Showing posts with label Nanomanufacturing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nanomanufacturing. Show all posts

Friday, February 3, 2017

UCSD present near-perfect broadband absorption from hyperbolic metamaterial nanoparticles

San Diego, Calif., Feb. 1, 2017 - Transparent window coatings that keep buildings and cars cool on sunny days. Devices that could more than triple solar cell efficiencies. Thin, lightweight shields that block thermal detection. These are potential applications for a thin, flexible, light-absorbing material developed by engineers at the University of California San Diego.

Using 3D patterning and ALD UCSD researchers has developed a new flexible, light-absorbing material that can be used as a transparent, heat-blocking window coatings or infrared detection shields. The materials were fabricated using advanced nanofabrication technologies in the Nano3 cleanroom facility at the Qualcomm Institute at UC San Diego. This facility has a Beneq TSF200 ALD reacor (LINK) possibly used for the ALD processing.

Full paper:Near-perfect broadband absorption from hyperbolic metamaterial nanoparticles.” Authors of the study are Conor T. Riley, Joseph S. T. Smalley, Jeffrey R. J. Brodie, Yeshaiahu Fainman, Donald J. Sirbuly and Zhaowei Liu.

Friday, July 22, 2016

Lund Nano Lab to present new maskless technology for nano device patterning at ALE 2016 Ireland

Semiconductor device scaling requires atomic level precision processing and Atomic Layer Etching (ALE) has a great potential for this. ALE is a cyclic etching process in which a well-defined atomically thin layer is etched in each cycle. [HERALD White Paper on Atomic Level Processing]

Lund Nano Lab at NanoLund, Lund University to present new maskless technology for nano device patterning at ALE 2016 Ireland. Here you can have a preview and we welcome all of you to enjoy the opening pleanary talk by Prof. Lars Samuelson and later the contributed talk by Dr. Dmitry Suyatin in the ALE Workshop. Later you may also want to come and stop by and visit us in the Exhibition at the joint stand NanoLund and ALD Lab Saxony - table 45 right next to the coffee.

Nanowire-based Technologies for Electronics, LEDs and Solar-cells
Lars Samuelson
Lund University, Sweden
08:30-09:00



Dr. Dmitry Suyatin from Lund university presenting initial groundbreaking work on splitting Nanowires by ALE at the Novel High-k Workshop in Dresden 2016. At ALE 2016 more details will be revealed.


Longitudinal nanowire splitting by atomic layer etching
DMITRY B. SUYATIN*, MD SABBIR AHMED KHAN, JONAS SUNDQVIST, ANDERS KVENNEFORS, MARIUSZ GRACZYK, NICKLAS NILSSON, IVAN MAXIMOV
Lund University, Sweden
13:45-14:00



Invention

We provide an ALE-based maskless method of manufacturing nanostructures with characteristic size below 20 nm

Offer

  • IP & licencing 
  • ALE Process development 
  • Device fabrication 
  • Process transfer

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Directing Matter: Toward Atomic-Scale 3D Nanofabrication

Here is a new review article on atomic scale 3D nanofabrication by researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. You can find a full review of the article by Michael Berger in Nanowerk here.

Directing Matter: Toward Atomic-Scale 3D Nanofabrication

Stephen Jesse, Albina Y. Borisevich, Jason D. Fowlkes, Andrew R. Lupini, Philip D. Rack, Raymond R. Unocic, Bobby G. Sumpter, Sergei V. Kalinin, Alex Belianinov, and Olga S. Ovchinnikova
ACS Nano, Article ASAP
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.6b02489
Publication Date (Web): May 16, 2016




Enabling memristive, neuromorphic, and quantum-based computing as well as efficient mainstream energy storage and conversion technologies requires the next generation of materials customized at the atomic scale. This requires full control of atomic arrangement and bonding in three dimensions. The last two decades witnessed substantial industrial, academic, and government research efforts directed toward this goal through various lithographies and scanning-probe-based methods. These technologies emphasize 2D surface structures, with some limited 3D capability. Recently, a range of focused electron- and ion-based methods have demonstrated compelling alternative pathways to achieving atomically precise manufacturing of 3D structures in solids, liquids, and at interfaces. Electron and ion microscopies offer a platform that can simultaneously observe dynamic and static structures at the nano- and atomic scales and also induce structural rearrangements and chemical transformation. The addition of predictive modeling or rapid image analytics and feedback enables guiding these in a controlled manner. Here, we review the recent results that used focused electron and ion beams to create free-standing nanoscale 3D structures, radiolysis, and the fabrication potential with liquid precursors, epitaxial crystallization of amorphous oxides with atomic layer precision, as well as visualization and control of individual dopant motion within a 3D crystal lattice. These works lay the foundation for approaches to directing nanoscale level architectures and offer a potential roadmap to full 3D atomic control in materials. In this paper, we lay out the gaps that currently constrain the processing range of these platforms, reflect on indirect requirements, such as the integration of large-scale data analysis with theory, and discuss future prospects of these technologies.

