aligned Monolayer (SAMs) systems that can be used for a variety of purposes from creating super hydrophobic surfaces to providing interfaces between electrical devices and bacteria. The MVD system at SNF is a modified Ultratech/Cambridge Nanotech Savannah tool, which has its process chamber enclosed in an MBraun Glovebox. Fiji3 is the latest in the Plasma Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition (PE-ALD) capability that has come online in the SNF. The ALD demand in the lab has approximately doubled over the past year, so Fiji3 will provide much-needed capacity to many of our researchers. The goal for Fiji3 is to produce high quality dielectric films so ALD can be used for critical layers in a variety of devices. To that end, the tool will be dedicated to dielectrics only and segregated from the processing of conductive films and novel materials that are allowed to run

Figure 91: New process gas cabinets, installed as part of the safety & security upgrade of SNF.

Figure 92: New fire-resistant wet benches, part of the safety & security upgrade.

Figure 93: New Fii ALD system, one of five ALD systems at SNF.


concurrently with dielectric films on Fiji2. Fiji3 came online late last year but is already showing promising film quality for critical biomolecular interfaces. Fiji3 is an Ultratech/Cambridge Nanotech Fiji system.

• Silicon and Germanium Epitaxy. Applied Materials, Inc. generously donated materials and labor required for the installation of a second epitaxial deposition system chamber to our existing AMAT Centura system. The original system has been consistently one of the top three most highly utilized tools in the lab. This increased capacity provides some backup capacity to reduce disruptions to research efforts and also allows segregation of silicon and germanium processing to ensure higher film quality.

• SPTS Vapor HF Microetch System. Acquired through collaboration with Bosch Research in Palo Alto, this system provides fast, reproducible, dry silicon oxide etching. In the two months following installation, over forty people became qualified users.

• Analytical Tools. SNF and nSiL have acquired several analytical tools this year through funding by the Nano Shared Facilities program and collaborative research efforts. The Taylor-Hobson CCI-HD is an optical profilometer imager with thick and thin semitransparent film measurement capability (photo at right.) The Sinton Lifetime tester was acquired through a solar member company and is proving invaluable for characterizing bulk material, film, and interface quality. The Jasco UV-VIS-NIR spectrophotometer is being used primarily by our photovoltaic research groups at this time. The NIR capability is critical to evaluating the properties of silver nanowires and that are being used for semi-transparent organic photovoltaics. The UV end of the spectrophotometer range is being used to characterize the bandgap of films that will be used to create third generation photovoltaics to drive efficiency up and costs down. The concept of UV-VIS-NIR is not new, but the instrument users are thrilled to have access to a robust system in a shared user facility. The Malvern Zetasizer Nano ZSP is a Dynamic Light Scattering system that we offer to researchers. The equipment uses light scattering to detect the sizes and zeta potentials of nanomaterials suspended in solution. We have researchers with interests as diverse as biology and medicine to alternative energy using the instrument. One research group is evaluating treatment of DNA with nanoparticles, while another is studying the physiochemical behavior of cancer cells as they are treated with drugs. There is also a researcher who is using the same equipment to evaluate graphene modifications for use as potential energy sources. It has also been a great tool to reach out to new labmembers, who are joining the facility for the DLS but are asking lots of questions about other capabilities. The Cytoviva is a new analytical system that provides a powerful new capability to researchers studying nanoparticles. The optical microscope is coupled with powerful software which enables

Figure 94: Upper: Two students from Germany, on a research internship, are testing out the new Taylor-Hobson CCI-HD optical profilometer/thin film imaging measure-ment system. Lower: Niharika Bedekar, an under-graduate researcher in the lab of Prof. Adam de la Zerda (School of Medicine), is using the nSiL CytoViva hyperspectral imaging system to study nanoparticle uptake in cells


researchers to study the spectra of materials pixel by pixel on the image. This allows the detection of whether or not nanomaterials have been successfully functionalized, as well as enables tracking of nanomaterials over larger surface areas (in tissue, for example). In one afternoon, new researchers from the Medical School collected the same information that used to take months of painstaking, intensive work using TEM.

6.7.4 Site Usage and Promotion Activities

6.7.4.1 Shared Nano Facilities Open House SNF (with its focus on fabrication), with the Stanford Nanocharacterization Facility (focus on analysis), and the Stanford Nano Center (focus on nano patterning), make up the Shared Nano Facilities at Stanford University. These three facilities serve more than 100 Stanford faculty, their students, and nearly 100 partners which include other universities, large companies, and startups. Last June, the Stanford Nano Shared Facilities held an open house, inviting their members and guests to tour the facilities, see demos, and talk with staff scientists and engineers. About 150 visitors pre-registered with many unregistered guests also in attendance. Although these labs were originally conceived with independent mandates and span various functions across three different schools, our tools, skills, and knowledge are proving to be increasingly complementary as more users engage in interdisciplinary research. The Stanford Nano Shared Facilities Committee meets routinely to coordinate technology and tool priorities and allocate funding accordingly. The Jasco, Malvern and Cytoviva systems in the nSiL were acquired through the Nano Shared Facilities fund.

6.7.4.2 CIS New User Seed Grants The Industrial Affiliates of the Center for Integrated Systems at Stanford generously fund the “CIS New User Grant” program which provides seed grants to researchers interested in exploring nanofabrication methods at SNF. Preference is given to women and minorities, researchers from outside of Stanford, and projects in non-traditional research areas. Here are some of the projects that were completed or resulted in publications this year.

• Unyoung (Ashley) Kim is an Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at Santa Clara University, where she is the Director of the Biological Microtechnology Laboratory. Prof. Kim’s CIS seed grant allowed her to create an electrochemical DNA sensor integrated with fluidic concentrator channels used for the sequence-specific detection of pathogens.

• Audrey Ellerbee is an Assistant Professor at Stanford with a joint appointment in Electrical Engineering and Biophysics. Her CIS seed grant funded the work of three students who created a calibrated, optical phantom used for 3D characterization of optical coherence tomography systems. Their work was published in Biomedical Optics Express. 2013 July 1; 4(7): 1166–1175.

• While co-advising a student at Berkeley, Prof. Chia-Fu Chou, from Academia Sinica, received a CIS seed grant which funded the fabrication of fluidic devices containing nanoslits. This structure was used to study the dependency of entropy on nanoconfinement of single DNA molecules. This work (Nano Lett. 2012, 12, 1597−1602) was featured as a Nature Highlight.

Figure 95: Open House tour of SNF. Cleanroom protocols were relaxed during the event allowing visitors to see and experience the lab.


• Jennifer Lu, Assistant Professor in Electrical Engineering at UC Merced, was awarded a grant to study the effect of patterned substrates on the alignment of polymer nanowires for application to hybrid energy conversion. Such higher ordered structures are thought to confer higher efficiency conversion of NIR light to mechanical energy.

• Ming Wu, Professor of Electrical Engineering at UC Berkeley, received a CIS seed grant that allowed his student to learn how to perform an aluminum-germanium eutectic bonding process to bond two substrates, one containing silicon devices and the other, photonics components.

• Luke Theogarajan, Associate Prof. of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UCSB, received a grant to fabricate devices to support graphene nanopores for robust biomolecular detection platform.

6.7.5 Commercialization Activities SNF measures success by its graduates – not only students who are prepared to become technical leaders, but companies, which go on to create products that make the world a better place. Recent successes of SNF member companies this year include Unity Semiconductor, acquired by Rambus , and Grandis, acquired by Samsung. Less frequent, and more notably, a member company goes on to build its products in a foundry or even build its own lab. Solar Junction, for example, developed the world’s most efficient CPV devices at SNF and then went on to built manufacturing plants in California. The SNF is just one stepping stone in the long pathway to commercialization, but comes at a critical time in any company’s development.

For budding entrepreneurs, SNF hosts quarterly “Venture Clinics” by Shahin Farschi, of Lux Capital Ventures and Gavin McCraley, of Morrison and Foerster, with frequent guest appearances from Applied Materials Ventures. It’s an open workshop forum where attendees can learn about the stages of building a company or get contacts and advice for their ideas.

For the more mature startup, Stanford is joining forces with Berkeley to engage in a virtual technology transfer exercise with TSI Semiconductors, USA, a development foundry co-located in the Bay Area. In 2012 TSI acquired the assets of SVTC, inc. which had been the go-to service for companies whose novel technologies could not find a home in more conventional semiconductor foundry services. This cross-mapping of fabrication processes from university labs to commercial fab not only benefits prospective startups, but also educates us academics about how to provide more robust, reproducible processes that will benefit our labmembers.

More information is available in the press release: http://coe.berkeley.edu/news-center/press-releases/berkeley-and-stanford-launch-nanofabrication-partnership-with-tsi-semiconductors.html

6.7.6 Education Contributions

6.7.6.1 Undergraduate and K-12 Efforts Last year SNF participated in many different educational and outreach activities, both network-wide programs and local activities.

• Research Experience for Undergraduates: SNF hosted six NNIN Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) students last summer, including five women. Also, two previous SNF REU students participated in the NNIN International REU program. One particularly interesting project this year was: “Identifying the Biomechanical Effects of UV Resistant Molecules and Nanoparticles on Human

Figure 96: 2013 SNF REU students

http://coe.berkeley.edu/news-center/press-releases/berkeley-and-stanford-launch-nanofabrication-partnership-with-tsi-semiconductors.html

http://coe.berkeley.edu/news-center/press-releases/berkeley-and-stanford-launch-nanofabrication-partnership-with-tsi-semiconductors.html


Skin,” utilizing cadavers from the medical school. Lab fees for the students was provided by Stanford’s Center for Integrated Systems, an industrial affiliate program made up of 17 partner companies in the micro and nanoelectronic community.

• NanoTeach Program: In the 5 year NanoTeach program, funded by NSF through a DLR grant and by NNIN, and also involving the Georgia Tech site and Mid-continent Research for Learning and Teaching (McREL), SNF has been helping to develop and test a combination of workshop and online professional development experiences for high school science teachers. The goal is for the teachers to learn about nanoscience and how to incorporate it into their science classes. SNF staff were at Denver for the followup workshop to the Field Test program in June with 40 of the high school teachers from throughout the country who participated in the Field Test. SNF staff contributed technical content expertise, technical presentations, and hands-on demos. SNF also provided content advice to the 100 teachers across the country participating in the program as well as provided expertise in the assessment component.

• NanoExperience Program: SNF was also involved in a program, also funded by NSF (iTEST) through McREL and by NNIN, entitled “NanoExperience to Career Pathways.” This program teaches high school students about nanoscale science and technology and about career paths using after-school meetings and short summer internships and/or job shadowing experiences and visits to nanoscience companies in the Denver area. In the second year of this 3 year program SNF participated by conducting an intensive remote interaction activity from Stanford to the students in Denver. This included teaching the students about nanofabrication techniques, giving them a live web tour of the SNF cleanroom, and having the students interview students, process staff, maintenance staff about career oportunities in academic environments. We also provided extensive content and assessment assistance to the program.

• Summer Institute for Middle School Teachers and NanoDays: SNF again participated in the week-long Summer Institute for Middle School Teachers, organized by the NSEC Center for Probing the Nanoscale, and also teamed up with them for NanoDays activities in which several classes visited Stanford’s nanotechnology facilities for tours, presentations, and hands-on activities and demos.

• Class Visits: SNF hosted numerous local school groups, including middle schools, high schools, and our local community college, for presentations, demonstrations and tours of the facility. For these we have develped a photolithograpy demonstration/activity in which photograph images are etched into silicon wafers for the students. The students view this from our auditorium via our remote-interaction web cameras, and also talk with the staff and researches in the cleanroom. Among

Figure 97: Remote interaction activity between SNF staff at Stanford and NanoExperience students in Denver.

Figure 98: St. Francis Youth Club visit to SNF.


those visiting this year were classes from the Cesar Chavez Academy in San Jose and the St. Francis Youth Club in East Palo Alto, and even an international visit from a all-female class at Townley Grammar School in London who spent the day learning about educational and career opportunities in nanoscience and technology.

6.7.6.2 Continuing Education • SNF hosted a symposium with Plasmatherm on research applications of advanced etching.

Open to all, the event attracted over 90 registrants from area industry and universities as well as Stanford to hear 6 speakers, non-Stanford professors engaged in advanced electronic, MEMS, and materials research.

• Taylor-Hobson held a seminar and workshop on optical profilometry. Attendees were invited to bring difficult samples to measure. This is only the first in a series of such events, as SNF’s relationship with Taylor-Hobson continues to develop.

• Last Spring, Ted Kamins, consulting professor, held a series of informal, directed discussions on chemical vapor deposition covering the equipment, process, analytical methods, and applications. This was wildly popular, often with standing room only. These seminars were formally organized into a seminar series, EE292C, held in the Fall of 2013.

• SNF hosted a session of the Edwards Vacuum Course, an essential for any student working hands-on with vacuum systems.

Stanford and Malvern hosted a 1-day class on Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) in August 2013. The course was designed to teach users about the fundamentals of DLS as well as help researchers understand the impact of the data that is collected in DLS measurements. The course was geared to both new and advanced users and attendees were encouraged to bring samples for the practical portion of the course where the Malvern experts helped analyze samples. The course was very well attended with 67 registered attendees and even more attending over the course of the day. The participants came from diverse backgrounds that not only included a range of Stanford departments like EE, the Stanford Genome Center, and Structural Biology but also included three other universities and 16 different companies.

6.7.7. Computation Contributions

6.7.7.1 User Statistics The Stanford NNIN computational continued to provide high-level support to the research community by offering the usage of various scientific codes installed on our cluster and by providing education and training sessions, WebEx seminars and individual consultations to students from academic institutions and the industrial community in Silicon Valley. A wide variety of simulation tools are currently installed

Figure 99: Attendees at the Malvern workshop on dynamic light scattering


including atomistic and device simulations aiming for a broad range of applications in chemistry, biology, physics, materials sciences, electrical engineering, biological engineering, and chemical engineering.

The NNIN/C Computational Facility consist of a 64 node, 512 CPU Linux computer cluster upgraded 2 years ago, which resulted in increased research activity and scientific publications last year. In the year of 2013 it supported 29 users, of which 21 were internal and 8 external. To calculate the total number of users in the past years we have separately added the users who seek appointment for advise/consulting on individual or group projects (30 internal and 21 external), and discussion an education training session participants. In addition our special WebEx seminar broadcasted in October 2013 had 30 internal and 33 external participants. Overall, we had 143 computational and training users in 2013.

6.7.7.2 Training and Educational Activities On the training and educations side our focus is on bringing up to date information and expertise to solve the scientific and engineering problems researchers and students encounter at various length- and timescales. It is getting inherently difficult to characterize and solve a problem with a single simulation tool, therefore identifying the optimal set of tools, their specific capabilities and how to connect the various types of codes, had been in the center of our attention in 2013.

Dr. Blanka Magyari-Köpe organized a special NNIN/C seminar on the emergent topic of tunnel FET devices, which was also broadcasted through WebEx. The presentation’s title was “Studying Quantum Transport for Future Nano-CMOS Applications: A Look at the Tunnel Field-effect Transistor (TFET) and Beyond” and was given by Dr. William Vandenberghe, from University of Texas at Dallas.

30 people attended in person at Stanford University, including industry representatives from Intermolecular and Quantum Wise, and 33 people registered online to attend the webinar. The webinar attendees were both academic and industrial, and included international participants from Europe and Japan. The participants affiliations were Intel, IBM, Synopsys, Sandia National Labs, AMAT, TEL, CEA France, IMEC, TEL, SLAC, Micron, Purdue University, Toshiba. Dr. Blanka Magyari-Köpe worked with Dr. Behrouz Shiari, who shared his prior experience with webinars at the NNIN/C Michigan site and helped with the banner preparation. Also the webinar advertisement went through the computational NNIN network and was advertised locally at Purdue (Prof. Ale Strachan), Michigan (Dr. Behrouz Shiari), and Cornell (Dr. Derek Stewart).

