Integrated Nano-to-Millimeter Manufacturing Technologies

Program Manager: Kevin Lyons
Total FTE: 9.25

Program Goal:

Support U.S. industry in moving nanomanufacturing technologies into production within this decade by concurrently developing the scientific and engineering foundations necessary to support measurements and standards required to achieve effective and validated nanoscale product and process performance. This will be accomplished through working the following three sub-goals. Develop:

• Standards and technologies enabling atomic scale measurement, manipulation, and manufacturing.
• Standards and technologies enabling molecular & microscale measurement, manipulation and manufacturing.
• Standards and technologies enabling advanced Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) and Nano-Electro-Mechanical Systems (NEMS) fabrication.
  

Customer Needs:

Over the next decade, major industrial and scientific trends that emerged during the 1990s will influence not only how manufacturing will be done, but also what is manufactured. The size of many manufactured goods continues to decrease, resulting in ultra-miniature electronic devices and new hybrid technologies. For example, MEMS devices integrate physical, chemical, and even biological processes in micro- and millimeter-scale technology packages. MEMS devices now are used in many sectors: information technology (IT), medicine and health, aerospace, automotive, environment and energy to name a few. On the horizon is the development of nanomanufacturing technologies that will support tailor-made products having functionally critical nanometer scale dimensions produced using massively parallel systems or self-assembly.

The trend in product miniaturazation will require new process measurement and control systems that can span across millimeter, micrometer, and nanometer-size scales while accounting for the associated physics that govern the device and environment interaction at each specific size scale. This will require new standardized architecture definitions that support multiple physics-based models ¹ and new computational representations that allow seamless transition and traversing through these various models. This will include system control architectures that can support human-in-the-loop or automated closed-loop requirements while addressing the coordination and synchronization of multi-modal inputs/outputs through a variety of haptic, visual, audio and other sensory and actuation devices. In addition, R&D efforts that enable process measurement systems such as the development of calibration standards, standard reference materials (SRM) manufacturing processes, and SRM distribution procedures will be necessary. All of these areas, and likely additional ones yet to be identified, will be needed to achieve success in effective analysis and validation of nano-to-millimeter device and process performance. In order to respond to this emerging market there is a need to develop advanced models, new architectures, and innovative methods for process measurement systems that will serve as enablers for the US nanotechnology industry and as a foundation for standards that support this emerging market.

( ¹ The need for research in computational models is significant and is highlighted in the Department of Commerce report “Challenges for the New Millennium” Nanotechnology section. It states, “Computational models provide a framework for interpreting experimental results, and form the basis of software that will be needed to design and automate the production of nanodevices.”)

Technical Approach:

To achieve the goals of the program the research effort is comprised of three research thrusts (below), each focused on a specific application area and problem set. By taking this approach each of the thrust areas will address unique aspects regarding the development of models, architectures, and methods. Through out all phases of the program the knowledge learned in each of the thrust areas will be shared to maximize the outcomes of the program.

Atomic scale manufacturing: Develop and assembly the technologies required to fabricate standards that have atomically precise, but pre-determined positions and atomic structure. This will include work directed at solving artifact integrity, precision placement, dimensional metrology, and manufacturing issues.

Molecular scale manipulation and assembly: Identify and address the fundamental measurement, control and standards issues related to manipulation and assembly of micro/nanoscale devices using optical methods. This entails building the manipulation technology and using it to understand and address the measurement issues that arise when assembling devices at the micro/nanoscale level.

Micro-to-millimeter scale manufacturing technologies: Develop the technologies required to position, manipulate, assemble, and manufacture across nm-to-mm scales. This will include work directed at micro-positioners, micro-mirror arrays, micro-sensors, micro-actuators, micro-tools, micro-assembly, and micro-manufacturing issues.

Anticipated Impacts:

The models, architectures, and methods that are developed and demonstrated will serve as a catalyst for standardization and promote further development and implementation of process measurement and control systems by industry. An expected outcome will be the continuation of this work by industry and implementation of pilot studies by industry that support the further development of models, architectures, and methods for process measurement and control systems that enable manufacturing across nm-to-mm scales.

To support attainment of expected outcomes from the outputs listed above, an emphasis will be placed on advancing the state of standards and measurements that will benefit the micro-nanotechnology industry. Specifically the work will address the areas below.

Develop standard-based manufacturing architectures, calibration and metrology techniques and interfaces that meet the expected requirements for micro-nanomanufacturing industries.

• Effective human-computer interfaces
• Fully deterministic computer systems architecture
• Molecular Modeling-to-CAD exchange formats
• Advanced control system architecture
• Image resolution and registration
• Process models
• Advanced signal processing and image analysis

Provide industry with critical methods and technologies that support micro-nanoscale traceability to basic and derived units of measure, including length, mass and force.

• Performance metrics for manufacturing equipment and processes
• Production hardened calibration methods and supporting hardware/software
• Standard Reference Materials (SRMs), definition and production

Standards Participation:

Wafer Preparation Standards
NIST is working with International SEMATECH to develop wafer standards that are appropriate for calibrating today’s high resolution imaging tools. This effort is leveraging MEL’s current fabrication and measurement methods and procedures under development through the Nanomanufacturing Program.

SPM Error Source Definition
Documented enumeration of error sources and characterization techniques that affect the accuracy and repeatability of nanoscale measurement and manipulation operations performed by scanning probe microscopes (SPMs). This will be achieved by performing initial measurements on an SPM of a prototype standard under various conditions in collaboration with the atom scale measurement and lithography project. Preliminary image analysis will be used to identify and make a quantitative assessment of the errors present. These results will be augmented with a thorough literature search to establish a projected baseline of error sources, models and the required characterization techniques. When sufficient progress is achieved the work will be provided to appropriate standards groups for consideration in developing a new standard in this area or an addition to an existing standard.

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Date Create: December 9, 2002
Last Modified: December 9, 2002