Friday, March 25, 2016

Lund Univeristy in Sweden moves ahead with Phase 1 for the Nano Pilot Production facility - ProNano

Lund University, Sweden, is the largest university in the Nordic Countries situated across the bridge from Copenhagen. ProNano is a pilot study of the market potential for a pilot production facility for nanotechnology and nano materials in Lund. The facility is aimed at researchers and companies wants to develop pilot production and products with industry standard, without having to invest in expensive equipment by themselves.


The project was initiated by NanoLund at Lund University, Sweden and is conducted in collaboration with Lund University, Region Skåne, RISE and Medicon Village with representation from industry, academia and authorities and Yvonne Mårtensson, former CEO Cellavision AB is the project manager of ProNano. This week the next steps have been announced by a press release from Lund University.
Science Village Scandinavia will consist of buildings aimed at research facilities, research institutes, research institutes for Lund University and other universities, companies related to innovation and research, a Science Centre and Business Centre, premises for laboratories, administration, service and accommodation (http://sciencevillage.com/)
Prof. Lars Samuelson, founder of NanoLund and the nanowire growth research and also founder of a number of spin-off companies and the driver of commercialization of nano materials at Lund University stated: "An effort for the industrialization of nano materials in Lund is a natural result of the world leading materials research with the establishment of a number of companies where the research is channeled all the way to the market". As a note for the readers here, Prof. Samuelson is the Keynote Speaker of ALD 2016 in Dublin, Ireland 24-27th of July.

Prof. Lars Samuelson (left) and Prof. Heiner Linke (right), the founder resp. the Director of NanoLund.
Prof. Heiner Linke, Director of NanoLund added "The goal with ProNano is to create a vertical integrated system around Swedish nanotechnology that stretches from education through basic and applied research all the way to production. The vision is to realize the foundation for a Swedish industry based on advanced nano materials"


The regional authorities of Skåne (Region Skåne, Southern part of Sweden part of greater Copenhagen) has now decided to fund the project ProNano Phase 1 with additional funds of 4 million SEK for 2016 and 2017.

Pontus Linberg (regional conservative politician) put it in a context by saying: "The world class infrastructure of ESS and MAX IV currently being constructed in Lund has to be followed up by additional support for the foundation for business development and commercialization. ProNano will be the first bid establishment of infrastructure placed between MaxIV and ESS. ProNano will be targeting developing existing and new companies and is a natural and highly important part of the push for smart materials."

The Region of Skåne will except for financially supporting ProNano facilitate the process and connect the player on the nano materials and nano technology arena.

The recently published white paper can be downloaded here (in Swedish)

Friday, December 25, 2015

Self-assembled block copolymer template and ALD from Israel University of Technology

Here is a cool paper from from Prof. Gitti Frey and Moshe Moshonov at Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa Israel on Self-assembled block copolymer template and ALD. This is a rather hot topic for future nano patterning. They are using an ALD reactor that I did not come across until now - a MVD100E Applied MST system with an integrated oxygen plasma module to do ALD of ZnO into the organic films and self assembly of Block Copolymers.


The MVD100E Applied MST is a 200 mm tool capable of Molecular Vapor Deposition (MVD) and ALD for R&D or pilot manufacturing. It is designed for high performance, flexibility and reliability for the most demanding applications. Corporate and Academic Research Labs have called it their most versatile and reliable piece of equipment (http://www.appliedmst.com/mvd-100e/)

Here is also a video that I found on Youtube on how to operate the MVD100E tool from The Integrated Nanosystems Research Facility at The University of California, Irvine (INRF UCI).