6.7.7.3 User Outreach Activities

Interaction with the industrial community in Silicon Valley: a. Dr. Blanka Magyari-Köpe gave an invited talk at the Thin Films User Group of the Northern

American Chapter of the American Vacuum Society in November 2013, where she discussed the theoretical methodologies to address the emerging issues in the operation of nonvolatile memory devices.

b. Dr. Blanka Magyari-Köpe visited Synopsys headquarters in Mountain View, in February 2013, to

Figure 100: Special NNIN/C seminar, broadcast through WebX


give a presentation on the applications of density functional theory in the field of device physics.

Outreach to the scientific community and organizing committee activities: a. Dr. Blanka Magyari-Köpe organized and chaired one session at the APS March meeting in 2013

on electron and ion transport phenomena.

b. Dr. Blanka Magyari-Köpe is on the committee of the ECS Fall meeting session on Nonvolatile Memories and she organized and chaired a session of the meeting in October 2013.

Collaborations with small companies from Silicon Valley and other research institutions: a. Dr. Sergey V. Barabash from Intermolecular had been an active user of our computational

cluster, which resulted in an Materials Research Society (MRS) presentation and a proceedings publication coauthored by Sergey V. Barabash, Charlene Chen and Dipankar Pramanik as a result of this interaction.

b. Researchers from Synopsys had several meetings with Dr. Blanka Magyari-Köpe in 2013 to discuss on the modeling aspects of electronic devices and how the current and future understanding of materials properties at the atomistic level can be incorporated in device models.

c. Dr. Kanhao Xue, a postdoctoral scholar at IMEP-LAHC, Grenoble, France had been an active user of our cluster last year. He had published his results on Phys. Rev, Lett. And Appl. Phys. Lett and had a presentation at IEEE International Reliability Physics Symposium in 2013.

d. Prof. Kenji Shiraishi, Dr. Katsumasa Kamiya, and Moon Young Yang from Tsukuba University, Japan had been actively interacting with Dr. Blanka Magyari-Köpe to work on a project aimed to describe the operation of resistive RAM devices. This collaboration resulted in more than 30 journal papers and conference presentations during the last 2 years in Phys. Rev. B, Appl. Phys. Lett., J. J. Appl. Phys, and engineering journals IEDM and Trans. Electr. Dev.

6.7.7.4 Research Highlights The research activities supported by the NNIN/C and domain experts at the Stanford site resulted in 32 publication and conference presentations in the year of 2013, and increase of 10% since year 2012. The total number of publications for the last 5 years is 94 since the cluster became functional in 2008. The publications reflect the interdisciplinary aspect of the work done at Stanford with highlights including joint experimental and theoretical papers accepted in highly ranked IEEE device engineering conferences (e.g. IEDM and VLSI), and also in the field of optoelectronic devices and energetic materials. Some of the papers resulted in several invited talks at major international conferences including International Workshop on Computational Electronics (IWCE 2013) in Nara, Japan; International CECAM-Workshop ”Functional Oxides for Emerging Technologies” in Bremen, Germany; and the 3rd International Workshop on Resistive Memories, at IMEC, Leuven, Belgium.

Projects at NNIN/C at Stanford span diverse areas of research and we had been focusing on the synergistic overlap between theoretical and experimental investigations. The highlights below include 2 examples of joint experimental and theoretical papers.


a) Fundamental Bounds on Decay Rates, Ken Wang, Zongfu Yu, Sunil Sandhu, and Shanhui Fan, Stanford University

Research description: Upper and lower bounds of the ratio between decay rates to two ports from a single resonance exhibiting Fano interference was derived, based on a general temporal coupled-mode theory formalism. The photon transport between these two ports involves both direct and resonance-assisted contributions, and the bou nds depend only on the direct process. The bounds imply that, in a lossless system, full reflection is always achievable at Fano resonance, even for structures lacking mirror symmetries, while full transmission can only be seen in a symmetric configuration where the two decay rates are equal. The analytic predictions are verified against full-field electromagnetic simulations.

K. X. Wang, Z. Yu, S. Sandhu and S. Fan, “Fundamental bounds on decay rates in asymmetric single-mode optical resonators,” Optics Letters, Vol. 38, No. 2, pp. 100-102, DOI 10.1364/OL.38.000100, January 15, 2013. [Stanford University]

b) Designing Desirable ReRAM Structures, K. Kamiya, M. Y. Yang, B. Magyari-Köpe, M. Niwa, Y. Nishi, and K. Shiraishi, Tsukuba University and Stanford University

Research description: Resistive RAM (ReRAM) is a promising candidate for the next generation of non-volatile memories. Based on first-principles calculations, physical and atomistic understanding of ReRAM operation is revealed to design the most desirable structure using stack-engineering. The oxygen vacancy (VO) cohesion-isolation process in the filament region involves charge and ion transport through the layers. Thus, the On-Off switching process can be controlled collectively by carrier injection/removal coupled with O chemical potential (μO) adjustment. The charge injection/removal into the switching oxide region is described by direct tunneling controlled by the VO barrier layer, which enables high On-Off ratio. Universal guidelines for designing desirable ReRAM stack structures are provided. The On-Off switching by carrier injection/removal is an universal concept and expendable to many devices such as phase-change RAM (PCRAM).

Katsumasa Kamiya, Moon Young Yang, Takahiro Nagata, Seong-Geon Park, Blanka Magyari-Köpe, Toyohiro Chikyow, Keisaku Yamada, Masaaki Niwa, Yoshio Nishi, and Kenji Shiraishi, “Generalized mechanism of the resistance switching in binary-oxide-based resistive random-access memories”, Physical Review B Vol. 87, Issue 15, pp. 155201-155201-5, April 2013. [University of Tsukuba, Japan].

Moon Young Yang, Katsumasa Kamiya, Blanka Magyari-Köpe, Hiroyoshi Momida, Takahisa Ohno, Masaaki Niwa, Yoshio Nishi, and Kenji Shiraishi, “Physical guiding principles for high quality resistive random access memory stack with Al2O3 insertion layer”, Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 52, pp. 04CD11-04CD11-4 April 2013. [University of Tsukuba, Japan].

Figure 101: Schematic illustration of the photon transport involving both direct and resonance contributions

Figure 103: Schematic illustration of conventional (left) and VO barrier layer inserted (right) ReRAM structures.

Figure 102: Atomic structure and its partial charge density of VO filament model (left) and disrupted VO model (right). Conductive path is formed when Vos are cohesive and it is broken when Vos are isolative.


c) Direct band gap in Sn doped Ge, Suyog Gupta, Blanka Magyari-Köpe, Yoshio Nishi, and Krishna C. Saraswat, Stanford University

Research description: GeSn is predicted to exhibit an indirect to direct band gap transition at alloy Sn composition of 6.5% and biaxial strain effects are investigated in order to further optimize GeSn band structure for optoelectronics and high speed electronic devices. A theoretical model has been developed based on the nonlocal empirical pseudopotential method to determine the electronic band structure of germanium tin (GeSn) alloys. Modifications to the virtual crystal potential accounting for disorder induced potential fluctuations are incorporated to reproduce the large direct band gap bowing observed in GeSn alloys.

S. Gupta, B. Magyari-Köpe, Y. Nishi, and K. C. Saraswat, "Achieving direct band gap in germanium through integration of Sn alloying and external strain," J. Appl. Phys., vol. 113, no. 7, pp. 073707-1 - 073707-7, 2013. [Stanford University]

S. Gupta, R. Chen, B. Vincent, D. Lin, B. Magyari-Köpe, M. Caymax, J. Dekoster, J.S. Harris, Y. Nishi and K.C. Saraswat, “GeSn Channel n and p MOSFETs”, ECS Trans. v. 50, 9, 937-941, 2013, [Stanford University].

7.7.8 Social and Ethical Issues in Nanotechnology In August 2013, Prof. Robert McGinn published a study of the responses to a questionnaire on nanoethics administered to over 200 researchers beginning their work at the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility. The work, “Discernment and Denial: Nanotechnology Researchers’ Recognition of Ethical Responsibilities Related to Their Work” appeared Nanoethics and represents the fourth paper in this journal that Prof. McGinn has published in his tenure as SEI researcher in the NNIN. One important conclusion in this work is that there is a clear, positive correlation to researchers’ general awareness of potential issues in research and nanotechnology and any formal exposure to ethics they may have had as students.

To probe more deeply into new researchers’ views on ethics, Prof. McGinn developed a new, more detailed, 50-question questionnaire. After approval by the Human Subjects Research panel, the questionnaire went live in July 2013. We expect to have over 200 respondents by the end of summer at which point the data will be analyzed. Prof. McGinn will be again teaching E204 (Research Ethics for Engineers and Scientists), with co-instructors from SNF as needed. He is an invited speaker on issues of ethics and engineering and is working on the manuscript of a book which features some case studies taken from his NNIN experience.

7.7.9 Staffing SNF has 19 full-time equivalent staff members of which four are Ph.D. engineers, 12 are technical support staff, and three provide administration.

Figure 104: Calculated energy band diagram of GexSn1-x, electron and hole effective masses at Γ point as a function of Sn composition in GeSn, and contour plot of the lowest energy gap in GeSn under biaxial strain.


Mary Tang, Ph.D., was appointed Lab Manager for the SNF in February 2013. She has been at SNF for 15 years, previously serving as a research associate and process engineering manager.

--end of Stanford text report---

Figure 105: Mary Tang, SNF Lab Manager


6.7.10 Stanford Site Selected Statistics a)Historical Annual Users



Figure 106: Selected Stanford Statistics

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6.7.11 Stanford User Institions Outside US Academic Small Companies Large Companies

Harvey Mudd College Acorn Technologies Agilent Howard Hughes Medical Institute Active Optical Applied Materials, Inc. International Technological U. Adamant Technologies ASML MIT Adesto Technologies HP Naval Post-Graduate School Alcor Bioseparations HRL Laboratories Princeton University AM Fitzgerald & Associates Intel Saint Louis University Amprius JDS Uniphase San Francisco State U. Arrayed Fiberoptics Lockheed Martin Texas State University Asylum Research PARC U. of California, Berkeley Avogy, Inc. Rambus U. of California, Irvine Ben Chui Consulting Samsung U. of California, San Francisco BioNems SRI International U. of California, Santa Cruz Cal Chemist Toyota U. of Chicago Cambrian Genomics U.of Illinois Complete Genomics U. of Nevada, Reno Corium International International U. of Washington CPI Academia Sinica

Crystal Solar Inc. Seoul National University Small Companies (Continued) Dwave Shanghai Jiao Tong University NovaSpectra Exsigent Ulsan National Institute of

Science and Technology Nth Degree Tech Worldwide Glide Write University of British Columbia Ondavia Grandis University of Glasgow Optokey Guava Technologies University of Strathclyde Pacific Biosciences Heliofarm University of Waterloo Quantumscape Integrated Photovoltaics Quenco Intermolecular QuSwami Intevac Royole Jackson Processing

Solutions

Sano Kaiam Sensorin Kateeva Siargo Kolo Medical Devices Silicium Kovio Silicon Light Machines M-Cube Single Cell Technology Nano Liquid Devices Sinovia Tech Nanobay Consulting Tetrasun Nanolabz Transphorm NanoPrecision Medical UBeam Nanostructures Unity Semiconductor Nanosys Veloctron Nevada Nanotech Systems Zeno Semiconductor


6.8 University of California Santa Barbara Site Report 6.8.1 Site Overview UCSB's Nanofabrication Facility hosts a wide variety of users from many disciplines, drawing upon the strengths of UCSB's internal research in many areas: III-V (GaAs, InP, GaN based) compound semiconductor electronic and optoelectronic devices; polymer and organic electronic and photonic devices; quantized electron structures and THz physics; spintronics; quantum computation; quantum optics; MEMS/NEMS, bio-instruments, and microfluidics. This year UCSB has expanded its interdisciplinary excellence through the creation of an interdisciplinary Ph.D. emphasis in bioengineering that will offer students even more robust training in this rapidly growing.

UCSB researchers have far-reaching impact beyond the university. The UCSB TIA (Technology and Industry Alliances) program facilitates the leveraging of the strong internal research program results to industrial partners. UCSB hosts an extensive portfolio of over 600 active inventions, now averages about 100 disclosures per year with over 50% of UCSB inventions under a licensing arrangement. So far, over 65 start-up companies have been formed based on UCSB technology. The patent portfolio of UCSB is very diverse with a spread of research fields similar to that found in the nanofabrication facility (fig 107).

Academically speaking, UCSB boasts significant research prestige including 5 Nobel Laureates and a host of NAE and NAS fellows. One-third of the UCSB doctoral programs have a range of rankings reaching into the top five in the country and nearly one-half have a range of rankings reaching into the top ten in the country according to the National Research Council's 2010 Assessment of Research Doctoral Programs, including a number 1 ranking in materials research. UCSB also boasts the third highest citation impact in the world. The UCSB nanofabrication facility is one of many laboratories that facilitates this high level of research.

Aside from the NNIN-funded Nanofabrication Facility, hosted by the ECE department, UCSB is also home to a wide and diverse range other outside user accessible laboratories in biological sciences, chemical synthesis, materials analysis, and specialized testing that can be accessed by internal and external researchers without the need for UCSB research agreements. These facilities are centers and laboratories hosted by the following departments: CNSI, Physics, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Materials, Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, and Psychology. As a whole, the user-accessible UCSB research infrastructure has evolved and and is continuing to be developed to facilitate both traditional and interdisciplinary research goals that impact academia and the outside world at large.

UCSB’s internal research houses a wide range of well-funded centers of excellence in areas of electronics, optoelectronics, energy efficiency, materials, biology and physics. These centers are funded by a wide variety of government agencies and industrial partners often involving significant academic and industrial collaborations not reflected directly in the facility user statistics. The centers include: The Optoelectronics Technology Center, The Solid State Lighting and Energy Center, The NSF-funded Materials Research Laboratory, the Center for Bioengineering, the Institute for Energy Efficiency, The Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies, The California Nanosystems Institute (CNSI), the Center for Polymers and Organic Solids, the Institute for Terahertz Science and Technology, the Center for Energry Efficient Materials (CEEM), and the Center for Spintronics and Quantum Computation. Researchers from these centers utilize the nanofabrication facility providing general knowledge that often benefits the entire

Figure 107: UCSB Patent portfolio by research department


user community. Many of the centers coordinate weekly and other special technical seminars and workshops that are often advertised to our research community.

The UCSB Nanofabrication Facility operates out of a 12000 ft2 class 100/1000 cleanroom environment, offering extensive facilities and research for nanotechnology for the diverse research community including: electron beam lithography down to <10 nm resolution; optical projection lithography to below 150 nm; advanced ICP etch tools for a wide range of materials including polymers, ceramics, dielectrics, metals, silicon, SiC, III-V nitrides, III-V phosphides, and III-V arsenides; thin film deposition techniques including evaporation, high temperature RF and DC reactive (co-)sputtering, dual-beam ion beam deposition, atomic layer deposition, and ICP-based PECVD; Field Emission SEM and EDX; Scanning Probe Microscopy. The facility is open to processing a wide variety of materials with few restrictions, to facilitate research over a wide range of fields including Materials Science, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Chemical, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering.

6.8.2 Research Examples The primary mission of the facility is to provide the resources and expertise to enable research into devices on the micro and nano-scale over a wide range of research fields and materials and to enable commercial development of the research technologies. Publications are normally reported in this report, but have not yet been tracked for this time period. UCSB will be collecting this information again early next year for the final NNIN report. Below are some examples of research results from projects involving the UCSB facility over the past year.

