Nanoarchitectures with subwavelength-sized metallic building blocks arranged on surfaces manipulate light matter interactions. These nanoengineered materials basically lay the foundation for a new, engineered way of controlling light, and pave the way for novel functional devices, unattainable with conventional optics benefitting applications including sensing, energy, imaging, and light guiding. Yet the lack of scalability for large-scale and low-cost production of these nanoarchitectures limits impact. This Scalable NanoManufacturing (SNM) research program will provide disruptive manufacturing solutions to create nanoarchitectures embedded in micron scale surface to foster a breakthrough in scalable fabrication. The investigators will work closely with an industrial advisory board to tailor research that addresses scientific studies to the benefit of a broad range of technology sectors that includes medical and industrial diagnostic systems to optical communications as well as the precision manufacturing equipment needed to achieve the goal of scalable nanomanufacturing. The research program is closely integrated with a diverse educational plan and robust industry outreach that is designed to train students (high school to graduate level, STEM educators/learners and industry practitioners) to be future leaders in science and technology to benefit innovation and strengthen manufacturing in the United States. This plan includes creation of movies and demonstrations in collaboration with the UC Irvine School of Education "From Lab to Lesson Plan" that train high school teachers from the Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) program serving underrepresented students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Undergraduate students will be recruited from The Louis Stokes for Minority Participation in STEM, a statewide initiative funded by the National Science Foundation, to train a diverse group of students in advanced research activities. Interdisciplinary training will be provided for graduate students involving fundamental science and engineering as well as technological applications and scientific communication.
Synergistic experimental and theoretical studies involve understanding driving forces that direct assembly of nanoparticles from colloidal solution into predefined surface patterns, physical mechanisms of direct writing of periodic and aperiodic nanowire arrangements using elecromechanical spinning technology, and needed precision in process control. These studies when integrated with existing lithographic techniques will produce multi-length scale complex architectures using high throughput manufacturing methods that afford tunable properties at infrared and optical frequencies while retaining low cost. Test bed applications of these systems include sensors exhibiting low detection limits over large areas, non-linear optical devices, and optical antennas and actuators to demonstrate the benefit to technological applications. Advancements to the research field will be threefold: 1) studies of fundamental mechanisms in nanofabrication will allow researchers to conceive new and robust nanofabrication methods that will benefit research beyond optics, 2) the understanding of defect tolerance in the development of optically responsive surfaces and optomechanical systems will provide guidelines for geometric tolerances in nanomanufacturing, and 3) new insights into the physical mechanism of multi-length scale electromagnetic interactions will improve understanding of novel light-matter interactions and produce improved functionalities for future optical devices.