Directing Hybrid Structures by Combining Self-Assembly of Functional Block Copolymers and Atomic Layer Deposition: A Demonstration on Hybrid Photovoltaics

Moshe Moshonov and Gitti L. Frey
Langmuir, 2015, 31 (46), pp 12762–12769 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.5b03282


The simplicity and versatility of block copolymer self-assembly offers their use as templates for nano- and meso-structured materials. However, in most cases, the material processing requires multiple steps, and the block copolymer is a sacrificial building block. Here, we combine a self-assembled block copolymer template and atomic layer deposition (ALD) of a metal oxide to generate functional hybrid films in a simple process with no etching or burning steps. This approach is demonstrated by using the crystallization-induced self-assembly of a rod–coil block copolymer, P3HT-b-PEO, and the ALD of ZnO. The block copolymer self-assembles into fibrils, ∼ 20 nm in diameter and microns long, with crystalline P3HT cores and amorphous PEO corona. The affinity of the ALD precursors to the PEO corona directs the exclusive deposition of crystalline ZnO within the PEO domains. The obtained hybrid structure possesses the properties desired for photovoltaic films: donor–acceptor continuous nanoscale interpenetrated networks. Therefore, we integrated the films into single-layer hybrid photovoltaics devices, thus demonstrating that combining self-assembly of functional block copolymers and ALD is a simple approach to direct desired complex hybrid morphologies.

Monday, December 14, 2015

MIT Microscope creates near-real-time videos of nanoscale processes [VIDEO]

This would be cool to see tested in an ALD or ALE type process. MIT Reports on Youtube: Engineers at MIT have designed an atomic force microscope that scans images 2,000 times faster than existing commercial models.

Left to right, Fangzhou Xia, a new lab member who was not involved in the study; professor Kamal Youcef-Toumi; and postdoc Iman Soltani Bozchalooi.(Photo: Jose-Luis Olivares/MIT)

Monday, July 6, 2015

ALD in nanostructured photovoltaics by Stanford University

Atomic layer deposition in nanostructured photovoltaics: tuning optical, electronic and surface properties

Axel F. Palmstrom, Pralay K. Santra and Stacey F. Bent
Nanoscale, 2015, Advance Article DOI: 10.1039/C5NR02080H



Nanostructured materials offer key advantages for third-generation photovoltaics, such as the ability to achieve high optical absorption together with enhanced charge carrier collection using low cost components. However, the extensive interfacial areas in nanostructured photovoltaic devices can cause high recombination rates and a high density of surface electronic states. In this feature article, we provide a brief review of some nanostructured photovoltaic technologies including dye-sensitized, quantum dot sensitized and colloidal quantum dot solar cells. We then introduce the technique of atomic layer deposition (ALD), which is a vapor phase deposition method using a sequence of self-limiting surface reaction steps to grow thin, uniform and conformal films. We discuss how ALD has established itself as a promising tool for addressing different aspects of nanostructured photovoltaics. Examples include the use of ALD to synthesize absorber materials for both quantum dot and plasmonic solar cells, to grow barrier layers for dye and quantum dot sensitized solar cells, and to infiltrate coatings into colloidal quantum dot solar cell to improve charge carrier mobilities as well as stability. We also provide an example of monolayer surface modification in which adsorbed ligand molecules on quantum dots are used to tune the band structure of colloidal quantum dot solar cells for improved charge collection. Finally, we comment on the present challenges and future outlook of the use of ALD for nanostructured photovoltaics.




Sunday, June 7, 2015

ALD and Beneq in the Innovation Hotspot for Nanomanufacturing

ALD is identified as one of the Paradigms of Innovation Hotspots in Nanomanufacturing in a recent Frost & Sullivan report on Innovations in Nanomanufacturing. Also a big congratulations to Beneq Oy from Finland, an ALD company identified as one of the "Key Stakeholders in Nanomanufacturing mastering". Beneq is mastering both ALD and Roll to Roll manufacturing.



New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Innovations in Nanomanufacturing, finds that nanomanufacturing will gain traction in the next three to five years and is likely to approach commercialization between 2018 and 2020. Nanomanufacturing will find vast uses in consumer electronics, healthcare, automotive lighting, building automation, smart fabrics, display technology and positioning systems.



For complimentary access to more information on this research, please visit: http://bit.ly/1xL9GNe.

Current nanomanufacturing techniques do not support mass-scale production, as the fabrication of a large number of nano-devices repeatedly and under precisely controlled conditions remains a challenge. Nanomanufacturing is also very complex, involving several processes and a high level of supervision.



ALD is identified as one of the Paradigms of Innovation Hotspots in Nanomanufacturing ("D56D-TI : Analysis of Innovations in Nanomanufacturing", Slide used with permission from Frost & Sullivan)

"Bottom-up approaches such as chemical vapor deposition, atomic layer deposition and self-assembly, which ensure high accuracy and minimal material wastage, will accelerate the adoption of nanomanufacturing," said Technical Insights Research AnalystJabez Mendelson. "Progress in sensor and material coating technologies will also boost nanomanufacturing."