External Small Company User: Optics: Integrated Silicon Photonic Sources for Telecom and Datacom: Aurrion, Inc. “Over the past decade, silicon photonics has transformed from a fringe research topic in specialty conferences to being viewed as the key solution to meeting the demands of next generation telecom and datacom systems. The ability to co-design optical devices in silicon with electronics to create digitally enhanced photonics, the leveraging of high precision shared foundries, and silicon’s compatibility with the developments in advanced packaging have shown that there is potential to move photonics out of the “gold box” package and into packages with intimate interconnection to the electronic chip. With all this potential, the commercial realization of silicon photonics still has not taken off as rapidly as most would have hoped. The segregation of the laser from the rest of the chip has led to non-ideal system architectures where the laser is treated like a power supply and split into many parallel channels, instead of utilizing the spectral bandwidth provided by WDM systems. Early work in heterogeneous integration by groups at UCSB, Intel, and Ghent University have shown the flexibility and potential to break this architecture limitation by simultaneously utilizing silicon to define a laser’s cavity while using III-V materials to provide efficient III-V gain. In this work, we show for the first time lasers in both the telecommunication wavelength band and datacom wavelength band, simultaneously processed on the same wafer in a commercial foundry, with performance approaching native InP devices.” Using processes first developed at the UCSB Nanofab, we have demonstrated world record performance O-band and C-band lasers on silicon. These lasers were

Figure 108: World record efficiency for a silicon photonic laser

Figure 109: O-band laser array wavelength stabilized from 20-80°C


processed together on the same silicon wafer. Complex laser designs were demonstrated including O-band laser arrays with wavelengths stabilized over the temperature range of 20-80C and C-band lasers tunable over >45 nm. (Figs 108 and 109) (OFC/NFOEC Postdeadline Paper PDP5C.8, (2013)

Internal User: Optics/ Materials: High Power Blue Semipolar Laser Diodes: Nakamura, DenBaars, Speck Groups, UCSB

We demonstrate high-power AlGaN-cladding-free blue laser diodes (LDs) on semipolar (20-2-1) GaN substrates with peak output powers and external quantum efficiencies (EQEs) that are comparable to state-of-the-art commercial c-plane devices. Ridge waveguide LDs were fabricated on (20-2-1) GaN substrates using InGaN waveguiding layers and GaN cladding layers. The devices lased at 454 nm at room temperature. As shown in the top figure, we measured an output power of 2.15 W, an EQE of 39%, and a differential quantum efficiency of 49% from a single facet with a pulsed drive current (current density) of 2.02 A (28.1 kA/cm2). Figure 5 compares the EQE of the blue LD with the EQE of a blue LED. Unlike the EQE of the LED, which decreased monotonically with current density to 0.4 kA/cm2, the EQE of the LD increased monotonically with current density to a maximum of 39% at a (current) current density 2.02 A (28.1 kA/cm2). It should be noted that LD reaches the same EQE as the LED (~40%) at a current density that is ~75 times higher than the LED. These results indicate that LD-based lighting systems could potentially enable smaller primary source size, lower costs, and possibly even higher efficiencies than LED-based lighting systems. (Figs 110 and 111) (Applied Physics Letters, 103, 151112 (2013))

External Academic User: Physics: Photocurrent Generation in Quasi-Metallic Carbon Nanotube pn-Devices, Cronin Group, Physics Dept, USC

Although metallic nanotubes in a split gate structure do not show any rectifying behavior at room temperature, they generate photocurrent when a laser spot is in the middle of the nanotube. This photocurrent is maximum when the gates are in a pn and np configurations. By varying the laser energy, the excitons of metallic carbon nanotubes are observed in the photocurrent spectrum. Different pn gating conditions will show the evolution of this excitonic peak. We show here for the first time, by knowing the RBM of the nanotube, and measuring the photocurrent spectra, it is possible to determine the chirality of the nanotube in a functional device.. (Nano Letters, 2013, 13 (11), 5129-5134) (Fig 112).

Figure 110: High Power, high efficiency blue laser diode under test.

Figure 111: High EQE of blue LD at very high current levels

Figure 112: Device Schematic (left) and SEM (center) of split-gate, controlled doping of quasi-metallic CNT p-n device. (right) Photcurrent versus Split-gate voltages


Internal User: Electronics: High Performance III-V InGaAs/InP based MOSFETs with Self-Aligned Gate-Length Scalable Process: Rodwell Group UCSB

III-V channel materials offer the potential for significantly increased drive currents due to lower transport effective mass. The main goal of this project is to demonstrate that highly scaled III-V MOSFETs can provide greater drive current than comparable Si devices. Efforts in this project have focused on demonstration of a 22 nm device using process modules which could, with appropriate industrial development, be scaled to 9 nm. Recently, We have demonstrated raised source/drain InAs/In0.53Ga0.47As metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistors (MOSFETs) incorporating a vertical spacer in the high-field region between the channel and the drain. At ~60 nm gate length and VDS=0.5V, devices with a 6 nm/3 nm InAs/In0.53Ga0.47As channel show 2.7 mS/μm peak transconductance (gm) and 125 mV/decade SS, while devices with a 4.5 nm/3 nm InAs/In0.53Ga0.47As channel show 2.4 mS/μm peak gm and 96 mV/decade SS. (Figs 113 and 114) Applied Physics Letters, 103, 233503 (2013)

External Large Company User: Process: Process for >1Tbpsi Bit Patterned Media Fabrication, Yu, et. al. Seagate Technology, Fremont, CA

In the conventional PMR (perpendicular magnetic recording), further scaling of recording density will be limited by the super-paramagnetic effect. BPM aims to overcome that difficulty by forming isolated single-domain magnetic bits through physical patterning of the recording media. This project requires creating patterns in various materials with sub-10nm scale. Specifically, in this project we will be developing a “reverse-tone” process, in which an etch resistant material is deposited on a resist pattern and then etched back through multi-step reactive ion etching (RIE) to form a negative tone replica of the original high density pattern. The goal is even more aggressive than what semiconductor industry is trying to

Figure 113: Device Schematic and HAADF-STEM cross-section. Figure 114: Transconductance and current density versus gate bias for 60nm MOSFET

Figure 116: Schematic of Concept.

Figure 115: Demonstration of pitch reduction to 35nm.


achieve. Thus, the understanding of the processes and materials behavior at this scale opens new frontiers for research projects of both high practical value and scientific interest. (Figs 115 and 116) Unpublished result.

6.8.3 Operations and Capital Acquisitions UCSB continues to host a diverse group of research users from both academis and industry. This report focuses on the activites over the range of March through November 2013, a 9 month period. The UCSB facility had 509 research users, including 61 external academic users, 127 small company users, and 53 large company users for a net 48% external cumulative user base (38% external use by lab hours). The cumulative external academic user numbers have remained consistently in the 50-65 range since 2010 after increasing from 18 in 2003 to 63 in 2010. Average lab hours per month has dropped very slightly to 5800 hours, only 400 hours lower than at the laboratory peak of 6200 in 2009, despite the recession and sequestration. Most of the drop is accounted for in small company hours with large company hours and outside academic hours both picking up some of the difference. The number of cumulative remote users is at 46, with the average number and hours of remote users per month at 10 and 115 respectively. The remote use is a combination of academic and industrial projects that range from single specialized process steps to full multi-layer process sequences. There were 33 new projects since last reporting, bringing the total number of new external research projects up to 299 since the inception of the NNIN, 131 of them from academic/government institutions (7 foreign) and 168 from industry (1 foreign). Colleague referral, former lab users, and internet searches are still responsible for most of the new projects in 2013. The UCSB facility continues to house a diverse community comprised of significant numbers of users from Physics (11.5%), Materials (21.5%), Electronics (25.5%), MEMS/Mechanical Engineering (9.5%), and Optics (22.5%). Life Sciences, Chemistry, and Processing combine for another 8.5%.

This year’s installation and purchase both expand processes available to users and improve on process capability. 2013 systems include:

• Primaxx uEtch Vapor HF etch system: Purchased in 2012 and installed April 2013, this system provides for vapor etching of MEMS and other devices that require highly selective etching of SiO2 over other materials in order to form free standing structures or membranes that could be negatively affected by the surface tension caused by liquid-based processing. (NNIN funded)

• Purchase of new Oxford cluster tool consisting of an Ionfab 300 plus Reactive Ion Beam Etching system clustered with a new conductive film FlexAL Plasma Enhanced ALD system: The Ionfab system adds ion milling and reactive ion beam etching (Chlorine, Fluorine, Oxygen) capability to the facility. ALD has become a critical component for many research projects in the facility and use continues to increase. The FlexAL system allows the facility to increase ALD offering of conductive and metal films in a chamber independent of the high quality dielectric ALD currently in the facility. The dielectric system will also be attached to the cluster through a common wafer handler system so that etching/ALD dielectric deposition/ALD metal deposition can be done on samples without breaking vacuum, giving UCSB unique research capabilities in this area. All three systems can also be independently run to maximize tool use when vacuum integration of processes is not required. This acquisition also enhances our good relationship with Oxford Instruments, a leader in research semiconductor systems. (NNIN and facility funded)

• The UCSB facility hired one new full-time employee for equipment and facility support in 2013.

6.8.4 Education, Diversity, and SEI In 2013, UCSB again hosted NanoDays at the Santa Barbara Museum of

Figure 117: NanoDays held at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History


Natural History in collaboration with two other UCSB centers, the California Nano Systems Institute and the Center for Nanotechnology in Society. This year we had a 1372 community members participate in hands-on activities, approximately the same number of participants as we had in 2012. This event targets all ages, with an area dedicated for pre-k children focusing on size and scale, to learning about carbon nanotubes and scanning electron microscope (SEM) to see the hairs on a bee’s leg. The Center for Nanotechnology in Society assisted by staffing a booth with activities to bring about discussion on the possible impacts of nanotechnology on society and the ethical impact nanotechnology research has with the visiting community members.

Outside of the weekend NanoDays, UCSB presented education on nanotechnology and research applications to the community through various forms of Science Night events. During these events at local elementary and high schools, 1028 community members (708 of them students) participated in hands-on activities such learning about super-hydrophobic surfaces, liquid crystals (Figure 117) and thin films. One of these events was co-sponsored by the high school’s STEM Club and for one event NNIN was invited by California State University at Channel Islands (CSUCI) to present nanotechnology booths at their annual Science Carnival.

UCSB continues to train talented, motivated people of all ages who want to learn nanotechnology in an educational clean room. In 2013, multi-day chip camps (Figure 118) reached 176 students and 30 teacher and community members, providing opportunities for females (55%) and underrepresented (56%) students to learn basic nanofabrication processing techniques. This year UCSB continued its partnership with the California State University at Long Beach (CSULB) Upward Bound Math Science Program. And also extended to a partnership with Moreno Valley College TRIO program. These groups brought 40 underrepresented high school students to chip camp for 2 days during their summer session to give a nanotechnology experience in parallel with their STEM curriculum. The upward bound and TRIO students must meet specific criteria to be included in their program such as a specific socio-economic background or parents who lack college degrees. Chip camps serve as a pipeline for students into longer research experiences.

In 2013, UCSB provided research experiences that actively engaged 7 traditional college students, 1 community college student, 1 middle school teacher, 3 high school science teachers,1 community college faculty member and 1 international graduate student from Japan in a clean room laboratory, so they could contribute to real-world nanoscale research. These activities are part of the larger NNIN REU, RET and iREG programs. All research experiences are similar in that they participate in nanoscale research over a summer, and later they present it through an oral presentation, a poster presentation, and through a written report (or, in the case with teachers, curriculum is developed based on that research). The experiences differ in the target participants, and the length of time during the summer. The particulars of these programs are summarized below.

Student Research Experiences (REU and iREG):

• Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) recruited 8 students (25% females) from all over the US.

• One student was from a California community college, American River College.

• International Research Experience for Graduates (iREU) brought 1 student from Tohoku University in Japan to UCSB.

Figure 118: High school students can participate in Chip Camp and learn photolithography and other nanofabrication techniques

Figure 119: : UCSB REU Intern working on the Logitech ORBIS CMP system


• Students participated in 10 weeks of research in the clean room (Figure 119) under the supervision of trained researchers.

• Their research was presented at a network wide convocation in Atlanta, GA.

The NNIN REU Program has been a proven pipeline for students to continue in the field of nanotechnology research. Two REU interns from the summer of 2012, Justin Norman and Christopher Nakamoto, began graduate study at UCSB in the Fall of 2013. Further, a former REU Intern at UCSB from 2005, Samantha Cruz, who completed her PhD at UCSB in 2013 utilizing the nanofabrication facility is the current UCSB NNIN Education Programs Coordinator.

Research Experience for Teachers (RET):

• 7-week summer research for local secondary science teachers and community college faculty: 2 male; 4 female

• RET Summer 2012 participants disseminated their curriculum at the 2013 NNIN Nanoscale Science Education Workshop in Atlanta, Ga: we brought 3 teachers: 2 female; 1 Hispanic

• RET Summer 2013 participants will disseminate their curriculum at the 2014 NNIN RET Workshop to be held in Tempe, AZ in March 2014.

Our Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program has three components:

1. the research and curriculum development (done over a summer—teachers do research and then develop curriculum based on that research)

2. follow-up (impact measured in the number of students who the NNIN Coordinator sees the teacher do the activities that the teacher developed as part of the program)

3. dissemination of nanotechnology activities both locally and nationally

Workshops:

In 2013, UCSB also held a workshop on the fundamentals and applications of Atomic Layer Deposition and Ion Beam Etching with the assistance of Oxford Instruments. The workshop consisted of professional talks on general ALD, conductive film ALD, the basics of ion beam etching, and invited UCSB and external talks on research applications of ALD. This research and educational workshop attracted 40 UCSB students and 38 outside academic and working professionals.

In all, there were 19 educational outreach events held by UCSB in 2013. these events reached 2821 students and community members across southern California highlighting the commitment UCSB has to the broader impacts of the nanotechnology research that occurs at this node.


6.8.5 USCB Selected Statistics a)Historical Annual Users


d) Average Hours per User( in 10 months) e)New Users

Figure 120 Selected Site Statistics from UCSB

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6.8.6 UCSB User Institutions) Site Name: UCSB Active User Institutions March 1, 2013-Dec 31,2013

Outside US Academic Small Companies Large Companies Boston University AdTech Optics 3DCD CHTM Univ. of New Mexico Advanced Nanostructures Bruker Metrology Duke University Advanced Scientific Concepts Cree George Washington Univ. AISthesis Products FLIR Harvard Univ. Medical School Aneeve Google Montana State Univ. Applied Nanostructures, Inc HP Labs Pennsylvania State Univ. Asylum Research Hughes Research Lab. Stanford Univ. Aurrion Intel University of Arizona Calient Networks Lockheed Martin Univ. of California, Berkeley Cbrite Northrop Grumman Univ. of California, Los Angeles ColdLogic Raytheon Univ. of California, Riverside Design West Technologies SDC Technology Univ. of California, San Diego Freedom Photonics Seagate Technology Univ. of Central Florida Innovative Micro Technologies SRI International Univ. of Colorado Boulder Interlink Electronics Sumitomo Electric Device Univ. of Southern California Invenios Teledyne Univ. of Washington Johanson Technology Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison LuxVue International Washington State Univ. Meso Engineering, LLC VisIC Technologies Worcester Polytechnic Inst. Next Energy Technologies, Inc. Singapore University of Tech.

and Design Oepic Semiconductors Opto Diode Corp Optoplex Corporation Small Companies

(continued) Ostendo Technologies Simax Lithography BV PacketPhotonics Solar3D Polyfet RF Devices Solution Deposition Systems Praevium Research Soraa Laser Diode, Inc QmagiQ Soraa, Inc. Resonant SpectraFluidics RF Nano Spectrolab Sensors in Motion TelAztec Transphorm


6.9 University of Colorado Site Report 6.9.1 Summary Since its inception five years ago, the Colorado Nanofabrication Laboratory (CNL) has transitioned from a research laboratory to a fast-growing open-access user facility. It is the only such facility along the Front Range, with the next closest facility being more than 500 miles away.

The facility increased its overall number of users from 40 to more than 200 over a period of five years. 30% are external users. Hours of use peaked at 20,000 hours in 2011 and 2012.

Highlights for year 5 involve two CNL spin-offs with one having its product used in space. It also includes published research on ALD-deposited nanomaterials and nanoscale self-assembly techniques.

Further equipment improvement and process development has been pursued, with a new focus on the use of nanofabrication techniques for the preparation of geological fracking samples.

The education and outreach/SEI activities were continued, primarily repeating and building on previously successful activities.

The newly formed Colorado Nanotechnology Coalition including NREL, NIST, CSM and CSU kicked off with 2 workshops attended by 156 people.

6.9.2 Technical Focus Areas The technical focus areas are linked to local research strengths in precision measurements and energy, while there are strong and related research effort in MEMS and optics. Ongoing research spans the range of UV and X-ray lasers, frequency combs, BE condensate, NEMS/MEMS, high speed electronics, THz devices, self-assembled block copolymers, nanoparticles, photovoltaics, plasmonics, advanced imaging, and more.

