Transferring breakthroughs in nanoscale science into new technologies requires that we understand and overcome barriers to nanoscale manufacturing. In addressing the NNI Grand Challenges and the many hurdles identified at NSF Workshops on Nanomanufacturing, CHN has identified the following critical questions, which define the fundamental technical barriers to nanomanufacturing:
1. How can we assemble different nano-scale elements? What are the mechanisms leading to the assembly and orientation of nanoscale structures? How do we control these mechanisms?
2. How can we scale up assembly processes in a continuous or high rate manner? How do we control the interfacial behavior and forces required to assemble, detach, and transfer nanoelements at high rates?
3. How can we test for reliability in nanostructures? How can we detect and mitigate defects?
4. How can nanomanufacturing processes meet existing and future environmental and health regulations?
The CHN is developing the processes and tools to overcome these fundamental barriers, with a synergistic team of three universities: Northeastern University, Boston; University of Massachusetts Lowell; and University of New Hampshire, Durham. These equal partners form the Center for High-rate Nanomanufacturing (CHN). This ongoing collaborative effort has demonstrated that this effective and unique partnership, combining the skills of 39 engineers, physicists, chemists, material scientists, business and humanities investigators with diverse expertise has the capacity to tackle these critical barriers.
Goals The Center for High-rate Nanomanufacturing goals are:
1. Understand the fundamentals of synthesis and control at the nanoscale to enable high-rate/highvolume bottom-up, precise directed assembly of nanoelements
2. Translate nanoscale science to practical applications in energy, biomedical, electronics and materials.
3. Develop responsible manufacturing by identifying and managing potential risks of nanotechnology
4. Educate the current and emerging nanomanufacturing workforce.
Programs The CHN?s approach to nanomanufacturing processes is fully integrated. The CHN has made major strides to advance our vision for High-rate/high-volume nanomanufacturing. This vision includes synthesis and/or functionalization of nanoelements ; uses templates for directed assembly ; transfers assembled structures ; integrates assembled structures into test beds and emerging applications. Combined with responsible manufacturing, and cross-cutting research including modeling, reliability, and defect mitigation, the above barriers define the CHN research thrusts:
Thrust 1: Synthesize nanoelements and create versatile nanotemplates Thrust 2: Employ nanotemplates to enable high-rate/high-volume manufacturing Thrust 3: Proof of Concept Test Beds, Emerging Applications, and Manufacturing Readiness Thrust 4: Concurrently assess the environmental, economic, regulatory, and ethical impacts of nanomanufacturing
The CHN is defining and developing high-rate nanomanufacturing processes that will enable: Consistent nanoscale directed assembly over large areas (measured in inches or feet), fast nanoscale directed assembly (measured in minutes or seconds), assembly of a large volume of nanoelements, repeatable and high yield assembly processes, and assembly of reliable structures.
The CHN process flow chart shown here illustrates how the different research thrusts and tasks are connected starting with nanoelements and nanotemplates (Thrust 1), continuing to their assembly and transfer (Thrust 2) and then on to the realization of test beds and applications (Thrust 3), all while evaluating environmental and economic impacts (Thrust 4). The flow chart illustrates the highly integrated nature of CHN and also shows how a system-level focus drives the research from discovery through proof-of-concept test beds. It also shows how-multi scale modeling is used to understand and guide fundamental mechanisms in synthesis, assembly and transfer.
