The University of Washington
will acquire an electron beam lithography machine, a key instrument required
to build devices at the nanometer scale. A $1.3 million gift from the Washington
Research Foundation provides about half the cost of the $2.5 million electron
beam lithography machine, which will be the only one of its kind in the Northwest.
 | | An etching of the UW seal made using an electron beam lithography machine at Cornell University. Around 100 of these seals would fit on the end of a human hair. |
"The electron beam lithography machine will give researchers at the University
of Washington the ability to work on nanoscale projects with a broad range of
possible commercial applications," said Ron Howell, CEO of the Washington
Research Foundation. "This tool will place the university among a handful
of institutions with such a capability. Ultimately, it could lead to the creation
of many new companies and products."
The Washington Research Foundation was created in 1981 to support research
and entrepreneurship at state research institutions. The gift is among the largest
gifts in its history.
Nanoscale devices have promising commercial potential for solar cell materials,
new displays, memory chips, photonic devices and biological sensors, among many
other applications.
"Our region has the capacity for being a serious player in nanoscience.
This is a key piece that will allow Pacific Northwest researchers to compete
in this field in the international arena," said Matt O'Donnell, dean of
the College of Engineering.
The remaining $1.2 million of the machine's cost will come from the UW through
the Innovative Research Teams fund, a state program created by the Economic
Development Commission to recruit researchers in areas that have the potential
for significant economic impact.
The electron beam lithography machine works by scanning a beam of electrons
across a surface to sketch small-scale patterns that can be used in circuits
or other devices. In the commercial processes used to build computer chips,
light is generally used instead of an electron beam -- which is ideal for large-scale
device production, but is not as flexible or precise as using electron beams.
An electron beam lithography tool like this one can draw devices down to about
10-nanometer resolution on surfaces up to eight inches wide. The device can
also be used to build 3-D structures by building multiple layers. A nanometer
is a unit of measurement equal to one billionth of a meter.
The UW's portion was part of a recruitment package for Michael Hochberg, an
assistant professor of electrical engineering, who arrived at the UW from the
California Institute of Technology in 2007.
Hochberg's research is in nanophotonics, a field that uses light photons rather
than electrons to transmit and process information. Using photons allows the
possibility of creating tiny chips that use less power and transmit information
more quickly than current electronic devices. Hochberg's lab members are expected
to be major users for the new machine.
"This is the most flexible, capable machine that you would buy to build
nanostructures," Hochberg said. "This is a prototyping machine --
the kind of system used to prototype technologies that are still five, 10 or
20 years out."
Other local researchers have already expressed interest. About 30 UW faculty
members said they will make use of the device, including members of the departments
of physics, electrical engineering, bioengineering and chemistry. Researchers
at a number of local companies have expressed a strong interest in using the
machine, which will be housed in Fluke Hall at the Washington Technology Center
clean room, a state-funded micro- and nano-fabrication facility on the UW campus.
The machine should be installed within a year and will be available at a fee
for use by those inside and outside the UW doing nanotechnology research.
Posted August 29th, 2008
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