Precision measurements: Related research activities in Colorado are concentrated at NIST and JILA, a joint institute supported by NIST and the University of Colorado. This area produced numerous research publications but also resulted in two noteworthy commercialization efforts: ColdQuanta, a JILA spin-off and CNL small company user, delivered its product to Jet Propulsion Labs for Bose-Einstein Condensate experiments to be conducted in space. DoubleHelix, a new University of Colorado spin-off and CNL user successfully secured SBIR grants to fund the commercialization of ultra-high resolution sub-wavelength optical imaging using phase plates with a double helix point spread function.

Energy: Energy research in Colorado is rapidly growing with a clear focus at NREL and multiple Colorado-based initiatives such as Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI), a multi-university research initiative, the Center for Revolutionary Solar Photovoltaics (CRSP) and the Renewable Energy Materials Science and Engineering Center (REMRSEC) at the Colorado School of Mines (CSM). Most of the ongoing related activities involve novel nanomaterials that can be used as absorbers or transparent contacts for solar applications, electrodes for batteries, fuel cells and supercapacitors and nanoparticles for hydrogen storage. Last year’s report expanded on those, so this is not repeated here.


6.9.3 Research Highlights The following are examples of research results that were published and or presented by users of the CNL facility during the past year:

Topologically Distinct Lamellar Block Copolymer Morphologies Formed by Solvent and Thermal Annealing: Ian P. Campbell, Chunlin He, and Mark P. Stoykovich, Univ. of Colorado. This work compares solvent annealing of ordered assemblies in thin films of block copolymers to those obtained with uniform thermal annealing. The mixed solvent annealing method reduced the overall defect density and increased the persistence length of the lamellar domains of solvent annealed films by 2−3 times over that of the corresponding thermally annealed systems. Published in ACS Macro Lett. 2013, 2, 918−923.

Ultralow Thermal Conductivity of Atomic/Molecular Layer-Deposited Hybrid Organic−Inorganic Zincone Thin Films: Jun Liu, Byunghoon Yoon, Eli Kuhlmann, Miao Tian, Jie Zhu, Steven M. George, Yung-Cheng Lee, and Ronggui Yang, Univ. of Colorado.

This research explores the use of Atomic layer deposition (ALD) and molecular layer deposition (MLD) techniques with atomic level control to create a new class of hybrid organic−inorganic materials with improved functionality. In this work, the cross-plane thermal conductivity and volumetric heat capacity of three types of hybrid organic−inorganic zincone thin films enabled by MLD processes and alternate ALD−MLD processes were measured. Much lower thermal conductivity values were obtained in ALD/MLD-enabled hybrid organic−inorganic zincone thin films compared to that of the ALD-enabled W/Al2O3 nanolaminates, providing a route for producing materials with ultralow thermal conductivity. Published in Nano Lett. 2013, 13, 5594−5599.

a) b)

Figure 121: a) Comparison between thermal and solvent annealing. Colorized continuous networks of PMMA and PS are overlaid on the left and right sides of the individual SEM images (unmodified in the middle), respectively. b) Persistence length of lamellar domains for solvent annealed (red triangles) and thermally annealed (blue squares) PS-b-PMMA thin films. Solvent annealing reduces the defect density of all compositions and leads to longer persistence length.


7.9.4 Operations Focus of year five was to solidify the gains made during the previous four years and be ready to be a self-sufficient facility if needed. Both rate increases and additional institutional support requests were initiated to cover a likely funding gap. Smaller but important equipment upgrades were still pursued, primarily focused on further improving the user experience and reducing after hour equipment issues.

Rate increase and institutional support: The base user fee was increased from $24 to $30/hour while allowing a 6 hour daily cap. A case was made to the administration that the facility enabled by the NSF grant was equally benefiting local academic users and therefore warranted additional institutional support. The rate increase caused a significant reduction of user hours but still resulted in a 10% increase of fees. The institutional support is under consideration.

Equipment additions and upgrades: A UPS power supply providing 3 hours of off-grid operation was added to the focused ion beam (FIB) system. A high resolution 3D printer was added to the facility. It is a Viper SLA system with a nominal resolution of 1 mil and a maximum object size of 12 by 12 by 3 inches. Installation and first test runs have been completed. This instrument bridges the gap between machined and micromachined structures. Two more vacuum systems were upgraded with cryopumps, resulting in faster pumpdown and a more robust operation.

The facility also teamed with faculty to acquire new equipment such as a high end E-beam writer and TEM. These efforts are currently ongoing.

New Materials: Graphene grown on copper foil using atmospheric CVD has been made available to CNL users together with an electrolysis removal and transfer process. First research results were obtained by users on graphene jFET structures and long-wavelength graphene detectors. Platinum deposition by e-beam evaporation has been made available as a service.

User data and trends: Last year we observed a trend away from traditional nanofabrication areas such as NEMS and nano-electronics and instead leaning towards nanomaterials, physics and optics. This year this trend continued and expanded towards nanotechnology applications in geology. In particular, we observed a surge in geology users interested in preparing and analyzing soil samples from the fracking industry. Both ion milling and FIB slice-and-imaging techniques have gained popularity.

External user development: Last year’s effort to advertize CNL’s capabilities to local SBIR companies did only show a moderate return. Word of mouth advertizing proved to be more effective than mass

Figure 122 Dependence on the sample thickness and chemical composition (film type) of the cross-plane thermal conductivity and volumetric heat capacity of zincone thin films (left) and sketch of structural morphology of a type C ALD−MLD zincone film (ri


mailing of brochures, which have reached their saturation point. A limited time promotion of nano-characterization capabilities through a reduced training fee did attract several new industry users.

The new Colorado Nanotechnology Coalition initiative has provided a forum to advertise CNL’s capabilities to a wide range of local researchers and has added to our branding effort.

6.9.5 Diversity oriented initiatives Overall, we have aimed to be inclusive in all of our activities, particularly with respect to underrepresented groups, specifically Hispanics and women.

Outreach activities have been identified as a prime opportunity to promote diversity, from the REU program, workshops, to Nanodays, and K-12 oriented presentations and activities. Hispanic K-12 students are a primary focus which we addressed by targeting bilingual schools in the area. Nanodays is our most successful event where half of the K-12 students are Hispanic with an even split between male and female.

6.9.6 Education oriented contributions Our main focus in education is on establishing educational activities that can be repeated on an annual basis, thereby continuously improving their scope, quality, effectiveness and efficiency from year to year.

This year’s REU program hosted 6 students. The PI/mentor training was repeated, ensuring a rapid start by carefully planning the activities of the first 2 weeks. Three full-day REU events were organized jointly with the REU program of the REMRSEC at CSM, including technical presentations, lab tours, a picnic at Chautauqua park and one-on-one interactions. In addition, students attended a summer lecture series consisting of six lectures focused on different nanotechnology topics and self-organized social activities during weekends.

The annual Nanotechnology workshop covering basic nanofabrication processes was held for the fifth time June 4-7, 2013. Separate lectures on lab safety and SEI were included with dedicated time for discussion. The lectures were recorded and are available to registered users throughout the year as streaming video with slides. The hands-on lab experiments are available as supplemental training for CNL users.

The Nanodays event was held on April 8, 2013, following the previous year’s successful format. We invited elementary school students from a local bilingual school with a large Hispanic student body. Teachers and parents accompanied them. The half-day event consisted of short and entertaining presentations in smaller groups presented by junior faculty and graduate student volunteers, followed by hands-on experiments using NISE net kits and one-on-one interaction with graduate students. A total of 100 people participated of which 49 were Hispanic and 47/53 male/female.

Two workshops were held under the umbrella of the Colorado Nanotechnology Coalition: A Nanocharcterization workshop at the University of Colorado and a Nanomaterials and device processing workshop at NIST which was combined with a lab tour of the new Precision Measurement Laboratory. The format included one presentation from each partner institution of the Coalition, highlighting facilities, capabilities and specific research activities at each location. A combined total of 156 people participated.

6.9.7 Society and ethics oriented activities Our society and ethics oriented activities were further refined and have become an integrated part of most education, outreach and training activities. Creating awareness and promoting discussion are the main objectives. The SEI training material was first included in the annual workshop in June 2010 and is being incorporated into all user training. REU posters highlighting SEI activities, including the awareness posters developed by Cornell have been posted in the facility.


6.9.8 New Initiative: Colorado Nanotechnology Coalition This new initiative brings together researchers along the Front Range with a common interest in Nanotechnology, materials, nanofabrication and characterization. The two workshops mentioned earlier provided a unique forum for networking and exploration of possible collaborations. Faculty and government researchers together with their graduate students were the primary attendees. The first focus was on getting to know nano-related research, researchers and facilities in the area. Capabilities at different institutions were posted through the CNC website. Collaborations have been initiated through these interactions and further events are planned.

---End of Colorado Site Text Report---


6.9.9 University of Colorado Selected Site Statistics a)Historical Annual Users



Figure 123: University of Colorado Selected Site Statistics

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6.9.10 U. Colorado User Institutions Active User Institutions March 1, 2013-Dec 31,2013 Outside US Academic Small Companies Large Companies

Arizona State University ADA Technologies Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp

Colorado School of Mines Array BioPharma Inc Oracle Colorado State University BiOptix Cornell University Brooklyn Quantum Works MIT Capco Inc State/Federal University of Missouri ColdQuanta Inc. JILA Ohio Northern University Colorado Concept Coatings LLC NIST Rose-Hulman Inst. of Tech. Coolescence, LLC NREL Custom Microwave, Inc. Double Helix LLC. Eltron Research & Dev., Inc. InRedox LLC International LambdaMetrics Univ. of Shiga Prefecture (Japan) Luca Technologies Mircoflux LLC Quest Integrity Group Research Electro Optics Sharklet Technologies, Inc. Sundew Technologies TDA Research Vescent Photonics


6.10 University of Michigan Site Report 6.10.1 Technical Focus Areas The Michigan Lurie Nanofabrication Facility (LNF) is primarily focused on micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS), complex integrated microsystems, and micro and nanotechnology. Applications of integrated sensors/actuators and microsystems include health care, biology and biochemistry, medical implantable microsystems, chemistry, environmental monitoring, and homeland and infrastructure security.

Michigan’s continued efforts on geosciences include outreach to the geoscience community, new collaborations between geo and nano researchers, and support for new users from the geo community. Collaborative projects are continuing between geosciences and nanotechnology researchers: in the project related to an oxygen sensor to study coral bleaching (collaboration between University of Maine, University of Buffalo and University of Michigan), the team aims to assess coral physiology by measuring changes in oxygen production/release at the coral/water interface. The investigators have proposed to create and test a compact sensing unit that can be deployed in reef systems for integrated assessment of photosynthetic production, thereby providing quantitative assessment of the coral health, using established fiberoptic sensing technology, combined with NNIN inspired engineering.

Another project at the University of Michigan is focused on experimental investigations of carbon in Earth’s core: In order to study the density of Fe3C, a potential component of the Earth’s core, experiments under extreme pressure and temperature conditions are necessary. This constrain implies the need for micro size samples fabrication using nanotechnology capabilities. The first step was to develop a process to adapt the high precision dicing saw to hold small samples with odd shape. This project has successfully diced 300 µm thin disks of polycrystalline Al2O3. The second step consists of the fabrication of multibore sample chambers out of polycrystalline MgO using photolithography and etching. The 200 µm diameter chambers were patterned successfully but the etching of polycrystalline MgO using reactive ion etching is very inefficient and other etching methods will need to be explored.

Over this past year, NNIN/C@Michigan has provided a series of workshops and webinars on modeling and simulation at both local and national levels. Topics covered included nano materials, MEMS, microfluidic devices and their fabrication processes. The workshops and webinars have been used to keep research community informed of MEMS modeling activities and provided a platform for networking amongst academic and industrial researchers. The response to the computational workshops was very strong even though the hands-on aspect limited the number of attendees to about 65 in total, and

Figure 124: Outreach to the geo community at the NSF Collaborative on Oceanographic Chemicals Analysis (COCA) workshop.

Figure 125: A few examples of the 2013 NNIN/C @Michigan


over 160 researchers participated in our webinars. The posted webinars on the NNIN/C@Michigan YouTube channel have been viewed over 3,500 times in 2013.

In addition, the NNIN/C@Michigan domain expert has continued to provide consulting and assistance with software and/or hardware needs to many different researchers. In some cases, the computation expert at Michigan has been directly engaged in the project to develop novel techniques and algorithms for the site users.

The Michigan site of the NNIN has also continued expanding its experimental user community through many different events and activities: seminars and workshops on and off-site, participation in technical conferences, partnerships and discussions with local business organizations, etc. By working with a dedicated person who possesses relevant research experience, for marketing and user outreach, we have been able to continue to develop the communication for NNIN@Michigan and spread the NNIN message among the research community who could benefit from it.

As a consequence, the LNF user community has continued to grow over this past year. Off-site processing capabilities, in which researchers send samples to be processed by NNIN@Michigan staff, are still proving to be very popular, especially for researchers who are doing most of their fabrication in a different laboratory and are only making use of a specific capability available at our site (DRIE, wafer bonding, e-beam lithography, deposition of non-standard material, etc).

6.10.2 Research Highlights Below are a few highlights for this past year from some of the NNIN@Michigan users.

Prof. Yoon’s group at the University of Michigan has been using the LNF for MEMS and bio-MEMS related projects. In this recent work, scalable modular neural probe arrays have been fabricated for chronic recording of brain activities. (fig. 126).

Prof Rais-Zadeh’s group, also at the University of Michigan, is working on the integration of Gallium Nitride (GaN) MEMS and HEMTs for sensing/timing applications, taking advantage of the combined benefits of GaN excellent semiconducting properties with its strong piezoelectric effects. GaN resonators exhibit very high quality factors (Q) which make them perfect candidates as RF resonator blocks in frequency references. Monolithic integration of GaN resonators and HEMTs opens wide area of applications such as FET-based sensing and timing applications for operation in harsh environments where Si performance falls short. (fig127)

Figure 126: Scalable modular neural probe arrays have been fabricated for chronic recording of brain activities

Figure 127: Integrated cascade of a piezoelectric AlGaN/GaN resonator and HEMT.


Iowa State University researchers (Momeni K., et al.) have continued to use NNIN/C computation resources to investigate zinc oxide nanostructures as main components of nanogenerators and nanopiezotronics. In this research, they have shown that the electromechanical properties of these structures can play a major role in designing next-generation nanoelectromechanical devices. Atomistic simulations are utilized to study surface and size-scale effects on the electromechanical response of 1D ZnO nanostructures. It is also shown that the mechanical and piezoelectric properties of these structures are controlled by their size, cross-sectional geometry, and loading configuration. The study reveals enhancement of the piezoelectric and elastic modulus of ZnO nanowires (NW) with diameter d > 1 nm, followed by a sudden drop for d < 1 nm due to transformation of NWs to nanotubes (NTs). (fig 128)

MCB Clean Room Solutions has been using the LNF for a NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research and Development Authority) funded project, to develop a MEMS piezoelectric Micro-Vibrational-Energy-Harvester (μVEH). The project uses a “thick MEMS bimorph” architecture to produce 0.1-1 mWatt at 3 V with an input of 0.1g at 120 Hz in a package volume of less than 1 cm3, satisfying both operational and physical requirements for performance of wireless sensors. (fig. 129)

Rigaku Innovative Technologies is working at the LNF to fabricate linear gratings that will be used for diffraction enhanced imaging of small features with x-rays. The spatial period of the grating is 500 nm with an aspect ratio of the grating features of 1:20. Consistent dimensions across the entire grating and smooth walls are essential for the performance of the grating. (Fig.130)

Figure 128: Effect of size and loading configuration on piezoelectric response of 1D ZnO nanostructures. The piezoelectric coefficient, ẽ33, of bulk ZnO and its 1D nanostructures (NWs and NBs) of infinite length along [0001] (filled square and triangle) and different lateral sizes are plotted along with values reported for finite length NBs (circles). The piezoelectric coefficient of infinitely long ZnO NWs (NBs) with hexagonal (rectangular) cross-section is inversely (directly) related to the smaller dimension of the nanostructure, with an exception for nanostructures of lateral dimensions <1 nm in which the structure undergoes major surface reconstructions.