To that end, numerous universities and research institutes are conducting research and actively filing patents. Most R&D activities have emerged from Asia-Pacific, considered the hub for electronic manufacturing.


Beneq Oy from Finland is identified as one of the Key Stakeholders in Nanomanufacturing mastering both ALD and Roll to Roll manufacturing. ("D56D-TI : Analysis of Innovations in Nanomanufacturing", Slide used with permission from Frost & Sullivan)


However, high initial investment and R&D costs inhibit the large-scale deployment of nanomanufacturing. Hence, active funding from governments as well as private investors will boost commercialization of nanomanufacturing.

"Collaboration between various stakeholders in the value chain will propel nanomanufacturing technologies to the next stage of growth," said Technical Insights Senior Research Analyst Sumit Kumar Pal. "The field offers immense scope for technology licensing and partnerships, an avenue that stakeholders must explore to capitalize on this vast opportunity."

Innovations in Nanomanufacturing, a part of the Technical Insights subscription, covers key technological advances in nanomanufacturing evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants. The report captures stakeholder initiatives, key technological trends, innovation hotspots, business implications of innovations with regard to different application segments, and factors influencing development landscape.

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Eureka moments in Nanochemistry – 2015 Centenary Award, Professor Geoffrey Ozin

Here is a fantastic article on Nanochemistry published in Materials Views - Eureka moments in Nanochemistry – 2015 Centenary Award


This article is an invited piece from Professor Geoffrey Ozin, University of Toronto, on his 2015 RSC Centenary Award for his work in defining, enabling and popularising a chemical approach to nanomaterials for innovative nanotechnology in advanced materials and biomedical science.


"In this Perspective I will look back over my careers work and reminisce, with the help of a few graphical depictions, about the “eureka moments” that led me to imagine and help develop the field of Nanochemistry. "

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 - ALD!

7. Multi-photon direct laser written (DLW) photonic bandgap nanomaterials

"In collaboration with colleagues at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, I used this nanofabrication method to invert a DLW polymer template in silica by atomic layer deposition. This enabled a subsequent inversion in silicon by disilane chemical vapor deposition, creating thereby a silicon replica of the original polymer template (Nature Materials 2006). Silicon photonic bandgap nanomaterials created by this inventive ‘double inversion’ method facilitate the development of silicon-based all-optical devices, circuits and chips with utility in optical telecommunication and computer systems. I spearheaded a creative extension of this work with single-step DLW in a high refractive index ‘inorganic’ photo-resist, arsenic sesquisulphide, As2S3. This opened the door to a large variety of new photonic bandgap materials and architectures that can be made by DLW without inversion of a sacrificial polymer template (ChemMater 2008)."



Saturday, May 16, 2015

Silicon nanoneedles used to reprogram cells to develop new blood vessels

Many may wonder why we need to fabricate nano structures and nano devices and things like nano dots, nano wires and nano needles. Here is a recent paper in Nature Materials that demonstrates the use of dense array of silicon nano needles used in medicine research to reprogram cells to develop new blood vessels (thanks Wendy at www.colnatec.com for sharing this one). Just imagine the huge potential for this technology in giving blood in the future! You could just have a constant supply of fresh blood cells added to the system when needed or regenerate faster after giving blood. 

So back to why do we need nano needles in this case? First of all the average person does´t like needles at all it bloody hurts! "In cell perspective needles also do damage and models suggest that the cell membrane cannot recover if it is perforated by anything larger than 500 nm" - that´s half a micron, microtechnology, old technology - Here is a clear call for nanotechnology!

That is why Tascotti and his colleagues had to go through a pretty advanced nano patterning and structuring process flow to create arrays of silicon based nano needles as described by Materials 360 Online and seen in Figure 1 from the publication in Nature Materials below:

"To create their nanoneedles, Tasciotti and his colleagues first deposited silicon nitride onto biodegradable silicon wafers using chemical vapor deposition, and then patterned nanoneedles onto their substrate using photolithography. Next, they formed porous silicon pillars using metal-assisted chemical etching, which they then shaped into nanoneedles with reactive ion etching. Importantly, the porosity of the nanoneedles could be tailored between 45% and 70%, which allows their degradation time, payload volume, and mechanical properties to be fine-tuned. The resulting nanoneedles, which were on 8 × 8 mm2chips, were 5 μm long, 50 nm wide at the apex, and 600 nm at the base. Compared with a solid cylindrical nanowire of equivalent apical diameter, the nanoneedles had more than 300 times the surface area for payload adsorption."