Figure 129: Wafer level release of uVEH parts and packaged uVEHs.


Figure 132: Trap with one RF electrode, twelve control electrodes (DC) and with large integrated in-body NA fluorescence collection optics (ball lens and fiber). The trap is shown prior to coating of the ground plane.

Rigaku Innovative Technologies is working at the LNF to fabricate linear gratings that will be used for diffraction enhanced imaging of small features with x-rays. The spatial period of the grating is 500 nm with an aspect ratio of the grating features of 1:20. Consistent dimensions across the entire grating and smooth walls are essential for the performance of the grating. (Fig.130)

Prof Deng’s group in the Physics Department at the University of Michigan investigates non-equilibrium manybody physics, which remains one of the least explored frontiers in science partly due to the lack of experimentally accessible systems. Semiconductor polaritons have emerged as a unique candidate that exhibits robust long-range coherence at relatively high temperatures. Hallmarks of non-equilibrium condensation and superfluidity have been widely observed in 2D. Progress beyond 2D condensation physics, however, has been hindered by the limited means to confine the polaritons and to couple multiple polariton systems in conventional microcavities. Here we develop a

hybrid photonic crystal cavity to demonstrate 3D confinement of polaritons and single-mode polariton lasing at a pre-defined polarization. The new cavity incorporates a designable photonic crystal mirror, which enables confinement, control and coupling of polariton systems in a scalable fashion. It may open a door to experimental implementation of polariton-based quantum photonic devices and coupled cavity quantum electrodynamics systems. (Fig 131)

Translume, Inc is using the LNF to develop Ion Trap Chips with dual integrated and miniaturized optical and electromagnetic capabilities: in this elementary quantum processing unit (QPU), the ion trap platform and the optical interface platform are integrated within a single glass substrate. Such a QPU, solely or through a scalable multi-unit scheme, will provide the foundation for chip-based devices for quantum metrology, quantum sensing, and applications in quantum information science. (Fig xx)

Figure 130: Si Grating featuring trenches with an aspect ratio of 1:20

Figure 131: A zero dimensional subwavelength grating based polariton device sketch and top SEM view of the fabricated device


6.10.3 Acquisitions, Changes and Facility Operations Several new pieces of equipment have been acquired and/or installed during this past year.

Our Applied Materials (AMAT) P5000 PECVD tool was released to the user community, with characterizaed recipes for SiO2, SiN, SiOxNx and a-Si with N and P type doping capability. The AMAT P5000 RIE tool is expected to be released to the users by the first quarter of 2014. These tools will allow us to improve our material segregation for both PECVD and RIE processes. Our film deposition capabilities have also been enhanced by the release of LPCVD P-type and N-type insitu doped polySi, and our TEOS process, especially for deep trench refill, has been optimized – we can now achieve better than 74% refill on 40um deep x 2um wide trenches in Si. (fig. 133)

Our wet processing / lithography capabilities have been updated and optimized, with automatic spinners, developer stations, and lift off capabilities for increased reproducibility, decreased cross contamination risks, and lower chemical consumption/waste.

Our metrology capabilities have benefitted from the addition of the Dektak XT, a thin film step height measurement tool capable of measuring steps of ~ 500Å to 1mm. This tool can profile surface topography and waviness, as well as measure surface roughness (above ~15Å range), and includes thin film stress analysis software and 3D mapping capabilities. (fig 134)

The installation of the Bio-safety Level II area, which is in proximity to the Soft Lithography Facility, has been completed and released to the user community. It offers a bio-safety cabinet, CO2 incubators, centrifuge, UV lamp, storage capabilities including a bio-freezer, a computer controlled fluorescent microscope (also with CO2 capabilities), Olympus BX51 top down microscope, and all the necessary equipment needed to perform experiments safely for the specimens and the user community. A goniometer has also been added to enhance our surface characterization capabilities.

6.10.4 Diversity Oriented Contributions The NNIN@Michigan approach on diversity is still focused on collaborative efforts with relevant offices at the University of Michigan and the College of Engineering (Center for Educational Outreach etc). This includes, for instance, visits to Cody High School in Detroit, as part of the UM CEO Wolverine Express program (http://ceo.umich.edu/wolverineexpress/).

6.10.5 Education Activities Over the last year, the NNIN@Michigan site has made significant strides in community college and workforce retraining efforts. Our partnership with the Henry Ford Community College (HFCC) benefitted from a $100,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan, with the goal of establishing a sustainable nanotechnician training program. As a result, we have provided hands-on

Figure 134: Dektak XT Profilometer

Figure 133: Deep trench refill with TEOS LPCVD

http://ceo.umich.edu/wolverineexpress/


training to HFCC faculty by hosting a multi-day workshop on the microfabrication of pressure sensors developed by the Southwest Center for Microsystems Education (SCME), an NSF ATE (Advanced Technological Education) Center.

The early stage outcomes from our partnership include the development of strategies for integration of micro/nanofabrication topics into their existing biotechnology technician training program. Additionally, HFCC students have been afforded the opportunity to work inside our cleanroom and fabricate a microfluidic device. Top performing students from the program are provided internship opportunities as lab support technicians at the LNF. By leveraging federal workforce development funds allocated to the state of Michigan through the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), we are able to make the opportunity more accessible to community college students by providing hourly compensation and course credit for their effort. Our previous efforts with community college students from other partner institutions have led to fulltime employment opportunities with startup companies that utilize our facility.

Our K-12 endeavors have centered around hosting our popular NanoCamp program for both educators and students. The recent development of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) has created a unique opportunity to engage regional educators on the topic of nanotechnology. Through a combination of onsite hands-on experiences and lectures, K-12 educators have been able transfer their new understanding of nanotechnology and excitement from their laboratory experience into their classrooms.

Figure 135: HFCC Faculty participating in the Pressure Sensor Workshop

Figure 136: Highlights about some of the NNIN@Michigan activities with local Community Colleges

Figure 137: 2013 NanoCamp for Educators cohort


We have also taken a leading role in the development of the Michigan STEM Partnership, an organization that is positioned to be a change agent in the Michigan PK-20 educational system by connecting students and educators with industry resources for career and professional development opportunities. Our inclusion in the development of this organization has helped raise awareness of nanotechnology within the state.

6.10.6 SEI highlights Efforts relating to the societal and ethical implications (SEI) of nanotechnology are embedded in our new user orientation and K-12 education programs. New users participate in roundtable discussions and have an opportunity to explore the implications of their research with a diverse group. Support from the UM Risk Science Center has also allowed integration of SEI in NanoCamps.

Figure 138: 2013 NanoCamp for K-12 students


6.10.7 University of Michigan Selected Statistics a)Historical Annual Users



Figure 139: University of Michigan Selected Site Statistics

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80%

Other University3%

Small Company14%

Large Company2%

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Michigan Lab Hours - March 2013 - Dec 2013 (10 months)

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Local Site Academic

69%Other University

9%

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Michigan Users - March 2013 - Dec 2013


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6.10.8 U.Michigan User Institutions Site Name: Michigan Active User Institutions March 1, 2013-Dec 31,2013

Outside US Academic Small Companies Large Companies Case Western Advanced Micro Fab, LLC Anam Electronics Cornell University Aeroflex Inmet BASF Grand Valley State U. Alpha Precision First Solar Harvard University Avto Metals Guardian Industries Henry Ford Community Col. Baker Calling Henkel Corp Kent State University Biotectix Micrel Lawrence Technological Univ.

BMV Solutions, LLC Rigaku Innovative Technologies

Manchester University Cytomag Stryker Instruments MIT DeNovo Sciences Toyota Michigan State University Dexter Research Center Universal Display Corporation Montana State University Discera Oakland University EcoTEG Purdue University ePack State/Federal Rensselaer Polytechnic Evans Technologies, Inc Jet Propulsion Laboratory Stanford University Evigia Systems, Inc. Smithsonian Astrophysical

Observatory Texas State University Fraunhofer Institute Univ. of California Davis I Sciences Univ. of Michigan Dearborn Integrated Sensing Systems International Univ. of Minnesota MCB Cleanroom Solutions Abbott Point of Care (Canada) Univ. of Nebraska MEMStim Korea Atomic Energy

Research Inst. (Korea) University of Toledo Michigan Aerospace Corp Kyung Hee University (Korea) Wayne State University Midwest MicroDevices Nara Inst. of Science and

Technology (Japan) Western Michigan Univ. Molecular Systems Corp Shanghai Jiao Tong University

(China) Nanoselect, Inc Universite Paris Descartes

(France) Neuronexus Technologies University Autonoma de

Ciudad Juarez (Mexico) Nexlink Communications Nokomis Ostendo Small Companies

(continued) Peter Miller Inc Sonetics Ultrasound, Inc. Physical Optics Corp Structured Microsystems PicoCal, Inc. Svaati Scientific Picometrix Team Technologies Promerus TESLIR Quantum Opus Translume Silicium Energy UD Holdings Silicon Resources Zin Technologies


6.11 University of Minnesota Site Report 6.11.1 Summary of Initiatives and Activities

The Minnesota node focuses on serving a large set of external users in a variety of areas including electronics, MEMS and alternative energy. A primary performance metric is the number of users, especially external users. As a result of an aggressive recruiting processwe continue to increase by about 10% per year. We now have users from more than 330 users including nearly 100 external universities or companies.

The major advance for the node this year is the completion of the construction of a new Physics and Nanotechnology building across the street from the Electrical Engineering building which houses the current cleanroom facilities.(fig 140) The building houses a new cleanroom with 5000 square feet under filter. Most of the nano systems are now being moved to the new facility. The Vistec e-beam lithography system has completed check-out and will be turned over to users early in January 2014. We expect to have about 10 major systems up and running in the new facility by May. The current facility will continue to operate to support MEMS research as well as serving as a teaching lab.

In addition to the cleanroom space, we will be openning two wet labs adjacent to the cleanroom. These labs, which will operate as open facilities in the same manner as the cleanroom, will support researchers active in bionano and nano materials. Equipment is now being acquired and installed. This includes fluoresence and hyperspectral microscopy, dip pen lithography, dynamic light scattering, zeta potential, and nanoparticle synthesis and functionalization and facilities for mamalian cell culturing.

6.11.2 Selected External and Internal Highlights

6.11.2.1 Center for Spintronic Materials, Interfaces, and Novel Architectures Professor Jian Ping Wang (Minnesota ECE) is leading a new 28 M$ MARCO Center called C-SPIN. The center goal is to investigate ground-breaking technologies that will enable computer systems that operate using the spin of an electron, as opposed to its charge, the basis of today’s computers. Spin-based computers have the potential to be faster, smaller and more energy-efficient. Thrust areas include Perpendicular Magnetic Materials, Spintronic Interface Engineering, Spin Devices and Interconnects, Spintronic Circuits and Architectures, and Spin Channel Materials (Fig x141).

Figure 141: Spin channel electronics is one of the thrust areas for C-SPIN

Figure 140: Newly completed Physics and Nanotechnology building housing the Minnesota Nano Center.


6.11.2.2 The Effects of Cell-Cell Interaction on Neutrophil Chemotaxis Professor Christy Haynes (Minnesota Chemistry) has developed a device to create stable and dynamic chemical gradients. They are using this to monitor neutrophil chemotaxis within chemoattractant gradients on endothelial cell layerhas (Fig 142). They found that Cytokine activation induces different chemotactic behaviors from neutrophils and the presence of an endothelial cell layer influences the migration of neutrophils.

6.11.2.3 High Performance Tunable Materials Dr. Konstantin Pokhodnya of the Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering, North Dakota State University, has been fabricating MIM (I= BaxSr1-xTiO3 or BST) capacitor structures on a 4” alumina wafer using the new NNIN Ar ion mill. They have investigated the effects of Mg/Nb doping. A significant enhancement of BST dielectric properties was achieved without sacrificing of capacitor tunability.

6.11.2.4 Micro-Electron-Beam ADCs Astronix Research Inc., based in Golden, Colorado, is developing key manufacturing technologies at the University of Minnesota's Minnesota Nano Center for a novel “micro-electron-beam” analog to digital converter (ADC) concept. This unique ADC design is based on extensive analysis and simulation that has shown that arrays of micron-scale electron guns can generate a focused electron-beam, with a spot diameter of sub-micron size, that can be rapidly swept across an array of specialized semiconductor detectors, in linear response to an RF (radio-frequency) signal. Such an approach has the potential to provide a direct method of high-resolution signal digitization at sample rates far beyond those of conventional semiconductor conversion methods.

6.11.3 Equipment and Facility Highlights

6.11.3.1 New Clean Room The new Physics and Nanotechnology building opened in Nov 2013, including a new cleanroom facility (5000 ft2 under filter, 10000 ft2 gross) to supplement our current cleanroom. The new cleanroom has both class 100 and class 1000 areas, and a low vibration slab suitable for high resolution electron beam lithography. Equipment installation began in December with 5 tools being moved from the Keller Hall cleanroom:

• Vistec electron beam lithography system

• Heidelberg Laserwriter pattern generator

Figure 142: Multichannel device for determining Cell-Cell interaction on chemotaxis

Figure 143:Capacitor test structures Pt/BST/Pt/Al2O3 on a 4” alumina wafer.

Figure 144: Concept for using a micro beam to create a fast ADC


• Amray SEM

• CHA electron beam evaporator

• Advanced Vacuum reactive ion etcher

Additional tools will be installed in early 2014. Graduate students researchers will be working in the new cleanroom starting in January 2014.

The new building also has non-clean laboratory space dedicated to bio-nanotechnology and nanoparticle technology. The existing Keller Hall cleanroom facility will continue to operate focusing on MEMS and teaching, while the new cleanroom will be focused on nanoscale activities.

6.11.3.2 KLA Tencor P7 Surface Profiler A P7 surface profiler was ordered and received for the new cleanroom. The key feature of this instrument is the 156 mm continuous scan length without stitching (which can introduce variability), with a stage flatness specified at 170 nm for 130 mm scan. Step height repeatibility is 0.4nm guaranteed, and stress measurement repeatibility is specified at 2.5%.This profiler complements our current P16 profiler located in the Keller cleanroom.

6.11.3.3 Filmetrics F50-EXR Thin Film Mapping System The Filmetrics F50-EXR can map film thickness of dielectric films as quickly as two points per second. A motorized R-Theta stage accepts standard and custom chucks for samples up to 450mm in diameter. Map patterns can be polar, rectangular, or linear, or you can create your own with no limit on the number of measurement points. Thickness measurements can be made from 15nm to 250um.

6.11.4 Diversity

6.11.4.1 Extended Tours & Presentations 1. NanoDays On-Campus Event, April 4, 2013 The Minnesota Nano Center once again hosted its annual on-campus Nanodays event in 2013. This year the MNC invited 110 high school students from Washington Technology Magnet School in St. Paul, a STEM magnet school that serves 700 students in grades 7-12, 90% of which are students of color and 91% of which are eligible for free or reduced school lunches. The students saw demonstations on making integrated circuits, played with hands-on nanoscience activities, and toured UM research labs where they met with grad students and discussed the research taking place.

2. NanoDays Community Event, April 6, 2013 MNC’s Outreach Coordinator, Dr. Jim Marti, continued his work this year with SELF International, a community-based group with the mission to improve participation and success in STEM education by students of color in a Mineapolis inner-city neighborhood. This year he contributed to SELF’s all-day education fair on nanotechnology. Dr. Marti delivered the keynote address for the event, staffed the MNC exhibit, and presented demonstrations on nanoscale phenomena for visitors. About 150 people attended the event; 90% of school-age visitors were African-American.

6.11.4.2 Recruiting a More Diverse User Group 3. LEF Program, June – August 2013 The Minnesota Nano Center participated in NNIN’s Laboratory Experience for Faculty (LEF) Program again in 2013. For our second year in the program, we built upon our relationship with St. Catherine University, an all-women’s institution in St. Paul. This year’s LEF participant was Prof. Jolene Johnson Armstrong, who teaches physics at St. Catherine. Working with Prof. Christy Haynes of the Chemistry Department, Prof. Armstrong spent the summer of 2013 fabricating microfluidic devices to support research in cell mechanics and cytokine growth.


6.11.5 Education Outreach Efforts Summary

6.11.5.1 Outreach to Teachers and Faculty 1. Minnesota Science Teachers Association Conference on Science Education, February 22, 2013: Jim Marti staffed an exhibit booth during this conference, a meeting of about 500 elementary and secondary science teachers from throughout Minnesota. Dr. Marti spoke with about 50 teachers and and actively solicited applicants for the NNIN RET program. He also presented a talk on NNIN's educational modules entitled “Hands-on Nanotechnology” to introduce teachers to the activities available on NNIN's education portal web site.

2. Presentation on the Nano Center at St. Catherine University, November 15, 2013: Jim Marti gave a talk on nanoscience, nanotechnology, and the capabilities of the Minnesota Nano Center to a group of professors and undergraduate science students at St. Catherine University.

6.11.5.2 Classes and Tours for Students

Jim Marti presented the following tours and classes.

3. Clean room tour and class for faculty and students from St. Catherine University, March 1 and November 1, 2013. Audience: female undergrad science students.

4. Presentation on nanotechnology for West Metro Gifted and Talented group, April 8, 2013. Students in grades 3 to 5 interested in STEM fields.

5. Clean room tour and class, faculty and students from St. Paul College, April 10, 2013. Undergrad students and faculty from a diverse local community college.

6. Clean room tours and classes, faculty and students from the University of St. Thomas, April 30, May 2, November 12 and 14, 2013. Undergrad science and engineering students.

7. Presentation on nanotechnology for the Exploring Careers in Engineering and Physical Sciences (ECEPS) program, July 18, 2013. Female students, grades 10-12. This program encourages high school girls to consider STEM-related career choices.

8. Clean room tour and class, members of FIRST Lego League, November 7, 2013. Middle-school students taking part in the annual FIRST Lego League Challenge.

9. Clean room tour and class, group of high school National Merit Scholars, November 8, 2013

10. Clean room tour and class, group of high school students, November 11, 2013

11. Clean room tours and classes, faculty and students from Macalester College, November 13, 2013. Undergrad physics students.

6.11.5.3 Outreach to External Users 12. Outreach to new/nontraditional users

Jim Marti delivered a presentation on applying lithographic techniques to the world of conventional micromachining. The talk was given to attendees of the 2013 Micro Manufacturing Conference in Minneapolis on April 16, 2013. The aim of this presentation was to introduce engineers who typically use mechanical micromachining techniques to consider the possibilities of fabrication using lithographic patterning and etching processes.

Dr. Marti also delivered a talk on applications of nanotechnology to adhesive compounds for the 2013 Conference of the Adhesives and Sealants Council, Oct. 23, 2013 in Minneapolis. The audience was primarily chemists and chemical engineers.


13. Outreach to Industrial Users In addition to the above presentations, Dr. Marti presented talks on the Nano Center and its capabilities to a number of potential industrial users, including staff at Seagate and Honeywell, and mmbers of the Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power.

6.11.5.4 NNIN Outreach Events and Activities 14. Research Experience for Undergraduates, summer 2013 Six NNIN REU students were selected to spend their summer at the U of Minnesota. Interns spent 10 weeks of intensive laboratory research experience working with a faculty member and his/her research group to make meaningful contributions to a research project. This year's projects included: fabrication of nanowires, microbial FETs, fabrication of nanofluidic channels for DNA analysis, infrared sensors using graphene, microfabricated templates to study cancer cell, and microfluidic devices to support cell growth studies.

15. Research Experience for Teachers, summer 2013 Four local high school teachers were selected to participate in the NNIN RET program this summer. They worked with a faculty mentor on a research project. They also deceloped written educational lab activities for their classrooms under the direction of Jim Marti. After returning to their schools in the fall, participants tested their activites on their classes with the aim of refining the lab and eventually adding it to the NNIN nano-activity library.

6.11.6 SEI Activities During early 2011, a polished Social, Ethical, Implications (SEI) Discussion and Module were created, ready to be delivered to Nanofabrication Center (NFC) users at the University of Minnesota. The main content for the Guide and Module was researched, assembled, and refined by Humphrey School of Public Affairs student Jonathan Brown, and reviewed and critiqued by Humphrey School faculty member Dr. Jennifer Kuzma. Since the pilot session in March 2011, the Module was approved for further implementation in all follow-up sessions. This content has been covered bimonthly from mid 2012 through 2013 through small group sessions with followup discussions.


6.11.7 University of Minnesota Selected Statistics a)Historical Annual Users



Figure 145:Selected U.Minnesota Site Statistics

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6.11.8 U. Minnesota User Institutions Site Name: U.Minnesota Active User Institutions March 1, 2013-Dec

31,2013 Outside US Academic Small Companies Large Companies

Saint Catherine Univ. Advanced Research Corp. BF Goodrich Southern Univ. Aveka, Inc. CSIRO Manufacturing George Washington Univ.

BH Electronics, Inc. Entegris

Minnesota State Univ. Envoy Medical Honeywell International Monash University Hysitron, Inc. Medtronic Montana State Univ. IIIAN Company, LLC Medtronic, Inc. North Dakota State Univ. Kevin Roberts Consulting Seagate Technology South Dakota State Univ. Nanomotif TSI, Inc. Texas A&M Univ. Paddock Labs-Perrigo

Minnesota Valspar

University of MN Duluth Polyera Corp Univ. of South Dakota PowerFilm Inc International University of St Thomas Rapid Diagnostek, Inc. ETH Zurich - Inst Robotics

Sage Electrochromics SVT Associates, Inc. Vixar


6.12 University of Texas Site Report 6.12.1 Technical leadership areas: Initiatives and Activities The University of Texas at Austin Microelectronics Research Center (MRC) technical leadership areas comprise nanofabrication instrument design and process research through techniques such as novel lithography (NIL, roll-to-roll), chemical and molecular-scale fabrication methods with major emphasis on materials and manufacturing. Two examples of advanced research undertaking at the MRC in industrial areas are described below.

6.12.1.1 Newer Lithographic processes suited to “soft” material Roll-to-roll lithography system based on Molecular Imprints Inc. (MII) nanoimprint technology was developed by UT Prof. SV Sreenivasan. The LithoFlex 100, is a high-volume unit capable of producing polarized glass or films for LCDs. Sreenivasan is one of the PI of the NSF ERC NASCENT, that has tight collaboration wtih MRC. MRC supports industry and federal infrastructure development activities by offering an open access to the base tools and processes needed for general device fabrication.

6.12.1.2 Large graphene crystals with exceptional electrical properties One of the world’s strongest materials, graphene is flexible and has high electrical and thermal conductivity that makes it a promising material for flexible electronics, solar cells, batteries and high-speed transistors. Surface oxygen was used by Prof. R Ruoff and his team to grow centimeter-size single graphene crystals on copper. The crystals were about 10,000 times as large as the largest crystals from only 4 years ago. These very large single crystals were found to have exceptional electrical properties. The team’s understanding of how graphene growth is influenced by differing amounts of surface oxygen is a major step toward improved high-quality graphene films at industrial scale. 6.12.2 Acquisitions, Changes, Operations The University of Texas at Austin Microelectronics Research Center (MRC) acquired a new set of state-of-the-art instruments that complement its existing nanofabrication strengths, while also expanding capabilities for manufacture and test of nanoscale devices and materials.

• Argon milling for metal etching (Au) was becoming a need for fabricating vertical structures. Using precision controlled streams of ionized gas (ion beams), part of the material coating a wafer is removed (etching or ion milling). Oxford ion Fab 300+ was updated to provide accurate dry metal etch.

• State of the art characterization tools are indispensable for describing properties of nanoscale materials. To study liquid in-situ with the double twin FEI TECNAI G2 TEM, Hummingbird Scientific sample holder had been acquired. With this continuous flow in-situ liquid stage electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) spectra are obtained from nano-particles in colloidal suspension using aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM).

To serve over 300 MRC annual cleanroom users, the facility team comprises 7 maintenance technicians,

Figure 146: Science Nov. 8, 2013: Raman mapping images of carbon isotope–labeled graphene domains

Figure 147: Training on the SEM Zeiss Neon 40


trained operators and engineers, and 3 administrative staff members. Roughly a third of these people are supported by NNIN funds.

6.12.3 Diversity Activities The University of Texas participated in the NNIN-sponsored Laboratory Experience for Faculty (LEF) program, which enabled research experience for faculty member belonging to a minority serving institution. In summer 2013, Prof. Linda J. Olafsen from Baylor University (Waco, TX) was hosted by the MRC to advance her research program on interband cascade lasers (antimonide-based) and refine her processing techniques of graphene contacts to GaSb-capped semiconductor devices. During this summer long internship, she processed 45 sample pieces (typically ~5 mm × 5 mm) and acquired experience in scanning electron microscopy, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, reactive ion etching, and inductively coupled plasma etching.

6.12.4 Education

6.12.4.1 Etch workshop for NNIN staff at Cornel UT Austin MRC in 2013 participated in network event by nature that provides value beyond individual interest. Ricardo Garcia one of the MRC training personal went for a 2-days workshop. This event is the way for staff to present their equipement and process capabilites but also to benchmark with other facilities. The contacts developped during these meetings are valuable and create a technical network open to answer questions and share ideas in the long run.

6.12.4.2 REU summer 2013 Since 2004, MRC has hosted Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) scholars. From June to August 2013 MRC supervised 6 undergraduate students supported by the NNIN REU program. Many other REU students were hosted by MRC and supported by other NSF ERC like NASCENT. The REU participants consisted of 2 females and 4 males, working with UT professors and graduate students, acting as mentors on research projects. In addition to the REU students, UT Austin also hosted a graduate student from the Japanese Nanonet (a network similar to NNIN, guided by the National Institute for Materials Science, NIMS). The visiting students engaged in developing :

• “Surface Micromachined Microphones” Rocha Alexandro (Northwest Vista College),

• “Nano Material for 3D Printing” Binion John (Grove City College),

• “System Automation for High Throughput Bio Sensor” Crisp Dakota (Southeast Missouri State U),

• “Nonlinear Optical Metamaterials” Gaur Priyanka (MIT),

• “Talking nano: Nanoscientists as public communicators” Oros Hannah (Muhlenberg College),

• “Electrical and optical studies of metal: semiconductor nanocomposites for nanophotonics”, March Stephen (Iowa State U),

Figure 149: 4th of July Long Center Austin: John, Daniel, Daichi, Dakota, Christy, Hannah

Figure 148: Linda J Olafsen from Baylor University at the MRC wet etch bench


• “ Silicon and germanium nanomaterials for high performance lithium ion batteries” Oka Daichi (University of Tokyo).

The undergraduates concluded their internship by a convocation with all the NNIN REU candidates at Georgia Tech. They had to comment their posters and present orally their research achievements for these 10 weeks program.

6.12.4.3 Outreach activities MRC UT-Austin offered again in 2013 cleanroom tours. During these guided tours, MRC specialists gave a synopsis of micro and nano fabrication, equipment and applications. Individuals from dissimilar age groups and different professional areas attended the tours: summer camp students, 20 students and their professor (Kevin Sinkar, AP Physics and Engineering faculty) from NYOS Charter School were among the visitors.

6.12.5 Social and Ethical Issues (SEI) The MRC safety coordinator, Darren Robbins, schedules twice-a-week orientation sessions for new users. The SEI component is embedded in this 3 hours training. It is fulfilled using an in-house developed presentation that discusses the benefits and risks of using nanomaterials, and analyzing the case of silver nanocrystals as antibiotic and therapeutic tools in living beings. A comprehensive review of safety procedures (emergency exits, cleanroom protocol to dispose acids, solvent and other chemicals, safety gear to handle chemicals, etc.) follows the SEI discussion. Questions and comments from the new trainees are stimulated during the discussion.

---End of Texas Text Report--


6.12.6 University of Texas Selected Statistics

Figure 150: Selected U. Texas site statistics

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Texas Lab Users - March 2013-Dec 2013


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6.12.7 U. Texas User Institutions Outside US Academic Small Companies Large Companies

Baylor University Amethyst Research 3M MD Anderson Cancer Medical Center AND (Advanced Novel

Devices) Luminex

University Of Virginia Astrowatt The Methodist Hospital System in Houston, Texas

Texas A&M Bioo Scientific Trinity University San Antonio Clean Energy Labs University of Houston Criteria Labs Univ. Texas San Antonio Molecular Imprints Univ.Texas Arlington Nanohmics Inc International NanoMaster King Abdullah University of

Science and Technology (KAUST) NanoMedical Systems

Inc.

Optical Filter Sources PrivaTran

Quantum Logic Devices Sachem Sheetak Silexta Stellar Micro Devices Sunshot Superconductor Technologies Inc. Tape Solar Inc.


6.13 University of Washington Site Report 6.13.1 Overview The University of Washington NNIN node (UW-NNIN) has primary responsibilities in the areas of biological and life sciences, society and ethics (SEI), and in connecting the network to the aquatic and geoscience communities. UW-NNIN employs a technical staff of 11 and consists of the Nanotech User Facility (NTUF) and Washington Nanofabrication Facility (WNF). NTUF occupies 3,000 sq ft of the new Molecular Engineering and Sciences (MolES) building with tools and facilities targeted towards the investigative needs of nano-bio users. The WNF occupies 15,000 sq ft of space in Fluke Hall and provides access to precision e-beam lithography, photolithography, thin-film deposition, wet and dry etching, metrology, and advanced packaging capabilities. In 2013, the University of Washington has funded and initiated planning activities for a phased renovation of Fluke Hall with a 3-phase construction of new cleanrooms, slated to begin Q2 2014, to ensure that WNF remains the primary regional resource for fabrication. Over the reporting period, UW-NNIN served 177 users coming from the local site. Additionally, UW-NNIN supported 9 other US academic institutions, 38 small and 9 large companies, one government, and 5 foreign organizations and universities.

6.13.2 Aquatic, Geo, and Environmental Sciences News UW-NNIN has primary responsibility in connecting the network and its users with the aquatic and geoscience communities. This engagement includes interaction with the UW Departments of Environmental Health Sciences and Ocenagraphy, UW Applied Physics Lab, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and other regional institutes such as Washington State University (WSU).

The Gallagher group (Environmental Health Sciences) continued a National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) funded study of the role of environmental chemicals in salmonids and zebrafish. Recently, Gallagher’s study on the impact of Nrf2 on cadmium olfactory injury was published in Toxicology and Applied Phamacology. (Nuclear factor-like 2, also known as NFE2L2 or Nrf2, is a transcription factor that in humans is encoded by the NFE2L2 gene. The Nrf2 antioxidant response pathway is the primary cellular defense against the cytotoxic effects of oxidative stress)

In this study, imaging of small fish olfactory epithelia was performed to assess the impact of cadmium accumulation in the olfactory bulb that inhibits normal behavior in foraging, predatory avoidance, and social interaction. Figure 151 demonstrates normal and damaged epithelia of zebrafish larve due to Cd.

Another environmental study, led by Dr. Bednarsek (NOAA), is examining the extent of environmental impact due to anthropogenic CO2 concentrations on the surface waters of the California Current ecosystem by using marine snails (pteropods) as indicator. Pteropods can serve as an ideal sentinel species to determine even the smallest changes in carbonate chemistry. UW-NNIN uses gentle descum plasma processing to remove bio-films that obscure the imaging of the crystalline dissolution impact on the pteropod shell that is a direct indication on the dissolved cabonate concentration. Figure 152 shows the post-processed pteropod shell. Initial results observed a great amount of dissolution in pteropods from

Figure 151. (a-d) Control and (e-h) Cd impacted epithelium on zebrafish olfactory organ.


Washington and Oregon coasts. The next steps will incorporate different species as well as various life stages to determine the extent of vulnerability within the pteropod population.

UW-NNIN continued the study with Shyam Sablani and Roopesh Syalamadevi (Washington State University), in food safety and spoilage of organic fruits where the use of chemical disinfectants is impractical. Limited by seasonal availability, this year the study was expanded to include pears and cherries. Ultimately, the study is examining the efficacy of using Ultraviolet-C (UV-C 254 nm) light treatment as a possible alternative for chemical disinfection of fresh fruits. The study focuses on understanding UV-C inactivation kinetics of microorganisms on fruit surface with differing surface morphologies.