Biodegradable ​silicon nanoneedles delivering nucleic acids intracellularly induce localizedin vivo neovascularization

C. Chiappini,  E. De Rosa, J. O. Martinez,  X. Liu,  J. Steele,  M. M. Stevens & E. Tasciotti

The controlled delivery of nucleic acids to selected tissues remains an inefficient process mired by low transfection efficacy, poor scalability because of varying efficiency with cell type and location, and questionable safety as a result of toxicity issues arising from the typical materials and procedures employed. High efficiency and minimal toxicity in vitro has been shown for intracellular delivery of nuclei acids by using nanoneedles, yet extending these characteristics to in vivo delivery has been difficult, as current interfacing strategies rely on complex equipment or active cell internalization through prolonged interfacing. Here, we show that a tunable array of biodegradable nanoneedles fabricated by metal-assisted chemical etching of ​silicon can access the cytosol to co-deliver DNA and siRNA with an efficiency greater than 90%, and that in vivo the nanoneedles transfect the ​VEGF-165gene, inducing sustained neovascularization and a localized sixfold increase in blood perfusion in a target region of the muscle.





Figure 1 | Porous silicon nanoneedles. a, Schematic of the nanoneedle synthesis combining conventional microfabrication and metal-assisted chemical etch (MACE). RIE, Reactive ion etching. b,c, SEM micrographs showing the morphology of porous silicon nanoneedles fabricated according to the process outlined in a. b, Ordered nanoneedle arrays with pitches of 2 μm, 10 μm and 20 μm, respectively. Scale bars, 2 μm. c, High-resolution SEM micrographs of nanoneedle tips showing the nanoneedles’ porous structure and the tunability of tip diameter from less than 100 nm to over 400 nm. Scale bars, 200 nm. d, Time course of nanoneedles incubated in cell-culture medium at 37 ◦ C. Progressive biodegradation of the needles appears, with loss of structural integrity between 8 and 15 h. Complete degradation occurs at 72 h. Scale bars, 2 μm. e, ICP-AES quantification of Si released in solution. Blue and black bars represent the rate of silicon release per hour and the cumulative release of silicon, respectively, at each timepoint, expressed as a percentage of total silicon released. Error bars represent the s.d. of 3–6 replicates. (Nature Publishing Group, License Number: 3630681325690).

Thursday, April 2, 2015

ALD and self-assembly will accelerate the adoption of nanomanufacturing

ALD and self-assembly are amongst the technolgies that will accelerate the adoption of nanomanufacturing according to new analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Innovations in Nanomanufacturing. Overall, nanomanufacturing will gain traction in the next three to five years and is likely to approach commercialization between 2018 and 2020. Nanomanufacturing will find vast uses in consumer electronics, healthcare, automotive lighting, building automation, smart fabrics, display technology and positioning systems.

http://www.nfcidea.pl/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Frost-Sullivan.jpg

Current nanomanufacturing techniques do not support mass-scale production, as the fabrication of a large number of nano-devices repeatedly and under precisely controlled conditions remains a challenge. Nanomanufacturing is also very complex, involving several processes and a high level of supervision.

 
"Bottom-up approaches such as chemical vapor deposition, atomic layer deposition and self-assembly, which ensure high accuracy and minimal material wastage, will accelerate the adoption of nanomanufacturing," said Technical Insights Research Analyst Jabez Mendelson. "Progress in sensor and material coating technologies will also boost nanomanufacturing."

To that end, numerous universities and research institutes are conducting research and actively filing patents. Most R&D activities have emerged from Asia-Pacific, considered the hub for electronic manufacturing.

However, high initial investment and R&D costs inhibit the large-scale deployment of nanomanufacturing. Hence, active funding from governments as well as private investors will boost commercialization of nanomanufacturing.

"Collaboration between various stakeholders in the value chain will propel nanomanufacturing technologies to the next stage of growth," said Technical Insights Senior Research Analyst Sumit Kumar Pal. "The field offers immense scope for technology licensing and partnerships, an avenue that stakeholders must explore to capitalize on this vast opportunity."

Innovations in Nanomanufacturing, a part of the Technical Insights subscription, covers key technological advances in nanomanufacturing evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants. The report captures stakeholder initiatives, key technological trends, innovation hotspots, business implications of innovations with regard to different application segments, and factors influencing development landscape.

For complimentary access to more information on this research, please visit: http://bit.ly/1xL9GNe.