6.13.3 Research Highlights The UW-NNIN capabilities and services span multiple disciplines and domains. This year’s research highlights include breakthroughs in medicine, biology, sciences, and engineering.

6.13.3.1 Medicine, Biology, and Bioengineering The Blakney group (Bioengineering) is developing electrospun drug-eluting fabrics for topical drug delivery applications to the skin, mouth, eye and genital or rectal mucosa. .By controlling the material chemistry and fabric microarchitecture, fiber-based medical fabrics have the capacity for rapid, sustained or asynchronous delivery of physicochemically diverse drug combinations. Blakney’s group assessed the co-delivery of physicochemically diverse drugs from electrospun fabrics with differing microarchitectures. In particular, the effect on release kinetics from formulating drugs in the same or separate fibers is unknown. For the first time the feasibility of using a production-scale electrospinning instrument to assemble electrospun fabrics with different microscale geometries for co-delivery of tenofovir (TFV) and levonorgestrel (LNG) was demonstrated. Fabrics were macroscopically indistinguishable from each other irrespective of the drug loaded (LNG alone, TFV alone, or LNG/TFV combined) or composite microarchitecture (stacked, interwoven, or combined). SEM microscopy, shown in Figure 153, revealed fabrics were free of defects.

The Daggett group (Bioengineering) is using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) as part of a study involving the inhibition of amyloid formation in both peptide and protein systems. Amyloid presence has been attributed to serious human diseases and may play a role in neurodegenerative disorders. Daggett’s group is interested in detecting morphological changes in the oligomers

Figure 152. Pteropod shell showing crystalline dissolution.

Figure 153. Electrospun fabric for drug delivery.

Figure 154. AFM images of TTR + L4-TZ. The white arrows indicate extended fibrillar structure.


and fibrils between inhibited and uninhibited aggregation reactions. This study determines if inhibitors reduce the number of fibrils present and the mechanisms of this reduction. The group recently investigated the inhibition of the plasma protein transthyretin aggregation using a small beta-hairpin peptide. The main way to assess fibril formation is via extrinsic dyes, such as thioflavin-T or Congo Red. To correlate the increase in dye-binding with formation of fibrils, AFM is used to visualize the fibrils at the end of the reaction, shown in Figure 154.

The Rolandi group (Materials Science and Engineering) is studying proton exchange in the biological realm and has created protonic semiconductors and complimentary devices using palladium hydride protodes as the source and drain with a chitin-based biopolymer as the selective conduction channel for H+ protons or OH- holes, as shown in Figure 155, resulted in complementary bio-FETs that were reported in Scientific Reports. The gate is isolated from the protodes and the proton conduction channel with a 100nm thick SiO2 layer.

The Ratner group (Bioengineering) is developing silicon nanophotonic biosensors that show promise to revolutionize label-free sensing in biomedical research, drug development, homeland security, food safety, environmental monitoring, and healthcare. Yet increased sensitivity is needed to fully compete with today’s gold standard assays, such as the ELISA. For strip-based silicon photonic biosensors (strip-waveguide ring resonators, Bragg gratings, disk resonators), the majority of the sensing field is confined within the sensor, limiting its interaction with the sample and overall sensitivity. Slot-waveguide structures concentrate the sensing electric field in a region between the waveguides, shown in Figure 156, increasing field and analyte overlap and enhancing sensitivity. In addition, the Ratner group designed and used UW-NNIN’s silicon photonics foundry services to fabricate the first-of-its-kind slot waveguide Bragg grating biosensor for improved label-free sensing. Experimental results yielded a sensitivity of 340 nm/RIU and quality factor (Q) of 1.5×104, the highest reported for slot-based biosensors to-date. The sensor’s Q was much higher than typical slot-waveguide ring resonators since it did not suffer from bending or mode mismatch losses. The sensor’s intrinsic detection limit was 3×10-4 RIU, which is close to the theoretical limit of an ideal resonator sensor operating in water at 1550 nm (2.4 × 10−4 RIU). Finally, the sandwich assay shown in Figure 6(d) demonstrated its potential for use in label free detection. The relative resonance wavelength shifts for each captured biomolecule corresponded well to the expected shift based on their respective molecular weights.

6.13.3.2 Physical Sciences The Fu group (Physics/EE) is working on diamond photonic networks for quantum information systems. Hybrid GaP/diamond photonic networks may combine the promising properties of nitrogen vacancy

Figure 155. Three terminal protonic FET.

Figure 156. (a) Slot waveguide in water model, (b) SEM of UW-NNIN fabricated devices, (c) transmission spectra for NaCl-solution refractive index standards, and (d) biosensing results: Region A= Protein-A (1 mg/mL), B= anti-streptavidin (SA) (125 μg/mL), C= Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) (2 mg/mL), D= streptavidin (SA) (1.8 µM), E= Biotin-BSA (2.5 mg/mL).


centers (NV) in diamond as qubits and a solid state implementation suitable for large-scale quantum networks. The linear electro-optic properties of GaP are essential for the realization of optical switches for active network capabilities. Coupling of the optical NV emission to GaP resonators has been demonstrated; however, the existing fabrication approach relies on the preparation of GaP resonators on a secondary substrate and subsequent release from solution onto the diamond sample containing NV centers. Hence, this approach does not allow for the fabrication of the coupled resonator-waveguide structures, which are essential for photonic circuits. A new processing scheme was used for the transfer of a sub-micron sheet of GaP onto the diamond substrate using optical lithography, dry and wet etching processes resulting in an array of GaP disk resonators from the transferred films as shown in Figure 157 The group demonstrated coupling of the NV emission to the microcavities. This approach will enable the implementation of hybrid coupled resonator-waveguide structures.

The Xu group (Physics / Materials Science and Engineering) studies 2-dimensional materials in search of physical phenomena unique to these novel, ultrathin systems. Photoluminescence studies of few-atom thick semiconductors has yielded many significant results. The group demonstrated that inter-valley coherence can be generated and detected in the monolayer semiconductor WSe2. Because excitons in a single valley emit circularly polarized photons, linear polarization can only be generated through recombination of an exciton in a coherent superposition of the two valley states. Using monolayer semiconductor WSe2 devices, they first established the circularly polarized optical selection rules for addressing individual valley excitons (Xo) and trions (X-) and then demonstrated coherence between valley excitons through the observation of linearly polarized luminescence. In contrast, the corresponding photoluminescence from trions was not observed to be linearly polarized, consistent with the expectation that the emitted photon polarization is entangled with valley pseudospin. The demonstrated ability to address coherence, in addition to valley polarization, is a step forward towards achieving quantum manipulation of the valley index necessary for coherent valleytronics.

The Cobden group (Physics) is studying the metal-insulator transition in vanadium dioxide, at which point it switches suddenly from conducting to insulating, making it a candidate material for applications in switching and sensing. The detailed behavior near the transition was not known previously because of the complexity of bulk samples and because two insulating phases compete with the metallic phase near the transition. By working with nanobeams of VO2, which are tiny single-crystal wires, in a purpose-built apparatus for applying axial stress under a microscope, the group was able to observe the interplay of three phases with unprecedented control. The nanobeams were mounted on micromachined flexible silicon chips made using the UW-NNIN facilities. By mapping the stress and temperature, shown in Figure 158, at which each pair of phases coexisted the group deduced that the triple point, at which all three coexist, is at 65.0 °C and zero applied stress. This result has important theoretical implications and demonstrated the value of such a controlled approach to complex materials in general and was reported in Nature.

Figure 157. GaP disk array on diamond

Figure 158. The lines represent where two of three solid-state phases of VO2 exist stably in a nanobeam. The intersection is the triple point where all three phases co-exist.


The Robertson group (Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics), is engaged in a large Department of Energy program named MAJORANA whose primary goal is to use germanium detectors to detect neutrino-less double beta decay. As part of commissioning, the group develops signal cable connectors that allow the detectors inside the cryostat to interface with the external data acquisition system. Using UW-NNIN, they have fabricated several different boards on fused silica and sapphire substrates and have also tested varying metallization stacks.

In addition, the group is developing low noise detector read-out electronics that enable future experimental searches to detect very low energy nuclear recoils, such as those produced by nuclei scattering of dark matter or neutrinos. A prototype is designed with UW-NNIN providing the fabrication and packaging of electronics on custom interposer carriers.

6.13.3.3 Engineering The Lin group (Electrical Engineering) is developing a 3-D scanning micromirror device that combines 2-D beam scanning with focus control in the same device using micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS) technology. The 2-D beam scanning is achieved with a biaxial gimbal structure and focus control is obtained with a deformable mirror membrane surface, shown in Figure 159. The micromirror with an 800 μm diameter was designed to be sufficiently compact and efficient so that it can be incorporated into an endoscopic imaging probe in the future. Using the focus-tracking MEMS scanning mirror, an optical scanning range of >16 degrees was achieved with < 40 V actuation voltage at resonance and a tunable focal length between infinity and 25 mm with < 100 V applied bias.

The Sniadecki group (Mechanical Engineering) is developing low cost sensors for the detection of trauma-induced coagulopathy (TIC) that results in the activation of anti-coagulants in the blood of trauma patients. This results in a five-fold increase in the risk of death from internal bleeding. The group had previously demonstrated the use of polymeric microposts for measuring the clotting factor by optically observing post deflection due to platelet forces acting on the posts. The group is working toward an in-situ detection system for the detection of TIC in ambulatory situations. Microposts have been embedded with ferromagnetic material. Displacement of the micropost causes a rotation in the dipole moment of the nanowire that changes the magnetic field sensed by a spin valve magnetometer that uses the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect. The group developed detectors by fabricating the spin valves using a precise stack of magnetic and antiferromagnetic layers to create the spin valves, shown in Figure 160, that are a critical step toward an integrated sensor system that has an array of high resolution magentic detectors.

The Shen group (Mechanical Engineering) studies small-scale piezoelectric Lead-Zirconium-Titanium oxide (PZT) thin-film micro-actuators to be implanted in the inner ear. The PZT micro-actuator generates a pressure wave directly stimulating perilymph in the cochlea to provide acoustic stimulation. Together

Figure 159. (Top) SEM of micromirror, (Mid) intensity cross-section at varying bias, and (Bot) Gaussian intensity profile of focused spot at 87 V bias.

Figure 160. Fabricated spin valves


with a shortened electrode, the PZT micro-actuator could enable combined electric and acoustic stimulation of the inner ear via an integrated device. Specifically, the group developed an actuator probe with 1 mm wide, 10 mm long, and 0.4 mm thick. At the tip of the probe, there is a piezoelectric diaphragm serving as an acoustic actuator. The entire actuator was packaged with 250 nm thick parylene with lead wires for bottom and top electrodes of the piezoelectric diaphragm. The fabricated actuator has been tested to function successfully in water and in guinea pigs.

In addition, the group is developing piezoelectric polymeric thin films that have Lead-Zirconium-Titanium oxide (PZT) nano-particles embedded in a silane matrix, shown in Figure 161. The PZT nano-particles were suspended in silane sol to form PZT ink. The PZT ink was then printed onto substrate to form thin-film sensors or actuators. The advantages of this material includes applicability to curved substrates, low-temperature curing (< 120°C), and compatibility with 3-D printing techniques. Initial test results showed that the thin films are pieozoelectric and can be used as sensors and actuators.

The Posner group (Mechanical Engineering) is developing processes using styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene (SEBS) block copolymer to fabricate microfluidic and MEMS devices in UW-NNIN facilities. Capacitive microfluidic sensors, shown in Figure 162, were fabricated to mimic the human skin and can detect very low forces for tactile sensing applications. Tactile sensing has great potential to impact robot-assisted surgery and robotic grasp and manipulation, among other applications. The capacitive sensors were composed of flexible, multi-layer structures with micro-scale features fabricated using photolithography and soft lithography techniques.

The Smith group (Computer Science and Engineering) is working on Free-range Resonant Electrical Energy Delivery (FREE-D) Systems and a Wirelessly Powered Electrocorticography (ECoG) project. Both projects involve wirelessly powered implanted medical devices: FREE-D for left ventricular assistance devices and ECoG for sensing signals from the brain. One of the most challenging aspects to both of these projects is designing the systems for biocompatibility. The group used polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and parylene substrates for coating the coils, as shown in Figure 163, that are then used for wirelessly transferring power.

6.13.3.4 Foreign Organizations and Universities UW-NNIN continued an international collaboration with the Chrostowski group (University of British Columbia) and the Silicon-Electronic Photonic Integrated Circuits (Si-EPIC) program. Design expertise in telecom wavelength (1550nm) light in silicon photonics from the Canadian researchers is coupled with a well-controlled electron-beam lithography (EBL) and silicon etch capability offered as a UW-NNIN service. This collaboration allows researchers to perform short-loop iterations to refine experimental designs prior to submitting to a commerical foundry run. Using this service, the Chrostowski group demonstrated 2×2

Figure 161. PZT nanoparticles embedded in silane matrix.

Figure 162. Polymeric capacitive sensor on finger.

Figure 163. PDMS coil substrate for wireless power transfer.


broadband adiabatic 3-dB couplers based on silicon rib waveguides. Fabricated using silicon-on-insulator technology, the group demonstrated the performance of the adiabatic 3-dB couplers by integrating two couplers into an unbalanced Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI). Measurements of the MZI were made over a 100 nm wavelength range. Extinction ratios in excess of 33.4 dB were obtained over the wavelength range from 1520 nm to 1600 nm. These devices were much less wavelength sensitive than the conventional directional couplers.

The group also demonstrated several optical filters for optical communications applications. These are based on multiple ring resonators, made to be tunable by integrating thermal tuners above the rings. The spectral responses of series-coupled racetrack resonators exhibiting the Vernier effect have many attractive features such as free spectral range (FSR) extension and enhanced wavelength tunability. The group experimentally demonstrated a thermally tunable quadruple series-coupled silicon racetrack resonator exhibiting the Vernier effect, shown in Figure 164. Two of four racetrack resonators were thermally tuned to enable discrete switching of the major peak by 15.54 nm. This device had an interstitial peak suppression of 35.4 dB, a 3 dB bandwidth of 0.45 nm, and an extended FSR of 37.66 nm.

Finally, the group demonstrated several designs for optical fiber grating couplers, shown in Figure 165. The first is a universal design methodology for grating couplers based on the silicon-on-insulator platform. The design methodology accommodates various etch depths, silicon thicknesses (e.g., 220 nm, 300 nm), incident angles, and cladding materials (e.g. silicon oxide or air), and has been verified by simulations and measurement results. Furthermore, the design methodology can be applied to a wide range of wavelengths (1260-1675 nm). The second is a fully-etched grating coupler with improved back reflection and bandwidth. The purpose is to develop a low-cost single-etch design, as opposed to the traditional two-etch (requiring a shallow etch) grating couplers. Sub-wavelength gratings were employed to form the effective index areas between the major gratings, with a measured 3-dB bandwidth of 64.37 nm and a back reflection of -14 dB.

6.13.3.5 Commercial Research UW-NNIN hosts 47 active companies that are conducting research and development efforts. Most of the industrial development work is seldomly reported as it is generally proprietary or trade secret protected. Occassionally, company research is reported as in the case of Nanoport Technologies who is actively investigating microfabricated optical thin film filters. The ultimate goal is the microfabrication of optical systems on a chip (oSOC) in which the first step is to demonstrate cleanroom fabrication of discrete components such as filters. Over the reporting period, Nanoport has identified a suitable substrate and a base material with other additives that allows precise control of the filter properties through a simulation program. The simulation program is concurrently being developed and tested against experimental results with refinements to account for microscale physical effects. Lithographic techniques were used to

Figure 164. (a) Schematic of the quadruple Vernier racetrack resonator and (b) the fabricated device using UW-NNIN foundry.

Figure 165. SEM of fabricated optical fiber grating coupler.


vary the optical density. The visible transmission properties of filters fabricated at UW are shown in Figure 166.

6.13.4 Equipment, Facility and Staff Highlights Equipment – The reporting period saw a substantial increase in equipment grant and in-kind donation activity for the UW-NNIN. An FEI XL830 DualBeam (FIB/SEM) was purchased with assistance from a $100,000 in-kind donation and was installed in July 2013, giving the site enhanced TEM sample prep and failure analysis and surface modification capabilities on up to 200 mm wafers.

In addition, the site won a Murdock Charitable Trust grant for $450,000 with an additional in-kind donation of $335,000 that facilitated the purchase of an advanced Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) system. The SPTS Advanced Process Module (APM), shown in Figure 167, enables low temperature (<100°C) deposition with full stress tuning of various dielectric films including silicon oxides and nitrides, tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), and borophosphosilicate glass (BPSG) on up to 200 mm substrates. Furthermore, the APM provides a conformal oxide deposition process for trench and through silicon via (TSV) applications. This capability allows the site to retire the aging LPCVD systems and establish new processes that are compatible with the thermal budgets of polymeric and printed electronics and provides new cladding options for silicon nanophotonics applications.

Another gift from the Washington Research Foundation for $750,000 with an additional in-kind donation of $335,500 facilitated the acquisition of an SPTS Rapier Deep Reactive Ion Etcher (DRIE) that provides a dual source pulsed etch capability for through wafer applications with high etch rates (>25 μm/min) and uniformity on up to 200 mm wafers. Acquisition of these systems are the first steps in establishing a TSV foundry capability at UW-NNIN for research and prototype development volumes. These systems were delivered in December 2013 and are currently being facilitated with commissioning expected in February 2014.

Finally, the UW-NNIN site was awarded an NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) grant for establishing a nanotopography capability that fills the lithography gap between EBL and contact lithography for large area nanoscale systems and structures. Through this grant, UW-NNIN has awarded a contract for a Canon FPA-3000 i4 i-line (365nm) stepper. In addition, through in-kind donation, UW-NNIN is acquiring an Altatech pulsed CVD system that will enable the CVD of metal films for barrier materials (Ti/TiN, Ta, and Ru) and copper seed as well as metal oxides. These new systems are

Figure 166. (top left) A “red” filter fabricated using two deposited layers, (top right) a “blue” filter constructed using one deposition, (top center) combination of red (2 layers) and blue (1 layer), and (Right) transmission data for the filters

Figure 167. SPTS APM PECVD system


expected to be delivered around August 2014 or upon completion of the first phase of the renovation of Fluke Hall and ISO Class 5 and 6 cleanroom expansion for WNF.

Facility – In December 2013, permit documents for the renovation of Fluke Hall were submitted to the city of Seattle for review and approval. The detailed design plans include 3 phases of construction to minimize operational disruptions to the users of the facility. It is expected that there will be 1-2 weeks of operational impact between each phase to allow for equipment relocation from the existing fab or storage facilities into the new spaces. New cleanroom spaces will feature ISO Class 5 and 6 labs with completely new support infrastructure including all electrical and mechanical systems. This expansion will nearly triple the existing cleanroom floorspace; however, as is often the case, the facility is already at capacity with the acquisition of several new instruments and the plans for a possible printed electronics area. Part of the rennovation includes integration and expansion of the UW Center for Commercialization (C4C) New Ventures facility that provides incubator spaces for UW startup companies and increases the ability of UW-NNIN to be an economic engine for the region.

Staff – Sadly, in May 2013, Leonard Hixson left the WNF for an industrial opportunity that was close to his home in Anacortes, WA. Fortunately, in June 2013, Al Bailey filled the vacancy left by Mr. Hixson. Mr. Bailey is an equipment service engineering vetran of Honeywell and Boeing Research as well as a field service engineer for Eaton where he focus on ion implantation systems. He currently leads the maintenance group that serves all of the UW-NNIN labs.

In September 2013, after many years of service, both Dr. Alec Pakhomov and Mack Carter were separated from the UW. Dr. Pakhomov has been succeeded by Dr. Lara Gamble as the Associate Director for the NTUF. Dr. Gamble is an Associate Research Professor in the Bioengineering Department and is also the Associate Director of the National ESCA and Surface Analysis Center for Biomedical Problems (NESAC/Bio). Currently, the site is internally sourcing a program manager to run the 2014 REU program.

6.13.5 Educational Highlights Outreach at the collegiate level included hosting tours for local universities including University of Puget Sound (UPS) and Seattle Pacific University (SPU). Internally, UW-NNIN staff guest lectured in several courses including Nanoscience and Molecular Engineering (NME 498), entitled Frontiers in Nanotechnology, which is a survey course in nanoscience. In addition, WNF, as part of the University of Washington NNIN node’s educational mission, hosted EE527, a graduate course in microfabrication techniques, taught by Prof. Bruce Darling (UW EE) in which several devices were fabricated and characterized during the 10-week quarter. In addition, BIOEN 455, an undergraduate course in BioMEMS was taught simultaneously and focused on soft lithography techniques for biosensing applications. UW-NNIN engineers were actively engaged in supporting and instructing the lab sections for both these courses. These courses will be conducted again in the Winter 2014 academic quarter.

An intership program for students of the North Seattle Community College (NSCC) Nanotechnology AAS-T degree program continued in 2013, with four NSCC interns conducting research in soft lithography, damascene processing, and chemical vapor deposition with in-depth training and mentoring by the WNF staff. UW-NNIN continues to support the NSF Advanced Technological Education grant to NSCC SHINE as a Regional Center for Nanotechnology education. UW-

Figure 168. UW-NNIN volunteers teaching nanoscale thin films technologies, including plasma deposition and etching, to K-12 students at the NWBAR Life Sciences Research Weekend.


NNIN staff and clients hold positions on the SHINE Technical Advisory Committee. To date, all UW-NNIN participants have secured nanotechnology jobs with WNF clients or have been admitted to UW for graduate school.

UW-NNIN has fully engaged in secondary education outreach. The staff participated in the new Math Science Upward Bound Program, a summer STEM outreach program that helps low-income and first-generation college students excel in high school. In addition, UW-NNIN hosted several local high school tours and demonstrations of various nanofabrication techniques.

These interactive demonstrations were ported to a mobile set of exhibits that were used at major events including Life Sciences Research Weekend, Discovery Days, and Seattle Science Week, where thousands of primary students were taught prinicples of nanoscience. In addition, these exhibits were used for outreach at several science fairs and in-class demonstrations at the primary level.

----End of University of Washington Text Report---


6.13.6. University of Washington Selected Statistics a)Historical Annual Users



Figure 169: University of Washington Selected Site Statistics

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foreignstate and fed govlarge companysmall companypre-college2 year college4 year collegeother universitylocal site academic

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Univ. Washington Lab Hours March 2013-Dec.2013


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Univ. Washngton Users by Type- March 2013 - Dec. 2013


Local Site Academic

73%

Other University2%

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6.13.7 U.Washington User Institutions Site Name: University of Washington Active User Institutions March 1, 2013-Dec 31,2013

Outside US Academic Small Companies Large Companies Fred Hutchinson Cancer Res. Ctr.

Aerojet CALIPER PERKIN ELMER

North Seattle Community College Applied Nanotools Inc. Google Pacific Lutheran Univ. Aurora-Jean Consulting, Inc. INTEL University of Idaho CLEARInk Displays Microsoft University of Michigan En Vitrum ORACLE

EOSPAC PCB Piezoelectronics, Inc. EOTRON Teledyne Etaphase GR Nano Materials Hummingbird International Jenoptik Optical Systems,

LLC McMaster University

JML National Research Council, Canada ICT

MicroVision University of British Columbia Modumetal Arctic Medical Nanoport Technologies NorthShore Bio Ormond, LLC Quest Integrated RJC Enterprises Scifiniti Silicon Designs Inc Veravanti Inc. ZWITTER


6.14 Washington University in St. Louis Site Report 6.14.1 Overview The primary focal area of the Washington University in St. Louis NNIN node (WUSTL-NNIN) is in nanomaterial synthesis, characterization and their applcations to energy, environment, and biological/medical areas. WUSTL-NNIN is operated by the Nano Research Facility (NRF) and employs 4 technical staff. NRF includes over 2,000 sqft of cleanroom space with tools for photolithography, thin-film deposition, etching, and metrology as well as over 2,000 sqft of laboratory space populated with tools for synthesis of nanoparticles and characterization instrumentation to support the needs of nanomaterial envionmental health and safety investigators.

To meet the needs of nanomedicine and nanotoxicology researchers we have expanded our capabilties in the synthesis of functional nanomaterials and have recently added a one-of-a-kind tri-modality imaging system for in-vivo monitoring of nanoparticles to our imaging suite. During the reporting period (March – December, 2013) WUSTL-NNIN has supported more than 148 unique users including users from 7 other universities, 5 small companies, and 3 large companies.

6.14.2 Research Project Highlights 6.14.2.1 Energy and the Environment NRF serves a strong user base in energy and environmental engineering research areas. Some of the topics under investigation are advanced materials for solar cells, batteries, and catalysis; transport of nanomaterials in the environment; nanoscale mineral transformations; and carbon sequestration. The Biswas group (EECE, WUSTL) has developed an efficient aerosol route to turn the 2D graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets to 3D crumpled nanoballs to avoid the annoying restacking issue resulting from the interlayer attraction of GO nanosheets. The crumpling mechanism was proposed based on the detailed investigations on the correlation between the confinement force and solvent evaporation rate by means of both calculation and measurements (online size measurements and TEM/SEM analyses at NRF) (Fig. 170). The crumpled GO is a promissing platform for a variety of energy and environmental applications, such as CO2 photoreduction and waste water treatments.

The Biswas group has also developed another aerosol process for synthesis and delivery of nanoparticles for living watermelon plant foliar uptake, as shown in Fig. 171. This is an efficient technique capable of generating nanoparticles with controllable particle sizes and number concentrations. Aerosolized nanoparticles were easily applied to leaf surfaces and enter the stomata via gas uptake, avoiding direct interaction with soil systems,and hence eliminating potential ecological risks. The uptake and transport of nanoparticles inside the watermelon plants were investigated systematically using elemental analysis and transmission electron microscopy.

Figure 170: Schematic diagram of a furnace aerosol reactor method (a) and the possible mechanism of crumpled graphene oxide (GO)

Figure 171: (a) Schematic diagram of experimental setup and (b) watermelon plants used.


6.14.2.2 Biological Applications To meet it’s commitment to the field of nanomedicine and biological applications NRF provides technical expertise and user support in characterization of nanoparticle-biological mixed mediums.

The Banerjee and Singamaneni groups (Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science) have demonstrated conducticity switching from a metal to semiconductor using plasmonic excitation and charge injection in goald (Au) nanorod-zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocomposite films (Fig. 172). The research team took the Au nanorods and put a very thin blanket of ZnO on top by atomic layer deposition (ALD)―a unique thin film deposition technique. When they turned on light, they noticed that the composite had changed from one with metallic properties into a semiconductor, a material that partly conducts current.

The Singamaneni group has also designed a highly efficient Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) probe for high-resolution detection of chemical and biological analytes. For example, they have demonstrated a novel biomimetic approach to enhance the selectivity of plasmonic nanostructures to target chemical analytes (Fig. 173). As a proof of concept, they showed that a nitroaromatic explosive molecule, trinitrotoluene (TNT), can be detected down to 100 pM concentration even in a complex organic chemical mixture. This ultrasensitive and selective detection is enabled by TNT-binding peptides appended to Au nanorods, which serve as selective SERS media.

The St. Louis start-up company Pulse Therapeutics Inc. is developing emergency room stroke treatment technologies using magnetomotive enhanced thrombolysis with sub-micron magnetite particles. The NRF staff collaborate with the company very closely by synthesizing magnetic nanoparticles, dye functionalization, characterization studies using UV-Visible spectroscopy, DLS, BET, FTIR, TGA, TEM and SEM.The WUSTL-NNIN facility continues to be a key resource for Pulse Therapuetics Inc. as they conduct post-clinical testing and examine other applications of the technology, including enhanced diffusion in capillary beds.

6.13.3 Equipment and Operation In 2013 WUSTL-NNIN increased its characterization abilities with the support of the School of Engineering and Applied Science by adding:

• Thermo Scientific Sorval EX Ultra Series Ultracentrifuge for separation of nanoparticles

• 8 Channel battery testing system with a Unilab glove box for battery (electrodes) fabrication and testing

Figure 174: Thermo Scientific Sorvall WX Ultra Series Ultracentrifuge

Figure 172: Development of Metal-to-Semiconductor Switching in Au Nanorod-ZnO nanocomposites films.

Figure 173: Schematic diagram illustrating (i) bioconjugation of gold nanorods with TEN-binding peptide, (ii) transfer of gold nanorod-TNT binding peptide conjugates onto paper and (iii) SERS-based TNT detection in chemically complex media.


In 2013 WUSTL-NNIN technical staff developed new protocols at NRF

(1) Nanoparticle synthesis • Au-Ag Alloy : Monodispersed 30 - 50nm popcorn bimetallic

nanoparticles. • Au porous nanostructure : Monodispersed 50-60nm porous gold

nanoparticles synthesized through galvanic replacement. • Cu2O and CuO nanoparticles: Monodispersed Cu2O and

CuO nanoparticles (100-150nm) for photocatalytic applications.

(2) Detection of single nanoparticle for environmental application by ICP-OES and programmed the detection parameteres for future use.

6.14.4 Staff In June 2013 Howard Wynder retired and in July Kate Nelson returned to graduate school to pursue a PhD in Environmental Management and Policy at Vanderbilt Uniersity. Howard’s position was filled by Dr. Remya Nair who has many years of experience in nanomaterial synthesis and characterization. Kate’s position was filled by Dr. Wei-Ning Wang, who is also a Research Assistant Professor in the EECE department at WUSTL.

6.14.5 Education and Other Activities WUSTL-NNIN played an active role with the St. Louis Science Center (SLSC) during 2013. The NRF participated in Nanodays 2013 at SLSC which reached one thousand visitors from the local community. This event facilitated the interaction between NRF education staff, local teachers, and other educators from the region. Many teaching sources and materials were passed out and NRF was able to be a constant supplier of these materials to SLSC. From connections made at Nanodays, NRF was able to host field trips and demostrations for the SLSC Youth Exeriencing Science program (YES) and Medora Elementary School in Medora, IL. In total 64 students and 30 parents and teachers visited WUSTL campus during these events. These students and teachers took part in electron microscope demonstrations, hands on nanotechnology demonstrations, and tours of the NRF facilities.

WUSTL-NNIN has provided lab tours, demonstrations, and imaging services for undergraduate and graduate classes at Washington University and has played a key role in the development and execution of the universities first microfabrication lab course. This course, MEMS 5611, is a cross-listed course offered by the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences in spring and fall semesters. In Spring 2013 and Fall of 2013, there were two lab sessions each week held inside the WUSTL-NNIN cleanroom and supported in part by WUSTL-NNIN technical staff. The success and high demand of this class has lead to the formation of an addition session each week in Spring 2014 and a forecasted fourth session in Spring 2015.

---End of Washington University at St. Louis Text Site Report--

Figure 175: Gold porous nanoparticles (scale bar = 50 nm)


6.14.6 Washington University at St. Louis Selected Site Statistics

b)Lab Hours by Institution Type c) User Distribution by Institution Type

d)Average Hours per User( in 10 months) e) New Users

Figure 176: Washington University Selected Site Statistics

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foreignstate and fed govlarge companysmall companypre-college2 year college4 year collegeother universitylocal site academic

Joined NNINin FY09

12 months

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Local Site Academic

63%

Other University0%

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2% State and Fed Gov0%

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Washington University User Hours March 2013-Dec 2013


Local Site Academic91%

Other University2%

4 year college0%


3%

foreign0%

WUSTL Users by InstitutionMarch 2013- Dec 2013


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Washington University Hours per User --March 2013- Dec 2013

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Washington University New Users--March 2013-Dec 2013


6.14.7 Washington University St. Louis User Institutions Academic Small Company Large Company

University of Kansas Medical Center DanSol Pharma Pfizer, Inc.

University of Missouri Pulse Therapeutics, Inc. Northrop Grumman

Missouri University of Science & Technology

E.K.G Lifescience Solutions MEMC

Saint Louis University Emergent Sensor Technology STERIS Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Terra Biologics

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Thies Tech

End of NNIN Annual Report


Documents

NNIN Annual Report for March 2013-Feb 2014